i close auto recovered files without saving

When an AutoRecovered file is closed without saving, Office assumes it is no longer needed and deletes the AutoRecover copy. In that case, the same AutoRecovered version cannot be shown again.

Key behaviors:

• When an app restarts after a crash, it detects AutoRecover files and opens them automatically in the Document Recovery pane.
• If a recovered file is closed and not saved, the AutoRecover file is deleted. This is by design and applies on both Windows and macOS.

From the documentation:

• Word/Office deletes the AutoRecover file when either:
  • The recovered file is saved, or
  • The recovered file is closed without saving it.
• On Mac, if a file is closed and Don’t Save is chosen, the AutoRecover file is deleted because Office assumes it is not needed.

Because of this behavior, there is no built‑in way to reopen the same AutoRecovered version after closing it without saving. The only remaining options are:

• Check normal locations (e.g., your Documents, OneDrive, or SharePoint) for any previously saved versions.
• If the file was stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, check their recycle bins or version history for earlier saved versions.

To reduce data loss in the future:

1. Turn on AutoRecover and set a short interval:
   • Go to File > Options > Save.
   • Ensure Save AutoRecover information every x minutes is checked.
   • Ensure Keep the last autorecovered version if I close without saving is checked.
2. Store files on OneDrive or SharePoint and use AutoSave so changes are saved continuously.

References:

• How Word creates and recovers the AutoRecover files
• Recover your Microsoft 365 files
• Help protect your files in case of a crash
• Recover your Word files and documents
• Recover files in Office for Mac
• Recover your PowerPoint files