How to Restore Unsaved Files

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Although you might not have deliberately saved a copy of a file to your hard drive, it could still be present. The computer might have saved a copy of your unsaved file to a temporary directory on the computer, depending on the program you were using to create the file. Restoring your unsaved file can therefore be possible by scouring the temporary file directories within your operating system.

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Step 1

Right click "Start" and click "Explore."

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Step 2

Click on "Tools," open "Folder Options," click on the "View" tab, check the box to "Show Hidden Files" and uncheck the box to "Hide Protected Files."

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Step 3

Open the "My Computer" entry, select the "C" drive, and open the "Windows" directory.

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Step 4

Click on the "Temp," or "Temporary Files," directory.

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Step 5

Look through the directory for a file dated around the time you created your unsaved file. Double click on the file to open it and recover its contents.

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