UKC

I've tried everything to recover a Word file I've been working on for the last couple of days. It has just disappeared from screen, memory, cloud, saved files etc. I've tried everything to recover it - including all the usual suspects (apart from turning off the laptop, which seems like a foolish idea). 

Any suggestions gratefully received (I'm working on a Powerbook, with macOS10.15.7). 

I'm assuming it's a file that was never saved?

If so, if it's not available in the recovery tab in word (which I assume you've checked) then I've found there's no other way to recover.

If the file was saved in a backed up space and so ehow disappeared, depending on the settings of the backup, it's often possible to right click, view history tab and get back up folders for whatever time and date you request.

So a little more info on what you did/didn't do is needed 

1. Go to file explorer

2. ‘’Under my pc/this pc’’

3. Search.  ‘’asd’’.

This was on a tic toc but have never used it.

Hope it works 

Thanks. What I'm struggling to understand is that the Word File itself, previously saved in a folder on my desktop, is not now in the folder - 3 Word files were there previously, including the one I was working on. Even if I hadn't saved it, the file should still be there in its earlier (un-saved) format. It's a complete mystery.

Have you checked recycle bin? It could possibly have been deleted by accident.

Depending on what version of Word you're using there are a few different places it could have done as an autosave.

https://www.acronis.com/en-gb/blog/posts/recover-word-document/

That should give you a starting point to look if using the most recent version.

I've had success just opening file explorer and searching the entire drive for the document name; it does take forever to search through everything but it has occasionally found a copy saved to a recycle bin or recovery folder or similar!

Thanks all. I will, of course, report back if I have success in the coming days. But I think a long walk is now required to seek solace. Cheers.

I once downloaded a program called disk drill essentially to recover a deleted file from unallocated space. It worked too!

Hate to say this, because it might be rubbing salt into the wounds after the event, but it really is worth using a separate online storage system like Dropbox to remove all such anxieties.

Which cloud service was it saved in?

Yup. A frequent comment from IT support. I grit my teeth, smile and think of a Brexitless Britain 😬

If you are using Mac OS you could try searching for it using a terminal. Open the terminal and then type

find / -name “*filename*” 

replacing filename with the name of the file, but excluding the extension. This should locate any file with that name and any extension. 
 

if that doesn’t work afraid I’ve no other ideas. 

Does Mac OS still have "time machine*"? (I've not used one for >10 years).

* I think that's what it was called 

Good shout, depending on the config it does take local snapshots without you needing to connect a backup disk.

Stupid question but did you accidentally rename it as something else? And accidentally rename the file extension? Possible to do if your very distracted and ignore the prompts.

I guess you have checked all recently opened docs, not just word.

Not familiar with Word for Mac, but in Word for Windows:

Copy that location and paste it into the Mac equivalent of Windows Explorer and go and have a rummage.  There are several other back-up locations listed in the same place, depending on what you're using.  You'll find the .asd files mentioned above there.  Delete the .asd from the file name and Choose 'Open with Word'.  If it's there, you're in luck - if not....

Are you using any kind of cloud back-up/mirroring system, such as Dropbox, iCloud or One Drive? We have had poor experience with occasionally losing Microsoft documents in that context. Also I presume you mean a MacBook Pro as the Powerbooks will not run that OS or have you done some devilish hacking!

I would turn on invisible files and look for files with a similar name. The easiest way to do this is in terminal but there are a few techniques - see https://www.macworld.com/article/671158/how-to-show-hidden-files-on-a-mac.h...

in word, Open file and select 'Recent files'. If it is saved somewhere other than you think it might be saved, then Word would recall its location. 

Also check all file types (not just .doc) in case saved in some other format.