Recover Unsaved Google Docs? Two Methods & One Precaution

Google Docs Can't Save Changes? Don't worry about data loss! This article will provide several ways to recover unsaved Google documents and analyze their causes and preventive measures.

Google Docs Not Saving My Work?

Many people find that Google Docs' autosave function sometimes doesn't work properly, causing the written document to disappear unexpectedly. Why does this happen? Here are some possible reasons:

• Network instability : A weak internet connection may cause data storage to fail. If you rely on the autosave feature in an environment with unstable network connections, you may find that the hard work disappears the next time you open the document.
• Software failure : Sometimes, the problem is caused by a software failure. Due to temporary technical issues, the content may not be saved.
• Frequent operation : Since Google Docs allows multiple users to modify a document, the document may freeze due to frequent operation of a large number of users at the same time.

How to restore unsaved Google Docs?

Method 1: Recover Google Docs from Version History

When you find that Google Docs has not saved changes, you can check the version history first. Since we don't know when the autosave function last worked, this method does not work in all cases. But you can try this method.

Step 1. Open the target document and select the file from the top toolbar.

Step 2. Select Version History > View Version History .

Step 3. In the left panel, you can find multiple versions. Click a version to preview the file contents to find the version you want, then click the three-dot icon and select Restore this version from the menu.

Method 2: Restore Google Docs from offline backup

If you have enabled Make File Offline Available feature, there is another chance to restore unsaved Google Docs. This feature saves the document (including your changes) offline to your hard drive. But you should know that other people's changes won't sync to offline documents.

The Make File Offline Available feature needs to be enabled manually. If you have enabled, try the following steps to see if the missing document can be found.

Step 1. Go to Google Drive and log in to your account.

Step 2. Click the Prepare Offline button in the toolbar in the upper right corner and enable offline preview .

In this view, the files that can be used offline are more prominent. You can scroll down to find the target document.

How to enable Make Files Offline Available?

To enable the Make Files Offline feature, you can open the document you want to back up offline. Then, click File Options and select Make the file offline available from the context menu. After that, just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset step.

How to prevent data loss of Google Docs?

Although there are two ways to recover unsaved Google documents, they both have conditions and risks of failure. To keep your data secure, you should always remember to back up important files. Backup not only prevents data loss, but also allows easy data recovery.

We recommend that you try MiniTool ShadowMaker. This backup software allows you to incrementally or differentially back up files to prevent duplicate files. Additionally, you can set a backup cycle to perform backups automatically. Get the MiniTool ShadowMaker trial version to experience the 30-day free backup feature.

Additionally, if you need to recover lost/deleted Google Docs, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is also a best choice, with a secure data recovery environment and powerful built-in features. The free version of this software allows you to recover 1GB of files for free. Why not try it?

Conclusion

That's all about why Google Docs can't save changes and how to recover unsaved Google Docs. In addition to recovering files using the two methods mentioned above, you should also realize the importance of backing up important files.

I hope this article can provide you with useful information in a timely manner.

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