How to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.

What to Know

• File >Open >Recover Unsaved Presentations.
• Or: File >Info >Manage Presentations >Recover Unsaved Presentations.
• Check your Recycle Bin and automatic backup folders for deleted presentations, or use recovery software.

This article explains how to recover an unsaved PowerPoint. These instructions apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, and Microsoft 365.

How Do I Recover a PowerPoint That Was Not Saved?

There are a few ways to recover an unsaved PowerPoint. If one method doesn't work, you should try the other options outlined below.

PowerPoint has a feature called AutoRecover which periodically stores data from your presentations. In newer versions of PowerPoint, you can access AutoRecover files from within PowerPoint:

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1. Go to the File tab.
   

Select Open.

Select Recover Unsaved Presentations at the bottom of the list of recent files.

Alternate Way to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Depending on your version of PowerPoint, the steps for recovering unsaved presentations might be different:

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1. Go to the File tab.
   

Select Info.

Select Manage Presentations >Recover Unsaved Presentations.

If you don't see the Recover Unsaved Presentations option in PowerPoint, you might find your presentation in the following folder on Windows:

C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint 

On Mac, you can find AutoRecover data in this folder:

Users/[User]/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Powerpoint/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery 

Copy and paste the above file path in the File Explorer or Finder address bar; then press Enter to open the folder. Replace User with your Windows or Mac username.

If you still don't see your file, try looking in the following folder on Windows:

C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Temp 

Alternatively, press Windows key+R to bring up the Run command and enter %temp% in the Run prompt to open the Temp folder. To find your presentation, search for ppt files.

How Do I Get My Deleted PowerPoint Presentation Back?

If you previously saved a presentation and it got deleted, there are a few things you can try to recover your PowerPoint.

First, check your Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash folder. Depending on how long ago a user deleted it, you may be able to restore files from the Recycle Bin or recover files from the Trash on Mac. If successful, the file should return to its original folder.

Enable PowerPoint AutoSave

PowerPoint includes an AutoSave feature that backs up your work every few seconds. Select the AutoSave toggle switch in the upper-left corner of your presentation to turn it On, or go to go to File > Options > Save and check the AutoSave box.

To recover an unsaved Word document, go to File > Manage Documents > Recover Unsaved Documents. If you see the document listed, select it. Or, search for a backup of the file by going to File > Open > Browse. You can also use Windows Explorer to search for recovered or temporary files.

To recover an unsaved Excel file, if you have AutoSave enabled, view the Document Recovery interface when you launch Excel. In the section called Available Files, you'll see all your autosaved workbooks and document files. To recover a file, select the arrow next to the file details and choose Open.

To recover a deleted or unsaved Notepad file, go to your Windows 10 search function, type %AppData%, and press Enter. The Roaming folder will open. Search for files that end in .txt to find your unsaved Notepad file.