- I’d like to know if it’s even possible to access the files in that folder before I even start the process of searching our backups to find the file. How do those temp folders work and can you retrieve stuff out of them? Mac OS - Yosemite. Office 2016 for Mac. Thanks in advance for any suggestions for file retrieval.
- When a user creates an office document and saves it creates a temp file. Now I am aware that by default this is a fail safe MS has instituted. However in this Mac environment the temp files do not disappear once the document is closed. Instead temp files are duplicated every time the user opens and saves that particular document.
The Office Document Cache contains the files Office uses to make sure your changes are saved in the cloud. Sometimes when you use Office with other apps in the cloud, the apps fail to sync properly before you close Office and this can damage, or corrupt, your Office Document Cache. Usually, Office can repair damaged cache files.
Summary
Excel temp files give you the potential to recover the deleted or lost Excel files. However, once the temp files are lost, you should take Apeaksoft Data Recover to recover the Excel files on your Windows and Mac computer.
Free DownloadFree Download'I opened an Excel file from my email, and then made some changes, but my computer suddenly powers off, can I get back my edited Excel file? Please help.'
Microsoft has realized such demands and introduced temporary files for Excel. It will save your changes in Excel temp files regularly.
In other word, finding the Excel temp files, you can get back your data if the Excel file is not saved in time due to sudden interruptions.
In this tutorial, we are going to tell you where are temporary Excel files stored on Windows 10/8/8.1/7/XP and Mac OS X/11 and how to recover your data through temp files.
Part 1: Where are temporary Excel files stored
When you create a new Excel file or start editing it, Windows will produce a temp file as well. And the temp file stays on your computer until you click on the Save button.
But it may be stored in different locations depending on where the Excel file saved and which version of Windows you are using.
For example, the Excel temp file is stored in:
Windows 10: C:UsersAppDataLocalMicrosoftOfficeUnsavedFiles.
Windows 7 or XP: The directory is C:Documents and Settings
Bear in mind that the name of the temp file does not look like a normal file, usually containing a squiggly line or other symbols and end with TMP.
You will also like: Recover unsaved Excel file.
Part 2: Regular way to recover Excel temp files
When you encountered sudden interruptions, like Excel file corrupted, Excel file not responding, etc. you can get back your Excel Windows 10/8/7/XP through temp files. But you may discover that it is infeasible to open the temp file directly. Follow the methods below to recover Excel temp files quickly.
Method 1: Recover Excel temp files by changing extension
Step 1Go to where temporary Excel files stored according to your situations, highlight it, press 'Ctrl + C', navigate to another location, press 'Ctrl + V' to paste the temp file there.
Step 2Locate to the top ribbon, go to the View tab and check the box of 'File name extensions'. After that, you can right-click on the Excel temp file to change the file extension to xlsx or xls.
Step 3Now, you can open Excel temporary file as a real workbook.
Method 2: Open temp files in Excel
Though you cannot open Excel temp file directly, it does not mean the Excel program is not able to load it.
Step 1Run Excel program from your desktop, go to 'File' > 'Info'.
Step 2Click on the 'Manage Versions' and select 'Recover Unsaved Workbooks'.
Step 3On the popup dialog, navigate to where temp files stored and open it in Excel program. Now, you can save your data as a normal Excel file.
Part 3: Best method to restore Excel temporary files
If your Excel file is corrupted or damaged, we suggest you try a professional data recovery tool, such as Apeaksoft Data Recovery.
Step 1Scan entire drive to look for data
Download Data Recovery and install it on your PC. If your Excel file stored on an external drive originally, connect it to your computer. Launch the best Excel temp file recovery software.
Go to the data type section on the home interface, and tick the checkbox on the 'Document' option. Then go to the location area and select where are temporary Excel files stored. Once you click on the 'Scan' button, Data Recovery will work automatically.
Step 2Preview Excel files before recovery
After quick scanning, you will be brought to the result window. Go to the Document tab from left-hand column, you will be presented several folders titled XLSX, XLS, DOC, PDF, etc.
Click the folders related to Excel file formats, like XLSX and preview files. Plus, the 'Filter' feature at the top ribbon could help you to find the Excel file that you want to recover quickly.
