how to find lost powerpoint presentation

Recover your PowerPoint files

AutoRecover is a PowerPoint feature that attempts to recover files automatically in the event of a crash, power failure, or other unexpected application shutdown. It does this by periodically saving a copy of the file in the background. By default, AutoRecover saves a recovery file every 10 minutes. 

Important:  Do not use AutoRecover as a substitute for regularly saving your files by using AutoSave (see below) or by clicking Save . Saving your files frequently is the best way to preserve your work.

AutoRecover is different than AutoSave, which automatically saves your file as you work - just like when you save files manually. The AutoSave feature is available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. When AutoSave is turned on, AutoRecover files are rarely needed. 

For more information see: What is AutoSave ? 

Microsoft 365

Autorecover files automatically reopen on next app start.

Normally, PowerPoint will automatically recover your work the next time you open the application following an unexpected shutdown. It does this by detecting if an AutoRecover file exists and automatically opening it. If you want to keep the recovered file, you should immediately save it before editing or closing. 

To manually open an AutoRecover file: 

Click the File button in the ribbon and then click the Home tab in the menu.

Click the Recover Unsaved Presentations button at the bottom of the screen to navigate to the folder where AutoRecover files are stored.

Change how frequently AutoRecover files are saved

In the PowerPoint ribbon, click File and then click the Home tab in the menu.

In the menu, click Options > Save .

Under the Save Presentations heading, modify the Save AutoRecover information every x minutes box.

Change the location where AutoRecover files are saved

Under the Save Presentations heading, modify the AutoRecover File Location box.

Note:  If you change the default AutoRecover file path, there are certain cases in which AutoRecover files will not be automatically deleted when no longer needed. 

Access the AutoRecover folder

You can navigate directly to the AutoRecover folder using Windows File Explorer. The location of the AutoRecover folder can be found in the Options dialog, in the Save tab. By default, the AutoRecover folder is located at:

Replace  <username> with your user name. 

Office 2021 and earlier versions 

Document recovery pane .

After an unexpected shutdown, the Document Recovery pane automatically opens to help you get your files back. Document Recovery lists any files you had open that were recovered from the most recent time you saved them, the most recent time they were AutoSaved (if your file is on OneDrive or SharePoint and you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber), or the most recent time they were Auto Recovered.   

To see the entire Document Recovery pane, hover over the right edge of the pane until you see an arrow pointing left and right. Then click the arrow and drag it to the right to widen the Document Recovery pane. 

Replace  <username> with your username. 

You can navigate directly to the AutoRecover folder using the Finder. The location of the AutoRecover folder can be found in the Options dialog, in the Save tab. By default, the AutoRecover folder is located at:

Replace  < username > with your user name.  The AutoRecovery folder is a hidden folder, so you may not see it if you try to navigate to it in the Finder. Use the Go To Folder tool and enter the full path there. 

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How to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Get that PowerPoint presentation back

• Western Governors University

In This Article

Jump to a Section

• AutoRecover
• Alternate Method
• Recover Deleted Presentation
• Enable AutoSave
• Frequently Asked Questions

What to Know

• File > Open > Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Or: File > Info > Manage Presentations > Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Check your Recycle Bin and automatic backup folders for deleted presentations, or use recovery software.

This article explains how to recover an unsaved PowerPoint. These instructions apply to PowerPoint 2019, 2016, 2013, and Microsoft 365 .

How Do I Recover a PowerPoint That Was Not Saved?

There are a few ways to recover an unsaved PowerPoint. If one method doesn't work, you should try the other options outlined below.

PowerPoint has a feature called AutoRecover which periodically stores data from your presentations. In newer versions of PowerPoint, you can access AutoRecover files from within PowerPoint:

Go to the File tab.

Select Open .

Select Recover Unsaved Presentations at the bottom of the list of recent files.

Select your presentation to open it. If you don't see it, move on to the next section to try a different method.

Alternate Way to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Depending on your version of PowerPoint, the steps for recovering unsaved presentations might be different:

Select Info .

Select Manage Presentations > Recover Unsaved Presentations .

Select your presentation to open it.

If you don't see the Recover Unsaved Presentations option in PowerPoint, you might find your presentation in the following folder on Windows:

On Mac, you can find AutoRecover data in this folder:

Copy and paste the above file path in the File Explorer or Finder address bar; then press Enter to open the folder. Replace User with your Windows or Mac username.

If you still don't see your file, try looking in the following folder on Windows:

Alternatively, press Windows key + R to bring up the Run command and enter %temp% in the Run prompt to open the Temp folder. To find your presentation, search for ppt files.

How Do I Get My Deleted PowerPoint Presentation Back?

If you previously saved a presentation and it got deleted, there are a few things you can try to recover your PowerPoint.

First, check your Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash folder. Depending on how long ago a user deleted it, you may be able to restore files from the Recycle Bin or recover files from the Trash on Mac . If successful, the file should return to its original folder.

If you use automatic backup software , check your backup folders. You can also restore your file using recovery software like Recuva or Disk Drill .

Enable PowerPoint AutoSave

PowerPoint includes an AutoSave feature that backs up your work every few seconds. Select the AutoSave toggle switch in the upper-left corner of your presentation to turn it On , or go to go to File > Options > Save and check the AutoSave box.

To recover an unsaved Word document , go to File > Manage Documents > Recover Unsaved Documents . If you see the document listed, select it. Or, search for a backup of the file by going to File > Open > Browse . You can also use Windows Explorer to search for recovered or temporary files.

