[Solved] Half of My Word Document Disappeared

Half of my Word document disappeared! This article helps you find Previous Version of Word documents and recover lost Word documents using the corresponding fixes.

Penny

By Penny / Updated on September 13, 2024

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Half of My Word Document Disappeared!

Microsoft Word is one of the most widely used programs of the Microsoft Office suite because it closely connects with our careers and lives. Users often edit, record, and save data on Word programs.

However, some users reported that their Microsoft Word deleted half of the previously saved documents.

   
   
   
       

I wrote something a few weeks ago and opened the document again today and instead of at least 30-40 pages, the version that appears is one with only 12 pages. I’m sure I’ve saved it, and even if I hadn’t saved it the very last time I closed the document, the most I would have lost is a couple of pages, not half the document. Because I’d opened, saved, and closed it a few times since the current document version was shown. Unfortunately, half of my Word document disappeared and I tried AutoRecover, but it says there’re no previous versions available. So how do I find Previous Versions of Word documents to get my disappeared Word files back? Thanks.

- A user from Microsoft Community

half-of-my-word-document-disappeared

According to the above case, his/her half-disappeared Word documents were most likely overwritten after saving them. In this case, you need to restore Previous Versions of files to get your desired file copies back.

How to fix the half of my Word document disappeared?

This part offers two feasible solutions for you to recover overwritten Word documents.

Fix 1. Recover overwritten Word documents via AutoSave

Microsoft Office releases the AutoSave feature to automatically save your MS Office documents at a default (10min) or customized time interval.

As long as you’ve activated AutoSave, it’s relatively easy to find AutoSaved documents in Excel or Word programs according to the time list.   

Notes:✎...   
If you need, please refer to these clicks to enable AutoSave: Open Microsoft Word > click File > Options > Save > Save AutoRecover information every x minutes > Keep the last AutoRecover version if I close without saving > OK.
If you haven’t edited your Word documents for a long time, there’ll be no available recorded Word files under the Manage Versions section.

Half of my Word document disappeared! Please be calm and refer to the following steps to recover overwritten Word documents.

Step 1. Open your Microsoft Word and click File > Info. Then select your needed Word file version among all the listed Word versions.

file-info-choose-file-version

Step 2. Click “Restore” to get your desired Word document back.

previous-version-click-restore

Fix 2. Recover overwritten Word documents via Previous Versions

As the name suggests, Previous Versions is a practical way for users to get several older or earlier versions of your files or folders.

If you’ve activated File History or System Protection of the local disk that stores your needed Word documents, you’ll see a list of retrievable earlier Word versions according to the time.

system-protection-on

Besides, Previous Versions also can work for you to recover overwritten Excel files.  

Step 1. Press “Win + E” to open Windows File Explorer.

windows-file-explorer

Step 2. Locate the folder that contains your disappeared Word files. Then right-click on it and click the “Properties” button.

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Step 3. Select a Word document version and “Restore” it to its original saved path.

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To set a new saved path, you can right-click on Restore and select Restore to.

click-restore-or-restore-to

Further reading: How to recover lost Word documents?

Help! Half of my Word document disappeared! You can find Previous Version of Word documents to retrieve the Word file version that contains your missing Word file content.

This part aims to help you recover deleted & missing Word documents from local drives (internal and external HDDs, USBs, SD cards, and so on).

So how to recover lost Word documents easily and efficiently? Besides regular backups, only professional Word document recovery software like MyRecover would be an efficient solution.      

Key features of MyRecover:  
All-inclusive: Apply to a variety of data loss scenarios such as deletion, disk formatting, system crashes, or virus attacks.
High-efficiency: Recover 200+ types of files such as MS Office and WPS files, folders, compressed files, photos, audio, songs, videos, and websites.   
Advanced scanning method: MyRecover runs Quick Scan & Deep Scan automatically to search all the recoverable files. Specify the filename, saved path, date, or size to filter your needed files.
Convenience: Retain the original filename, path, and format for the deleted files.   
Excellent compatibility: Support NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems.

Don’t hesitate to download MyRecover on your Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Server PC!

Download Software Windows 11/10/8/7/Server
Secure Download

Step 1. After launching MyRecover, hover the mouse over your hard drive and click Scan.

select-location-to-scan

Step 2. Filter your needed data according to Name, Date, Document Type, or Path.

  • Name: Type the filenames of your desired files to narrow the search area.
  • Date modified: Set the date (today, yesterday, last 7/30 days, and so on) according to your situation.
  • Size: Filter the file size (<128KB, 128KB~1MB, 1MB~ 512MB, etc) based on your needs.

scanning-drive

Step 3. Go to the Deleted Files/Recycle Bin/Other Missing Files folder and select the files you want to retrieve. Then click “Recover x files” to begin the Windows data recovery process.

select-deleted-word-files-click-recover

  • After recovery, you’d better store these retrieved Word documents in another partition instead of the original hard drive. 
  • Upgrading MyRecover to the Professional or Technician edition is a more cost-effective solution if you want to recover a large number of deleted & lost files from local drives.

Related suggestions

Half of my Word document disappeared! How to recover overwritten Word documents? In this case, the AutoSave feature and Previous Versions can help you resolve this issue.

When it comes to Word document recovery, valuable backups or data recovery software like MyRecover is your treatment.

As you can see, regular backups could be the best hedge against data loss. If you’re unwilling to suffer the second damage, please consider putting the following data loss prevention measures into practice.

  • Open your Microsoft Office program like Microsoft Word and click File > Options > Advanced > Save. Then tick Always create a backup copy > OK.

always-create-backup-copy

  • Use this free backup software for Windows, AOMEI Backupper to make File Backups, Partition Backups, Disk Backups, or System Backups.

file-backup

  • You can customize the storage size of your Recycle Bin to save large deleted files with these clicks: right-click on your desktop Recycle Bin icon > select Properties > set the storage size > Apply > OK.
  • Please don’t empty your desktop Recycle Bin randomly.
Penny
Penny · Editor
Penny works as an editor at AOMEI Technology, while she's a tester and editor for AOMEI Data Recovery Tools. She enjoys helping users with data recovery issues on Windows and iPhones using simple and practical solutions. Outside of work, she has a strong affection for pets, particularly giant pandas.