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Lost work in Word

If you started a Word document previously but now can't find it, here are some places to check:

1. Did you do the work under your school logon? Some people have personal Microsoft accounts, so if you do check there.

2. If you were using a computer you share with your family, check to make sure you didn't accidentally do the work under their account. It sometimes doesn't let go of the other account easily.

3. If you created the document from your computer (through the window button or the Word icon on the bottom bar), and maybe it shut down while you were working or stopped responding, just opening it back up may recover it. Or try going to Open and then look down towards the bottom and there should be a small button that says "Recover Unsaved Documents".  

4. Also, try checking in your different folders or try using the search function in the folders.

5. Even if you didn't use the online version to create your document, it should have saved in your One Drive (assuming you were signed in to Microsoft) so here are some places to look there:

  • Go to Classlink and enter through the Microsoft 360 icon. Once you are in there, scroll down just a little bit and you can see your recent documents. 
  • If you see your document but the problem is that not all of your work is there, try going to Version History. In the top middle, where it says "Tell me what you want to do", type in Version History and see if you can find your work in another version. 
  • Another place to look is in your One Drive. Try recent, shared, trash if you don't see it initially. 

 Hopefully, you have found your document, but here's some advice for the next time - Name your document and save it right away! If you notice any red message indicators, try to get those resolved before continuing your work because those usually mean something isn't syncing correctly. Also, be aware if your autosave is on or not. If it isn't, there may be an issue. The safest way to work in this system is to start the document through the online version and then click "Open in Desktop App" if you need the full version.