Summary: If you’ve mistakenly overwritten a Word document with a different file, don’t worry. You can get back your access to your original file. Some tested methods are discussed in this blog to help you recover an accidentally saved over Word document.
There are four tried-and-true methods to recover an accidentally saved over Word document with no previous versions problem.
So if you spent a lot of time writing a lengthy essay, article, or report but accidentally saved over Word document, worry not. Although, it may seem like all hope is gone because you have to submit your document tomorrow.
Now, all you need to do is to follow the instructions provided in this article, so you can quickly and easily retrieve your Word file. Let’s get started.
What happens when you overwrite a word file?
Overwrite means the system overwrites deleted data with new data. It involves storing new information on your computer storage to replace the old information. Overwritten data is regarded as being unrecoverable.
However, Office Word already considered it and made it possible to recover the overwritten and deleted data. The application has some handy features which, if turned on, can create backups of your files automatically.
How do I recover an accidentally saved over Word document?
1. Use the Undo feature
When you accidentally remove a section of your essay or change the report’s organization, Word’s undo option is a lifesaver. The best and simplest thing to do is to undo the process if you mistakenly saved over a Word document.
You can restore the Word document to an earlier version by pressing Ctrl + Z. There is also an Undo button on the top-left corner of the Word window, which you can use to revert unwanted changes.
2. Find the file in temporary Word files
Office automatically produces some temporary files while you work on a Word file as a backup if you forget to save the document. After a predetermined time, it generates a fresh temporary file without replacing the old ones.
Therefore, if you notice that “oh, I accidentally saved over a word document,” you can locate the necessary file in the temporary files. Before overwriting the original document, you must first enable the AutoRecover option in the Save settings.
You must first locate the transient files on your computer to recover an erased Word document. You can find the necessary temporary file by browsing the relevant location.
Navigate to this path from your My Computer or This PC:
- C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word\
After finding the temporary file folder, search each file to find the desired word document and recover the accidentally saved over Word document.
3. Recover using a backup
In addition to temporary files, MS Word also makes a copy of your document as a backup. But by default, this function is deactivated. It needs to be enabled first.
When activated, a file in the .wbk file format will be created in the same folder as the original file. You can navigate to the file location, open the .wbk file, and save it as a .doc or .docx file, if you unintentionally saved over a Word document.
4. Restore Word Document to the Previous Version
If the procedures mentioned above don’t work, you can attempt restoring the Word file to its prior version to recover an accidentally saved over Word document.
- Make a new Word document with the same name as the previously mistakenly overwritten one. You can also find the Word document that was overwritten or saved over.
- Right-click the Word file after making a new one or finding the older one. Select the Properties option from the menu that will then appear.
- A tab labeled Previous Versions can be found. Select the tab. You can see many Word file versions here. Restore the necessary version.
How to Recover a Deleted Word Document?
Accidentally deleting a Word file is annoying, just as overwriting a document. Although there isn’t a method available to recover a Word document that has been deleted, there are, fortunately, several reliable applications available to recover deleted Word documents.
Such an expert program is Stellar Data Recovery Software. One of the top data recovery programs, it can assist users in various terrible situations. With this robust tool, every user may easily and affordably recover lost data from any device, including an external hard drive and a damaged hard disk.
- Install the Stellar Data Recovery software.
- Open the application, select the type of data you want to recover (in this case, office document), and click Next.
- Select the folder location or drive volume the word document was in and click Scan.
- Select the lost word file after the Scan and click Recover to save recovered data.
Bring your precious word file back!
Here are all possible ways to retrieve your word document. Although many websites claim that overwriting a Word file makes it unrecoverable, Word has several hidden functions that store backups and temporary files on your machine without your knowledge.
Using the Stellar Data Recovery program, you can recover accidentally deleted word files. This software can retrieve many types of data, not just word files.
It can scan damaged disks and recover files you believed were lost after formatting the drive. In other words, the possibilities of this software will surprise you.
FAQ
- What must I do if I accidentally delete important Word files?
Using the Stellar Data Recovery program, you may easily and quickly recover lost files. You can choose which word files to keep and restore from the application’s organized display, even if it may scan and store 100 lost files on your system.
- How do I create a backup of my word file?
Your Word application settings include an Advanced tab. You can find the “Always produce a backup copy” option in this section. Once you turn it on, Word will make a backup of the file you are working on so you can quickly undo any mistakes.
- What types of files can the Stellar Data Recovery tool recover?
The Stellar Data Recovery application can recover various data formats, including emails, pictures, audio and video files, among others.
