I am trying to open a document I saved in Word on my Mac. I am getting 'Can't open aaa.docx' 'This document is either deleted or not currently accessible'. How can I get access to my document? There is a lot of information in there that I really do not want to have to recreate. Thanks, Kellie J. Word Recent Document is either deleted or not currently accessible. While working in a Word file today I hit command S frequently. Then, when I was ready to exit, I hit the save button to close out and a pop up asked if I wanted to save - I hit 'Save', but it did not close out.

Lost your Word document because you accidentally clicked don't save Word on Mac? Never mind. Here are three ways you can try to recover unsaved Word 2016, 2011 or 2007 on Mac: [1]Recover Word from AutoRecovery; [2] Recover from the Temporary folder; [3] Download Mac file recovery software. Anytime when you lost a copy of a Word document by deletion or disk formatting, EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac is the most optimal choice for an instant and complete Word file recovery.

Problem - Accidentally Clicked Don't Save Word Mac

I accidentally clicked 'Don't Save' while closing a document in MS Word 2016 on my Macbook. As a result, I lost 10+ pages of work! Please help me recover unsaved Word documents. I'll take whatever cost to bring the lost files back.

Do's and Don'ts when you closed Word before saving the file:

• Dos: Reopen your Word application, including Word 2016/2011/2007 or other Word versions, see if the closed file was showing up in the Recently closed area or not. You can directly restore the recently closed item and restore it back.
• Don'ts: Never try to start a new round of editing in Word, which will usually result in data overwriting and reduce the chance of full recovery. It's smart to calm down, take a breath, and find solutions to recover unsaved Word files on Mac as soon as possible.

In case you are one of the Mac Word users who unintentionally pressed the don't save button while working with a Word file, read this tutorial carefully and try to recover unsaved Word document on Mac with the three instant solutions.

Related Post:Recover unsaved PowerPoint on Mac

Solution 1. Recover Unsaved Word Document from AutoRecovery

Due to the default setting, Microsoft Office automatically creates backup copies of the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files you're currently working on with a certain time interval. In general, the autosave function works to save your files every 10 or 5 minutes.

In most cases when you accidentally closed a Word file before clicking Save (Ctrl+S), there is a chance to find the autosaved copy in the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac computer.

• If you click Save while closing the document, Word will record the file(s) with all the changes you have made. The next time when Word starts up, you'll be able to easily view and open it at the 'Recent' column.

• And if you accidentally click 'Don't Save' while closing a Word document, Word will not recover the file automatically. Office Word will take it as that you don't want to keep the file or save all the changes.

In this case, you can try to recover lost Word document without saving from AutoRcovery folder manually:

Step 1: Go to Finder, then click 'Go', then Go to Folder

Step 2: Go the Word AutoRecovery location: ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery and click 'Go'.

Step 3: Check the AutoRecovery Folder.

Step 4: If you find the saved file named AutoRecovery***, marked with other extensions, open it with Word.

Step 5: You'll be able to view your lost Word file, then save it on Mac Desktop.

Solution 2. Recover Unsaved Word Document from the Temporary Folder

Word For Mac This Document Is Either Deleted Or Not Currently Supported

As you see, the AutoRecovery seems to be effective in retrieving a Word file that you didn't save. However, it works only when you turned the feature on. For people who disabled the autosave function on Mac but unfortunately lost Word files due to not saving, try to look for the temporary files.

Mac also has a feature that contains a TemporaryItems folder which saves all temporary files of Word. It may contain your lost Word document with a TMP format.

Step 1: Go to Applications> Utilities > Terminal.

Step 2: Once in Terminal, enter the following command and then press enter: open $TMPDIR.

Step 3: You have now opened your TMP folder, open the folder named TemporaryItems.

If you're lucky, your document should be there. Open it in your Word application and this time hit the Save button!

Solution 3. Download Word File Recovery Software for Mac

If you lost Word documents or other items, files on your Mac computer due to deletion, emptying the Trash, formatting, etc, you can partially restore them from the Trash. But if the Trash doesn't contain the lost files, Mac data recovery software is the best choice.

Here, we'd like to recommend a try-before-buy tool - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac. Though it's specialized for deleted file recovery and hard drive recovery, when you cannot find the AutoRecovery and temporary Word files, it can also be a backup solution. Download the Mac hard drive recovery software, let it scan the drive, and find the missing temp files of Word 2016/2011/2007... that you didn't save.

As a matter of fact, it retrieves not only your lost Word documents, but also Office Excel/PowerPoint files, music, photos, videos and all types of files you can name. You don't need to pay before it actually finding and you deciding to retrieve your lost Word or other files. Feel free to download the trial version and give it a try.

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.

Tips to Avoid Losing Word Files Before Saving

There are third-party Mac file recovery programs as well as the inbuilt recovery options to recover a Word that you've accidentally deleted, not saved or formatted. However, it's not always the 100% guaranteed way to make up for your loss. Chances are that you fail to recover unsaved Word file, or the recovered file won't open after recovery.

