I really need help finding my missing dissertation files in Word. I know I saved them because I've been diligent about that, especially after losing a version earlier in my writing process. The files include my dissertation and a data table I was working on. Unfortunately, I had to go to the hospital unexpectedly and couldn't access my work for about two weeks. Now that I'm back home, I can't locate any of my files. They're not in my designated Dissertation folder on Finder, nor are they in OneDrive, even though I was saving to both places. I'm concerned because I was nearly halfway finished before my hospital stay, and starting over is not an option while I'm recovering. I don't use Time Machine, but previously I managed to recover a lost version using Terminal. I just can't remember how I did it and I'm desperate for any advice on where else to look for my files!
3 Answers
Have you checked if your files show up on OneDrive's website? Sometimes, things can be a bit tricky between the desktop app and the online version.
Word has some temporary save locations where unsaved files might be saved. You can check out this link from Microsoft to see how to recover those files: [How to recover unsaved Word documents](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshoot/word/recover-lost-unsaved-corrupted-document). It's worth a shot!
Try going to Word and check under Open > Recent Files. Sometimes files that were recently used show up there, even if they aren’t where you expect them.
I checked, but unfortunately, it's not listed there either.
Nope, not there either. I even tried restoring my OneDrive, but it seems like my files never existed on it.