When an app closes unexpectedly, you may see a recovery prompt the next time it starts. That recovery file exists because the app saved temporary work before the interruption. If no suitable recovery data was saved, there may be nothing to restore.
First, check the app itself
Reopen the application that was working on the document and follow its recovery or AutoRecover prompt. Check the app’s own recent files and recovery guidance before trying to open unfamiliar temporary files. For important work, save a normal copy as soon as it is recovered.
Why temporary recovery files vary
Recovery behaviour and file locations depend on the application, version, user settings, and what happened when it closed. A temporary file can be incomplete, old, or in a proprietary format. A file with a promising name is not proof that it contains the latest work.
What an on-demand candidate scan can do
What Was I Working On? includes an optional, user-initiated scan of known recovery locations for supported applications. It can present candidate files with details such as source app, timestamp, filename, size, and confidence. It does not search every temporary folder or every application.
If you choose a candidate, the app makes an encrypted copy in its own recovery area before opening that copy. It does not modify or delete the application’s source temporary file.
What it cannot promise
- It cannot recover work that an application never saved to a recoverable location.
- It cannot guarantee a candidate is complete, current, or opens successfully.
- Supported locations can vary between application versions and device configurations.
- A recovery candidate is not a substitute for regular, versioned backups.
Reduce the chance of losing work
Turn on autosave or AutoRecover in apps that support it, choose a sensible save interval, and keep a separate backup of important projects. Save reminders can be useful prompts, but they cannot know whether a document has unsaved changes unless the application explicitly provides that information.