Word deleted my progress on my FINAL PAPER for class during the Thursday 11/12/26 outage.

Stop editing or resaving the document and search for a local AutoRecover or temporary copy, because version history and Word’s normal recovery interface have already failed to contain the missing work.

1. Preserve the remaining recovery evidence

1. Close the affected document without making additional changes.
2. Make a copy of the current .docx under a different name.
3. Do not delete anything from Word’s Document Recovery pane. If it appears again, choose Yes, I want to view these files later until every candidate has been examined.^1^
4. If any recovered file is found below, copy it to another folder before opening it, then use Save As rather than overwriting the paper.

2. Search outside version history

Since you already checked version history and Word’s recovery choices, use the branch for your computer.

Windows

In Word, open File → Options → Save and note the displayed AutoRecover file location. Open that location in File Explorer and search for files modified around the outage, especially:

• *.asd — AutoRecover files
• *.wbk — Word backup files
• *.tmp — temporary files
• Files beginning with ~$

Also search these locations if they exist:

• %LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles
• %AppData%\Microsoft\Word
• %LocalAppData%\Temp

Copy plausible files elsewhere before opening them. For an .asd file, open Word and use File → Open → Browse, change the file-type filter to show all files, and select the copy. A closely matching Q&A case recommends searching these locations after both AutoSave and cloud history fail.^2^

macOS

1. In Finder, select Go → Go to Folder, or press Shift+Command+G.
2. Enter:

/Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

3. Replace <username> with your macOS username.
4. Copy any file matching the document or outage time to the Desktop, then open the copy in Word and immediately use Save As.

Microsoft documents this as the current hidden AutoRecovery location. It also notes that selecting Don’t Save when closing a file deletes its AutoRecover copy.^3^

If a candidate exists but is damaged, Word for Mac can attempt text extraction through Word → Preferences → General → Confirm file format conversion at Open, followed by File → Open → Recover Text.^3^

3. Recovery limit

AutoRecover only contains information captured at its most recent recovery interval; it is not a complete edit history. AutoSave continuously saves cloud-hosted files, while local files rely on AutoRecover, which is a separate mechanism.^4^

If version history, Document Recovery, and the local recovery locations contain only the half-complete version, Word has no additional copy from which to reconstruct the missing text. A support agent can investigate the incident and account/service state, but cannot recreate edits that were never committed to cloud storage, disk, or an AutoRecover file.

There was a broader Microsoft 365 service disruption around November 12–13, 2026, but Microsoft’s public information does not confirm a widespread Word save-data-loss incident tied to it.^5^

4. Contact Microsoft Support

Use Contact Microsoft Support, enter Word document data loss during Microsoft 365 outage, select Get Help, and then Contact Support when offered. That is Microsoft’s documented route to the appropriate support option.[^6^](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID] "Try or buy Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Support")

Include:

• Whether the file was in OneDrive, SharePoint, or local storage
• Windows or macOS and the Word version
• The file’s last known complete time
• The outage date and approximate time zone
• Screenshots of version-history timestamps
• Whether any .asd, .wbk, or AutoRecovery file exists and its size

If this is a school-managed Microsoft 365 account, also contact the school’s Microsoft 365 administrator so they can check the organization’s service-health incident details.

References

1. Recover your Microsoft 365 files | Microsoft Support
2. word deleted my updated assessment piece and got rid of all the versions - Microsoft Q&A
3. [macOS](https://support.microsoft.com/word/recover-your-word-files-and-documents)
4. Turn on autosave in Microsoft 365 apps | Microsoft Support
5. Microsoft service health status
6. [Try or buy Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Support](https://support.microsoft.com/accounts-billing/subscriptions/[Subscription ID])