If you cannot find the desired file, click on the 'Deep Scan' button at the upper right corner. It will take more time to scan the drive deeply and find more recoverable data.
Step 3Recover Excel temporary files in one click
To restore lost data, you can check the box in front of each desired Excel file or select the entire folder.
Click on the 'Recover' button to start restoring Excel files. When it is done, you can browse, copy and paste, or edit your data as usual.
The steps to recover temp Excel files on Windows are slightly different from on Mac. Check here to recover deleted files on Mac.
Data RecoveryData Recovery is the easiest Excel temp file recovery tool, which can recover .xls, and .xlsx in Excel 2000, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2016, etc. on Windows 10/8/7 and Mac, whether your Excel temp file is lost or deleted due to mistake operation, virus attack, software corrupt, or sudden power off.
Part 4: FAQs of Excel temp files
1. How do I clear temp files in Excel?
You just need to go to the location that stores the Excel temp files, and select the temp files. Drag them into the trash. For deleting them permanently, you should empty your trash.
2. How to stop temp files from creating in Excel?
For stopping the temp files from creating in Excel, you just need to disable the settings. Click Tool at the top-left corner, select Options, go to the Save tab and select the checkbox of Disable Auto recovery. Then it will not create the Excel temp files.
3. Access denied to delete Excel temp file in network share, how to fix?
You can try the following solutions: Firstly, upgrade SEP (End Point protection) to the latest version. Secondly, rename a parent folder. If it still cannot be fixed, just use Troubleshooting in Microsoft Office.
4. Excel cannot open or save a file and the temp folder is full, how to fix?
Right-click on the saved Excel file, click on Properties and uncheck the option Block and then try to open the Excel file and check.
Conclusion
Excel is one of the most useful programs on Windows. People use it to save and visualize oceans of data, from financial to sales. But many users have encountered the problem that closes the workbook without saving. Fortunately, Excel temp files save your data and change waiting for recovery. We have shared how to find and use Excel temp files in this tutorial. In another world, even if you do not enable the automatic save feature, it is possible to recover data from temporary files created by Office and Windows.
We wish that our guides and suggestions are helpful. If you have more questions related to Excel temp files, please leave a message below.
In this article, you will learn 4 effective ways to recover unsaved, lost and deleted Word document on Mac with detailed steps: [1]recover with AutoRecovery; [2]Recover from Temp folder; [3]Recover from Recovered item in Trash; [4]recover with Word file recovery software.
Accidentally closed Word without saving on Mac? Do you know how to recover unsaved Word documents on Mac? According to the unique features of Microsoft Word for Mac, you may find the unsaved item in the AutoRecovery folder, Temporary folder or Recovered item in Trash. Besides, if you unintentionally lost, deleted or formatted your Word document, you can recover a Word document on Mac with EaseUS Word file recovery software.
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Recover Unsaved Word Document | #1. Recover from the AutoRecovery folder...Full steps |
| Recover Deleted Word Document | #4. Recover with Word file recovery software...Full steps |
How to Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac
Embedded with more useful features in certain collaborative situations than Pages, Microsoft Word becomes increasingly popular among Mac computers. Office 365 even allows users to create Word files on their Mac. On one hand, Microsoft Word offers standard DOC or DOCX file formats that are compatible in almost every OS platform; On the other hand, Word 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018...2011 is featured with auto-saving, which enables us to recover a Word document before we could hit Save.
Office 2016 Mac Key
Based on the features of Microsoft Word for Mac, there are three potential ways to recover your unsaved Word documents. These methods can also be applied to recover unsaved Excel files on your Mac.
#1. Recover Unsaved Word Docs on Mac with AutoRecovery
The Word for Mac includes an AutoRecovery option. It is turned on by default. The app will automatically save a copy of an open Word file every 10 minutes. If Word freezes while you're working on a document, or if the computer crashes, you can use the AutoRecovery copy to recover unsaved Word document with the changes or additions that you made in your last Word for Mac session.
Guide: How to recover an unsaved Word document
Unlike recovering unsaved Word document in Windows, the file recovery on Mac from the AutoRecovery folder is different.
Step 1. Open 'Finder' on your Mac, then head to 'Go' > 'Go to Folder'.
