[2021 Updated] Recover Unsaved/Deleted PowerPoint Effectively

PowerPoint is an amazing Office tool that many people use on daily basis for work, education or entertainment need. However, as is often the case with other Office programs such as Excel and Word, accidents happen from time to time, among which the top 2 "members" that bother users are probably the unsaved and deleted files.

Whenever you have forgotten to save your PowerPoint file or accidentally deleted it (temporarily delete or permanently erase), you may get anxious as the information or data stored in it is too important to get lost. Don't worry though, this guide will talk about some effective ways to recover unsaved/deleted PowerPoint.

Part 1. Can You Recover a PowerPoint You Didn't Save?

Fix 1. Using "Recover Unsaved Presentations" Function

One of the simpliest way to recover unsaved ppt might be doing it via PowerPoint's Recover Unsaved Presentation function.

Step 1. Launch Microsoft PowerPoint on your Windows PC.

Step 2. Navigate to File > Open > Recent. On this section, find and click on  the "Recover Unsaved Presentations" option shown in the bottom-right corner.

Step 3. After the above steps, you will see the UnsavedFiles folder. Browse and find the PowerPoint file you are looking for, open it, and then manually save the file.

Fix 2. Using AutoRecover Feature

Apart from the "Recover Unsaved Presentations" function, there is another bulit-in feature of Microsoft Office that enables users to recover PowerPoint files not saved- AutoRecover. It is designed to recover files automatically in the event of a crash by periodically saving a copy of the ppt file in the background. 

Before starting to recover unsaved PowerPonit files using AutoRecover Feature, make sure you have enabled it:

Step 1. Launch Microsoft PowerPoint and open a  presentation.

Step 2. Navigate to File >  Options > Save.

Step 3. Now check the two boxes labeled as "Save AutoRecover information every x minutes" and "Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving". This way the AutoRecover feature will enable you  to recover unsaved PowerPoint files.

Follow these instructions to recover your PowerPoint file using AutoRecover feature:

Step 1. First, copy the path from the file location of AutoRecover.

Step 2. Paste the path on the address bar of Windows File Explorer and press Enter.

Step 3. Now find the lost unsaved PowerPoint file, open it, and manually save it to a secure location.

Fix 3. Finding Temporary Files

Windows saves temporary files for applications and the unsaved PowerPoint files may be found among them in case of accident.

Step 1. Open File Explorer and enter the term "ppt*.tmp" into the search bar. 

Step 2. If a PowerPoint file shows up,  rename it with ".ppt" at the end to get it work.

Step 3. Open this file to check if it is the one you lost. If so, save it to another safe location.

Part 2. Recover Deleted PowerPoint

Fix 1. Recover From Recycle Bin

Normallly the place a PowerPoint file goes to right after deletion is the Recycle Bin, therefore you should check the Recycle Bin first while trying to recover deleted PowerPoint.

Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop to open it.

Step 2. Search the file you want. If you find it, right-click on the file and choose "Restore".

Fix 2. Recover With AnyRecover

If unfortunately, your PowerPoint get deleted permanently so you cannot find it in the Recycle Bin or the above-mentioned methods don't work to recover unsaved PowerPoint, the final and ultimate method will be using a professional data recovery tool to recover your lost PowerPoint file. iMyFone AnyRecover is the best choice in this regard. It is so powerful that makes data recovery for PowerPoint presentations as easy as 1-2-3. Besides, it is compatible with all versions of PowerPoint, including PowerPoint 2019/2016/2013/2010/2007/Office 365.

To recover unsaved/deleted PowerPoint with the help of AnyRecover, follow the steps below:

Step 1. Download and install iMyFone AnyRecover first. After that, launch this program and select the location from which you want to recover data.

Step 2. Click the "Start" button. An all-round and deep scan will begin in order to dig out all the files recoverable. You can pause or resume the process anytime you want.

Step 3. Once the scan is completed, all files will be displayed including your lost or unsaved PowerPoint. Preview first to make sure nothing goes wrong and selectively recover what you want.

Here is a video guide for you to know more details about recovering unsaved/deleted PowerPoint.

Part 3: Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Where are PowerPoint autosave files stored?

AutoSave is a different feature from AutoRecover. It automatically saves the changes made to the file every few seconds as you work so that you don't have to worry about saving manually during the working process. AutoSave is enabled by default  when a file is stored on OneDrive, OneDrive for Business, or SharePoint Online. 

Q2. How do I recover an unsaved PowerPoint 2007/2010/2016/Office 365?

The ways to recover unsaved PowerPoint are pretty much the same for different versions of PowerPoint. Just try the fix in Part 1 and follow the steps listed or use AnyRecover to complete the job.

Q3. How to recover unsaved powerpoint on Mac?

Recovering unsaved PowerPoint on Mac is not that hard. We've also got  a full tutorial, in which AnyRecover for Mac will also help a lot.

Conclusion