Hence, to minimize your chance of losing your hardworking days in Word, keep those tips in mind when you editing in Word the next time and in the future.

1. Always save and save often. Click the Save button in Word, press Ctrl+S, it's up to you.

2. Close unused programs that may freeze your computer, slow down your system and cause the Word freezing.

3. Change the autosave frequency. A helpful thing to know is that you can reduce the gaps between autosaves on Word for Mac. By default, they are set at 10-minute intervals, but it's easy to make them more frequent.

Nov 13, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

When this document is either deleted or not currently accessible notification appears on your Mac, it signifies that there is a problem. You may have deleted or corrupted your Word document mistakenly and so accessing or opening it becomes impossible. This article informs you how to recover such Word documents on Mac.

Part 1: Overview of Deleted or Not Accessible Word Document

When opening a Word document, most people get confused when they get the Word document error message because they hardly understand what it really means. Not understanding it also causes panicking, especially if the said document is very important.

This document is either deleted or not currently accessible is a Word document error message or notification that appears when a file is not available or cannot open on Mac. It means that you cannot access the contents of the specific Word document no matter how many times you try to open it.

This document is either deleted or not currently accessible message appears due to various reasons. It appears because of either of the following causes;

• You could have permanently or temporarily deleted the Word document by mistake. Such deleted files cannot open since they are no longer available.
• You did not save the Word document on your computer. If you shut down Word without saving the newly created content, it automatically disappears. The error message appears because the file was never stored in your Mac from the start.
• The Word document could be corrupted. When a Word document is corrupted, accessing its contents becomes impossible due to hindrances from various inappropriate content.

Part 2: Solution 1. Recover and Open Deleted Word File on Mac

This document is either deleted or not currently accessible message does not mean that you cannot recover and open the Word file on Mac. There are various solutions that can help you get back the file, especially if it is temporarily or permanently deleted. They include the following;

Recover Word document from Trash on Mac

Trash on Mac is the location where documents and files are stored after temporary deletion using Command-Delete or Delete functions. So, files in this location are easy to restore and use again. The following are steps on how to recover a Word document from Trash on Mac.

Step 1: Open Trash

On your Mac’s dock, click on the Trash icon to open it; a Finder window will open and display the trashed item in your hard drive.

Step 2: Choose the Word document you need to recover

Choose the Word document you need to be recovered and Control-click or right-click on it. In the drop-down menu that appears, select the Put-Back option.

The Word document will be returned back to its initial location and a Finder window will open to verify this.

Alternatively;

Word For Mac This Document Is Either Deleted Or Not Currently Recognizing

You can select the Word document you need and drag it out of the Trash, or copy it and then paste in a different and safer location. You can now proceed with opening and using the file.

Recover Word document from Time Machine Backup

The inbuilt Mac program, Time Machine, is meant for backup and restoration purposes. Therefore, if your regularly backup your Mac files, they become restorable from Time Machine, regardless of how they get deleted or lost.

Use the following steps to restore deleted Word document from Time Machine

Step 1: open Time Machine icon

First, connect the Time Machine backup disk and switch it on. Second, access the folder that stored the deleted Word document, for example, the Documents’ folder or a window of any other respective storage location. From the Time Machine menu, select Enter Time Machine.

Step 2: Find the respective file and preview it

You may use the search field to trace the lost Word file or the timeline to scroll the screen, which will display Time Machine backups with dates and time. Choose the specific Word file to be recovered and click on Spacebar to preview it to confirm that it’s the needed file.

Step 3: Recover the file

After confirmation of the file, click on the Restore function at the bottom of the page to recover the Word document from Time Machine.

Note that recovering a file from Time Machine requires a prior and regular backup of files. If you cannot find the file in this backup, you may need a better method to recover it.

Recover and open using Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac

Although the above native solutions are prompt and simple, they are not always reliable due to less workability and time consumption. For instance, a permanently deleted Word document cannot be recovered from Trash since it’s not there.

Additionally, if you do not consistently back up your files in Time Machine, file restoration from this backup disk is impossible.

Therefore, you need the ultimate solution, Recoverit Data Recovery Mac, since it is powerful and created purposely to recover lost or deleted files on Mac.

Recoverit is the best complete tool to recover a deleted Word file since it supports deletion scenarios like permanent or accidental deletion, and data loss cases like virus attack, hard drive formatting, system crash and emptying of Trash.

The following is the Recoverit procedure to recover and open deleted Word file on Mac

Step 1: Indicate the Deleted Files Location

First, run Recoverit Data Recovery software on your Mac. Second, indicate the location where the Word document was lost or deleted. Select from the Devices section or Select the location tab. Proceed by clicking on the Start function at the bottom right corner.

Step 2: Authorize Scanning of Selected Location

This recovery software will conduct an all-round scan on the selected location to search for the Word document. The searching algorithm and advanced scanning increase the chances of finding you deleted, lost, or formatted Word document. During this scanning process, you should check the scanned files and click on the Pause or Stop functions at the top area at any time when you find the Word document.

Step 3: Preview Word Document and Recover it.

