whatfileis.pro
Paste a filename and find out what it is, whether it is safe, and what opens it.

Recover Unsaved Work After a Crash

When an app or your computer crashes before you save, your work usually isn't gone — most programs leave an autosave or swap file behind. The trick is knowing which file each app uses and where it hides. Find the right one below and recover from it.

Category
Safe to delete?
Opens with

Which recovery file does your app use?

  • Vim / Neovim → a .swp swap file beside your document. Run vim -r yourfile to recover.
  • Microsoft Word → an .asd AutoRecover file. Reopen Word (it offers Document Recovery), or look in %AppData%\Microsoft\Word\.
  • Excel → .xlsb/.xar AutoRecover; reopen Excel and use the Document Recovery pane, or File → Info → Manage Workbook → Recover Unsaved Workbooks.
  • Notepad++ → unsaved tabs are kept in the backup\ folder under %AppData%\Notepad++\ — reopening usually restores them automatically.
  • LibreOffice → the recovery wizard runs on next launch; backups live in the user profile's backup\ folder.

General steps

  1. Reopen the app first — most (Word, Excel, Notepad++, LibreOffice) show a recovery pane automatically. Accept it before doing anything else.
  2. Show hidden files — recovery files are often hidden dotfiles or in AppData. Enable 'show hidden items' in your file manager.
  3. Save a copy immediately once you recover, under a new name, before editing further.

Don't save over the original yet

Recovery can be partial. Save the recovered version to a new file and compare it with your last saved copy before replacing anything.

FAQ

Where does my unsaved work go after a crash?

Most apps leave a recovery file: Vim a .swp, Word an .asd AutoRecover, Excel an AutoRecover workbook, Notepad++ a backup folder under %AppData%. Reopen the app first — most show a recovery pane automatically — or open the recovery file directly.

How do I recover an unsaved Word document after a crash?

Reopen Word; it usually shows a Document Recovery pane — pick your file. If not, go File → Info → Manage Document → Recover Unsaved Documents, or open the .asd file in %AppData%\Microsoft\Word\.

My app didn't offer to recover anything. Is my work gone?

Not necessarily. Enable 'show hidden files' and look for the app's recovery file (a .swp, .asd, or a backup folder in %AppData%). Open it manually. If no recovery file exists, autosave may have been off and the unsaved work is unfortunately lost.

Other file types explained