Missing MS Word and Excel docs

Beth Jones 0 Reputation points
2026-09-25T09:16:48.54+00:00

Recently I opened my Macbook Pro and found that my Desktop had been wiped clean. Searching my MS Word docs and Excel, I would only get Can't open file/doc. May have been deleted or is not accessible. Nothing on One Drive.

This is scary that a program can be wiped from hard drive too.

What can I try to do to access them?

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | MacOS
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  1. Beth Jones 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-25T09:42:17.9766667+00:00

    What does it mean when I try to open a doc which is mine and it says Can't open. Does not have user privileges

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-25T09:17:05.14+00:00

    Try these recovery paths in this order on the Mac:

    1. Search from the Office app
      • Open Word or Excel.
      • Select File > Open.
      • Select Browse and search by full or partial file name, or text that may be in the file.
      • Also check Recent and use Show in Finder if the file appears there.
    2. Search the Mac directly
      • Use Finder to search for the missing files.
      • Also check the Trash.
      • If the files were saved outside OneDrive or never synced, they may still be on local storage.
    3. Check OneDrive on the web
      • Sign in to the OneDrive website and use Search everything.
      • Search with filename fragments and also descriptions, dates, or file types such as xls.
      • Check the Recycle bin on the left and restore anything found.
      • If more than one Microsoft account is used, sign out and check the other account too.
      • If Personal Vault is enabled, check there because those files do not appear in normal search results.
    4. Try Word AutoRecover on Mac
      • In Finder, select Go > Go To Folder or press Shift + Command + G.
      • Check the Word AutoRecovery folder: /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery
      • The folder is hidden, so the full path must be entered.
      • If recovered files appear when Word opens, save them immediately.
      • Important: if a file was closed normally and Don’t Save was selected, the AutoRecover copy is deleted.
    5. If Word says the file cannot be opened or is blocked
      • In Word, install all available updates: Help > Check for Updates.
      • Then try File > Open.
      • Select the document once, then in the Open dropdown choose Recover Text and open it.
      • If it opens, save it as Word Document (.docx).
      • Formatting may change.
    6. If the files were on OneDrive and disappeared recently
      • If a Microsoft 365 subscription is available, OneDrive may be restorable to an earlier point in time from Restore your OneDrive.
      • Caution: restoring sends files and folders created after the restore point date to the OneDrive Recycle Bin.
    7. If files still are not found
      • If files are not found in search, OneDrive, Recycle Bin, Trash, or AutoRecovery, recovery options are very limited.
      • For local Mac files, also check any backup source such as Time Machine if available.
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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