How to Recover Lost Track Changes in Saved Document

You saved a document and closed Word. When you reopen the file, the tracked changes you saw earlier are gone. This usually happens because Word stored the changes in temporary data that was not fully written to the final file, or because the document was saved in a format that strips revision marks. This article explains the root cause of lost revisions and provides four practical methods to recover them from backup files, version history, temporary copies, and file repair.

Why Track Changes Can Disappear After Saving

Track Changes marks insertions, deletions, and formatting edits with colored underlines and balloons. When you save a document, Word writes these marks into the final file. If the save operation is interrupted — by a crash, power loss, or network failure — the revision data may be lost. The same outcome occurs if you save the document in a format that does not support Track Changes, such as Plain Text (.txt) or an older .doc format that strips revision marks.

Another common scenario involves saving over a file that was shared via email or network drive. If the file is opened in read-only mode and then saved as a new name, the original revisions remain in the old file. Word also discards tracked changes when you accept or reject all changes before saving. In each case, the revisions are not truly gone — they are stored in backup copies, temporary files, or version history that you can access.

Methods to Recover Lost Track Changes

Try the methods below in the order listed. Start with Version History because it is the fastest option. If that fails, move to Open and Repair, then AutoRecover files, and finally temporary files.

Method 1: Restore a Previous Version from Version History

1. Open the document in Word
   Launch Word and open the file that lost its tracked changes.
2. Go to File > Info
   Click File in the upper-left corner, then click Info in the left navigation pane.
3. Click Version History
   In the Info page, locate the Version History button. It is usually on the right side under the document preview. Click it to open the Version History pane.
4. Select a version from the list
   The pane lists saved versions with timestamps. Click a version that was saved before the tracked changes disappeared. Word opens that version in a separate window.
5. Compare and restore
   Scroll through the restored version to confirm the tracked changes are present. Click the Compare button at the top of the version window to see differences, or click Restore to replace the current file with the older version.

Version History is available only if the file is saved to OneDrive, SharePoint, or Microsoft 365. Local files do not retain version history unless you have File History or Windows Backup enabled.

Method 2: Use Open and Repair to Recover Corrupted Revision Data

1. Open Word with a blank document
   Start Word and create a new blank document or use the Start screen.
2. Go to File > Open > Browse
   Click File, then Open, then Browse to open the standard file dialog.
3. Select the affected document
   Navigate to the folder that contains the file. Click once on the file to select it.
4. Click the Open button arrow and choose Open and Repair
   On the Open button, click the small downward arrow. From the drop-down menu, select Open and Repair. Word attempts to fix corruption and recover as much data as possible, including tracked changes.
5. Save the repaired file
   If Word opens the file, immediately save it with a new name using File > Save As.

Open and Repair works best when the file structure is intact but some internal references are broken. It does not guarantee recovery of every revision, but it often restores missing tracked changes.

Method 3: Recover from AutoRecover Backup Files

1. Open Word and go to File > Options > Save
   Click File, then Options, then select Save from the left pane.
2. Note the AutoRecover file location
   In the Save options, locate the field labeled AutoRecover file location. Copy the folder path shown there.
3. Open the AutoRecover folder
   Press Win+R, paste the folder path, and press Enter. The folder opens in File Explorer.
4. Sort files by date modified
   Click the Date modified column header to sort files by the most recent first. Look for files with the .asd extension that have a modification time close to when you last edited the document.
5. Open the .asd file in Word
   Double-click an .asd file. Word opens it in a recovery window. If the tracked changes are present, save the file immediately with File > Save As.

AutoRecover files are created every 10 minutes by default. If you saved the document after the last AutoRecover save, the backup may not contain the latest tracked changes. You can adjust the save interval in File > Options > Save.

Method 4: Search for Temporary Files That Contain Revisions

1. Open File Explorer and go to the Temp folder
   Press Win+R, type %temp%, and press Enter. This opens the Windows temporary files folder.
2. Search for files starting with ~$
   In the search box in the upper-right corner of File Explorer, type ~$ and press Enter. This filters for temporary Word files.
3. Sort by date and look for the document name
   Click the Date modified column header. Look for files whose name matches a portion of your document name. For example, if your document is named Report.docx, the temp file may be named ~$Report.docx.
4. Copy the temp file and rename it
   Right-click the temp file and choose Copy. Paste it to your desktop. Right-click the copy and choose Rename. Remove the ~$ prefix and change the extension to .docx.
5. Open the renamed file in Word
   Double-click the renamed file. Word opens it. If the tracked changes are present, save the file with a new name.

Temporary files are deleted when you close Word normally. This method works only if Word crashed or was closed improperly, leaving the temp file intact.

What to Do If Track Changes Are Still Missing

Word Shows No Track Changes After Saving a Shared Document

If the document was shared via email or a network drive, the original file may still contain the revisions. Ask the sender to resend the document or check your email attachments folder. If you saved the file locally after receiving it, the revisions may have been lost during the save. Use Version History on the original email attachment if it was stored in OneDrive.

Track Changes Disappeared After Accepting or Rejecting Changes

Once you accept or reject a change and save the document, the revision data is permanently removed from that file. The only way to recover those changes is to restore a version from before the acceptance. Use File > Info > Version History to find a version that still has the changes in an unaccepted state.

Track Changes Missing After Converting Document Format

Saving a document as Plain Text (.txt), Rich Text Format (.rtf), or an older .doc format strips Track Changes. To prevent this, always save in the .docx format. If the conversion already happened, check the original .docx file in your Recent Documents list or search for it in File Explorer. The original file may still be in the same folder with a backup copy.

Track Changes Recovery Methods Comparison

Item	Version History	Open and Repair
Requires cloud storage	Yes — OneDrive or SharePoint	No — works on local files
Recovery success rate	High if version exists before changes were lost	Moderate — depends on corruption type
Speed	Fast — 2 to 3 clicks	Moderate — file must be opened and repaired
Preserves all formatting	Yes — exact copy of the file	Yes — repairs in place
Risk of data loss	None — original file is not overwritten	Low — save repaired copy separately

Version History is the most reliable method because it stores complete versions of the document. Open and Repair is a good fallback when cloud storage is not available.

You can now recover lost tracked changes using Version History, Open and Repair, AutoRecover backups, or temporary files. For future documents, set AutoRecover to save every 2 minutes in File > Options > Save and always save a copy to OneDrive to enable automatic version history. As an advanced safeguard, press Ctrl+S frequently during editing to reduce the window of data loss between saves.