Before recovering the recoverable document, it is advisable to review it first to confirm its identity. From the right panel, click on Preview and then double click the document from the resulting menu. If it is the right Word document, click on the Recover function at the bottom to restore to Mac.

However, you should not save the recovered Word document in the previous location due to overwriting of data. Instead, select a different area.

Part 3: Solution 2. Repair Inaccessible or Corrupted Word on Mac

A corrupted Word file on Mac is troublesome, especially when you do not know the corruption causes. The above methods will not repair a corrupted file and so you must use other ways to handle this document is either deleted or not accessible notification. The following are different methods to repair inaccessible or corrupted Word in Mac.

1. Check for backup or email files

If the Word document was emailed to you or from you, you can still access the original uncorrupted file. Simply find the original version in the email folders and download them. You may check the Sent or Inbox folder or use the search feature in your email.

It is also advisable to check the backup folders to locate a saved version.

2. Forcefully repair corrupted Word file using Word

Word has an option known as Open and Repair, which is significant in recovering a corrupt Word document. This feature detects and removes issues in the document when there are problems in opening it. Use the following steps to utilize the feature.

Step 1: Open Word application

If you have not launched Word application, do so by clicking the icon.

Step 2: Access the Open option

Access the main menu and select File and then click on Open.

Step 3: Access Word document storage location and repair file.

When the browser opens, locate the storage location of the Word document and select it. Choose the drop-down arrow at Open and select Open and Repair.

This method should completely fix and repair the corrupted word file. If it fails, try the next solution.

3. Make a copy

Making a copy of the respective Word document is a preliminary step that you should take, despite that it does not work for some recovery cases. It involves making a backup copy of the document despite being corrupt and storing it in removable media or external hard drive. This repair method ensures backup copy lies in a safe location and thus allows experimentation with the original file in the effort to recover the file.

4. Built-in Recovery options

Microsoft Word can recover text from any file using its built-in recovery feature. However, the recovery results vary depending on the corruption type. Here are the steps to follow;

Step 1: Open the Word file

To open the Word file, click on the File option and go to Open.

Step 2: Access the Recover Text from Any File option

To access the Recover Text from Any File option, go to Show or Enable list option and click on the drop-down arrow. Trace the corrupted Word file and follow the instruction to repair the file.

Word will immediately try to recover text from the corrupted Word file.

5. Run CHKDSK

You can repair the corrupted file by running this command since it allows you to check internal disks and systems. The command checks the underlying file system integrity and helps you determine where the problem lies; within the corrupted document or at the file system level.

Word For Mac This Document Is Either Deleted Or Not Currently Unavailable

6. Extract RAW text

Extracting RAW text, also known as using another word processor, can save a corrupt Word document that does not open. It is advisable to use a program that reads or supports Word documents to extract it.

Part 4: Tips to Prevent Deleted or Corrupted Word on Mac

Deletion and corruption of Word documents on Mac are avoidable if you take the necessary measures. Below are the tips on how to prevent having deleted and corrupted Word documents on Mac.

To avoid both deletion and corruption of Word document on Mac;

• Open Word on Mac correctly
• Turn off Mac correctly; first, save the last Word document changes, shut off Word, and then power off Mac. This procedure ensures that a forced Mac shutdown does not happen, which causes data loss or corruption. Tips to Prevent Deleted Word on Mac
• As you create a new Word document, save the file immediately you begin and finish working. The unsaved documents last only on the read access memory for a while and hence are irretrievable when Mac is turned off.
• Change the autosave frequency to the minimum so that the program can save word files as often as possible. Long intervals mostly lead to unsaved data, especially if issues like power outages happen while typing.
• Regularly back up your files using Time Machine, the Mac inbuilt program. It ensures that accidentally deleted or lost files are restored when needed.

Tips to Prevent Corrupted Word on Mac

• Block malware and viruses using reliable antivirus software and regular drive scanning to safeguard your drive. Since viruses are advanced and sophisticated in the contemporary era, they can damage the file system easily.
• Avoid deletion of system files readily in the effort to free up space. You must be cautious since you might delete the necessary system files and corrupt the drive file system.
• Conduct regular hard drive check-ups to repair bad sectors since they are common issues that can lead to damage to the file system. Mac’s Disk Utility feature should help with the repair process
• After connecting external storage to the computer, safe removal through the Safe to Remove Hardware function is recommended. Ejecting the drive abruptly corrupts the drive data and endangers the file system.
• Ensure that system reinstallation processes do not fail. You must be alert because the interruption of system reinstallation corrupts the file system, leading to corrupt Word files. It is advisable to backup data before reinstalling the system since some interruptions may be inevitable.
• Avoid failure of file system conversion by keeping potential risks at bay. During conversion, the file system is most vulnerable and files like Word documents may get corrupt if the power supply or compatibility issues arise.

It is easy to prevent deletion or corruption of Word documents, which leads to 'this document is either deleted or not currently accessible' message. However, if both are inevitable, there are ways to recover the Word document. In extreme cases, use Recoverit Data Recovery software for Mac, since it’s powerful enough.

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