How to Recover WordPad Document on Windows 11/10/8.1/8?

WordPad is easy to use, but still you may find the need to recover wordpad document on Windows 11, 10, and 8. Download 4DDiG Data Recovery to recover deleted WordPad documents effortlessly.

5 mins read

Updated on 2024-09-20 19:34:14 to Windows Recovery Solutions

"I have somehow lost my unsaved word pad document because of a sudden interruption in PC due to system update. Please suggest to me some ways to recover unsaved wordpad document. Thank you!"

-From Microsoft forum

WordPad is certainly one of the basic and easy-to-use word processing software. It is a free text editing program launched by Microsoft Windows, which you can use to create and edit letters, notes, posters, etc. It is a built-in program in almost all the versions of Windows, including Windows 11, 10, 8, and Windows 7.

Similar to Microsoft Word, WordPad comes with various features and effects to make a document look more presentable. Though WordPad is not complex software, you can still face some issues just like the user mentioned above. Due to some errors in your PC or laptop, you may look for wordpad document recovery methods, which includes the following:

  • Device malfunction
  • Crashed program
  • False operation
  • Sudden shutdown
  • Virus or malware infection
  • Disk formatting

If you encounter any of these problems while working on a WordPad document, you may lose it even before you can save it. However, the best thing is that you can recover unsaved WordPad document.

Here in the coming part of the article, we have covered some easy and flawless ways of how to recover unsaved wordpad document. Detailed steps are given for every wordpad document recovery method, so make sure to follow them in a particular order to get the desired results. Now let’s begin!

Way 1. Recover Previous Version of WordPad Document

Irrespective of the causes, it is super annoying to lose an unsaved WordPad document. But thankfully, there is a solution to recover unsaved wordpad document windows 10. You can simply recover the previous version of WordPad document. You can consider it as a go-to way to get your unsaved WordPad document. However, there are two requirements that you must meet in order to use this solution, which includes the following:

  • The “System Protection” feature should be enabled in your Windows laptop or PC
  • You must know the location where you’ve saved the WordPad document

Now, let’s look at the steps that you need to follow to restore the previous version of the WordPad document:

  • Click on the “This computer” icon on your home screen. Otherwise, click on the “Start” button and tap on the “My Computer” option
  • Open the original location where your WordPad document was saved. However, if you’ve lost the entire folder, make a new one and name it as the original one.
  • Right-click on the original folder from where you lost the WordPad file or newly created folder and tap on the “Restore Previous Version” option.

    recover previous version of WordPad document
  • Now, select the version of the folder that comprises your WordPad documents. Then, drag and drop the folder on the desktop.

This will help you to recover WordPad document not saved. The only catch in this method is that it requires you to remember the original location of the file or folder along with its name.

Way 2. Recover Unsaved WordPad Document from Temp Files

If you can't meet the requirements of the first wordpad document recovery method, you can consider going with this one. You can recover WordPad documents using the temporary files on your PC or laptop.

All the incomplete, unsaved, or improperly closed files or documents get stored in a specific location for some time. These files are created automatically when different documents are created in the WordPad program. Thus, you can recover wordpad document after crash. Let’s check out the steps that you must follow to use temp files:

  • Press the “Windows + R” keys together on the keyboard. In the search box, enter “%AppData%” and hit the “Ok” button.

  • A folder containing all the temporary files will appear. In the search bar, type the name of the lost file to see the matching results. Alternatively, you can navigate to choose a file.

    enter the command
  • Click on the “Date Modified” option to see the most recent file as per date.

    recover wordpad document from temp files
  • Copy the WordPad document and paste it to a location where they remain safe.

  • Once done, change the filename extension to “.odt,” which is the default filename extension of the WordPad documents.

In this way, any unsaved WordPad document will be recovered successfully.

Way 3. Professional File Recovery Software to Recover Deleted WordPad Documents

If the solutions mentioned above doesn't seem to help you to recover WordPad document, then you might have lost or deleted them because of a system crash, accidental deletion, malware, etc. But, there is no need to panic. If you are searching for how do I recover a deleted WordPad document, in this case, professional file recovery software can help you.

Certainly, there are various recovery software available, but it is important for you to use a trusted file recovery tool so that you can protect your data. Tenorshare 4DDiG is a highly recommended file recovery software that is capable of recovering files in all situations.

It is very efficient when it comes to retrieving files from a crashed computer, hard disk, SD card, or any other storage device. Thus, whether it is a video, audio, image, WordPad, or any other kind of file, you can simply rely on this advanced file recovery tool. Below are some worthy features of Tenorshare 4DDiG:

  • It is capable of recovering 1000 plus data type
  • It comes with an advanced algorithm that scans all the hidden or deleted files
  • It is hundred percent safe to use
  • It recovers files lost/deleted due to formatting, lost partition, virus infection, and so on

Guided Tutorial to Use Tenorshare 4DDiG for WordPad Document Recovery

Tenorshare 4DDiG is simple to use once you download the latest version of the software on your PC. The below-mentioned guide will show you the process of recovering lost or deleted files:

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  • Install and launch Tenorshare 4DDiG software on your PC. Then, select the local disk from where you lost your file and tap on the “Scan” button.

  • The software will begin scanning the files. A progress bar will appear at the top to show you how much the task is completed. You can pause or stop in between if you find your desired file or document.

  • Now, you can select and preview the file before recovering them. Then, click on the “Recover” button to get the files. A dialog box will show up, choose the desired location, and hit the “Ok” button.

That's how you can solve the issue of how to recover deleted wordpad documents within a few minutes with Tenorshare 4DDiG.

Pro Tips about WordPad Document Recovery

There are certain crucial points that you should remember while working on a WordPad document. Knowing them will make the WordPad document recovery easier for you. Have a look:

1. Does WordPad have an auto save?

The straightforward answer to this question is a No. Unfortunately, Microsoft WordPad does not come with an auto save feature. However, you can keep pressing the “Ctrl + S” keys on the keyboard simultaneously while typing in order to save the document.

2. What Extension Does WordPad Use?

Users prefer using Microsoft WordPad because of many reasons. But the significant one is that it supports multiple kinds of file extensions. It can read and save files in the following formats:

  • Plain text files i.e., .txt
  • Rich text format i.e., .rtf
  • OpenDocument text format i.e., .odt
  • Microsoft Word file format i.e., .doc/.docx

The Bottom Line

That's a wrap for how to recover wordpad document. Losing an important document is surely a stressful situation. But you can use any of the above-listed ways to get your WordPad document back. However, consider using Tenorshare 4DDiG, if you are looking for a quick and effective way.

William Bollson (senior editor)

William Bollson, the editor-in-chief of 4DDiG, devotes to providing the best solutions for Windows and Mac related issues, including data recovery, repair, error fixes.

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