Step 2. Type: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and click 'Go'.
Step 3. Open the AutoRecovery folder, locate all the files that start with the words 'AutoRecovery save of'. Select the one you want to recover, rename the file, then add the '.doc' filename extension.
Step 4. Double-click the file. The document now opens in Word for Mac.
Step 5. Click the File menu and select 'Save As'. Type a new name for the file into the Name field, select a folder for the file and click the 'Save' button.
#2. Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Mac from TMP Folder
The Word for Mac saves a copy of the unsaved document named as Word Work File in the Temporary folder. Your Mac also temporarily keep files in this folder. Though for many Mac users, it's not easy to find it.
Guide: How to recover an unsaved Word document on Mac
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Step 1. Go to 'Applications' > 'Utilities' and double-click 'Terminal'.
Step 2. In Terminal, enter open $TMPDIR and you will be directed to the TMP folder which is used to keep files temporarily.
Step 3. In the TMP folder, find and open the folder named 'TemporaryItems'. In it, right-click the desired unsaved Word files and 'Open with...' Microsoft Word.
Step 4. Save the Word file by clicking on 'File' > 'Save As' and save it to another location.
#3. Recover Unsaved Word Document on Mac from Recovered Item
The Word for Mac temporarily saves documents that the user has not yet saved themselves in a folder named 'Recovered items', located in the Trash. If there are no recovered files, this folder will not appear.
Guide: How to find unsaved Word files on Mac
Step 1. Open 'Trash' by clicking its icon on the dock.
Step 2. Look for a folder labeled 'Recovered items' and click into it to look for your unsaved Word file. If you cannot find it, try the next solution.
#4. Recover Deleted Word Document with Word Recovery Software
The aforementioned three ways are exclusively for saving the file you're currently working on but suddenly disappear before clicking the Save button. To be specific, the methods will only work for files that are in the process of being worked on when they disappeared. Hence, if you lost a Word doc that is already existed by deletion, disk formatting or losing its access, you need to turn to other ways to recover a Word document on Mac.
EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is third-party specialized Mac data recovery software that can scour your hard drive, external hard drive, SD card, or USB flash drive to find all the lost data that vanishes without a trace on Mac OS X/macOS. It doesn't matter whether you emptied the trash bin or not, the deleted file will show up after you use the program to scan your selected drive.
For the first attempt, we strongly recommend you download its free version. It won't cost you a penny to search for your missing files. And since your problem is only for a few lost Word files, the 2GB recovery limit should be more than enough. The scan & recovery process is very simple, we’ll show you how it works.
Guide: How to recover a Word document on Mac
Step 1. Select the location where your important Word documents were lost and click Scan button.
Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will start immediately a quick scan as well as a deep scan on your selected disk volume. Meanwhile, the scanning results will be presented in the left pane.
Step 3. By Path and Type, you can quickly filter the Word files you've lost earlier. Select the target files and click Recover Now button to get them back at once.
How to Increase the Chance of Unsaved Word Data Recovery
After suffering from the fear of losing your Word documents, you must not want to experience this kind of situation again. Thus, it's necessary for you to know how to avoid losing your Word files. To avoid completely losing your files, you can:
Tip 1. Save the Word Document Whenever You Create a New One
An ever unsaved Word document exists in the computer's RAM, not on the hard disk. Thus, the chances to save a Word Document that has never been saved before are slim. Knowing this should give you a hint that you should save the word document at least once whenever you create a new one.
Tip 2. Change the AutoSave Interval
After you save your Word document, the AutoSave feature will begin to work. To minimize the loss of the progress on the file you are working, you can change the frequency of AutoSave:
Step 1. Open Microsoft Word on your Mac.
Office 2016 For Mac Support
Step 2. Go to 'Word' > 'Preferences' and click 'Save' under Output and Sharing.
Step 3. Check all the items under Save Options (Recommended) and change the interval of AutoSave, for example, from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes.
Microsoft Office 2016 For Macs
If you follow the two tips above, you will substantially decrease the risk of losing your Word documents. What if you carelessly deleted your important Word files on your Mac? No worry. Try the free method to retrieve permanently deleted Word documents with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.