To recover an unsaved Excel file , if you have AutoSave enabled, view the Document Recovery interface when you launch Excel. In the section called Available Files , you'll see all your autosaved workbooks and document files. To recover a file, select the arrow next to the file details and choose Open .

To recover a deleted or unsaved Notepad file, go to your Windows 10 search function, type %AppData% , and press Enter . The Roaming folder will open. Search for files that end in .txt to find your unsaved Notepad file.

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How to Recover a Deleted or Unsaved PowerPoint File

After hours of piecing together the perfect presentation, disaster happens the next morning as you go present it: It’s gone. No matter how frantically you search File Explorer, your precious PowePoint presentation is gone. Microsoft, though, has your back. As long as you haven’t disabled autorecovery, the file should still be on your machine -- or in the cloud, if you’re an Office365 user. It’s not foolproof, but you can often recover these accidentally deleted files.

Next time, however, you might want to save a redundant copy to the cloud, just in case.

1. Open a blank Microsoft PowerPoint document and click the File tab .

2. Click the Options link at the bottom.

3. Choose the Save option from the left .

4.Once you find the section with a path showing where your autosaved documents go, select and copy it . In my case, it’s here: C:\Users\Bryan\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint\

5. Open File Explorer and paste in the copied file path . Hit enter .

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6. Here, we’ll see the last save of the document I was working on, which starts with the name “MYPRESENTATION.” Click it to open the file .

7. Right click the Microsoft PowerPoint file, and select Open with .

8. Choose PowerPoint, and click Ok .

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How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint Presentations

Always happens five minutes before the meeting

It’s not uncommon to lose hours of work in PowerPoint because of an unexpected system crash, shutdown, or power failure. Microsoft knows that, which is why the program comes with AutoRecover. It’s a feature that helps you retrieve unsaved PowerPoint presentations.

This tutorial will teach you how to use Microsoft PowerPoint’s AutoRecover feature in Windows and macOS, including other tips to recover lost or deleted PowerPoint presentations.

Recover Unsaved PowerPoint Presentations on Windows

Whenever you work on a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 10 and 11 , the program’s built-in AutoRecover functionality makes periodic backups to a temporary file once every 10 minutes.

If you forgot to save a Microsoft PowerPoint document because of an unexpected issue, you can get it back. There’s no guarantee it may contain the most recent changes, though.

By default, AutoRecover opens the unsaved presentation when you relaunch PowerPoint after a system or application crash. If you see a Recovered Unsaved File banner, select the Save button inside to save it permanently.

In Microsoft Office 2021 and earlier versions of PowerPoint, a Document Recovery pane should show up to the left of the PowerPoint window, letting you pick the file you want to recover.

If that does not happen, you can view the AutoRecover folder with the following steps:

• Open PowerPoint and select Open on the Start Screen.
• Select the Recover Unsaved Presentations button.

• On the File Explorer pop-up, open the folder related to the PPT file you want to restore.
• Select the file and choose Open .

• Review the presentation and save it to your PC’s hard drive.

If the Recover Unsaved Presentations option is not visible or PowerPoint repeatedly crashes before you can do anything, visit the program’s AutoRecover file location and retrieve the presentation via File Explorer.

• Open File Explorer.
• Copy and paste the following into the address bar, replacing <username> with your Windows user name. Then, press Enter :

C:\Users \<username>\ AppData\Roaming \ Microsoft \PowerPoint

• Copy the unsaved PPT file you want to recover to another directory, then double-click to open it in PowerPoint.

To increase the frequency with which AutoRecover backs up your PowerPoint presentations and improve the chances of retrieving the most recent unsaved changes, you must:

• Select the File tab and choose Options (or More > Options ).

• Select the Save category on the PowerPoint Options sidebar.
• Modify the box next to Save AutoRecover information every x minutes .

For example, enter a value of 1 if you want the PowerPoint recovery tool to back up unsaved changes every minute.

Recover Unsaved PowerPoint Files on macOS

Like on Windows, AutoRecover is available on Microsoft PowerPoint for macOS. If you’re working on a PowerPoint presentation on a Mac and experience a sudden crash or shutdown, you should be able to use it to recover the unsaved changes and prevent data loss.

Just re-open PowerPoint. AutoRecover should automatically re-open the presentation you were last working on, allowing you to save the changes permanently.

Suppose that doesn’t happen. Just:

• Open the Home button and choose Open .
• Select Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Double-click the PPTX file you want to recover.

If the Recover Unsaved Presentations button is not visible, manually visit PowerPoint’s AutoRecover temp folder and retrieve the presentation via Finder.

• Open Finder and select Go > Go to Folder on the menu bar.

• Copy the following path and press Return :

~/Library/Containers/com. Microsoft.Powerpoint /Data/Library/Preferences/ AutoRecovery

• Copy the file you want to recover to a different location.

Manually recovered AutoRecover backups for the Mac do not have a specified file type, so you must go through the following steps to view them in PowerPoint.

• Right-click the auto-recovered PPTX file and select Open with > Other .

• Select All Applications on the drop-down menu next to Enable .
• Select Microsoft PowerPoint within the list of applications and choose Open .

By default, AutoRecover saves your presentations every 10 minutes. If you want to increase the chances of recovering the most recent changes:

• Open PowerPoint and select PowerPoint > Preferences on the menu bar.

• Select Save .

• Modify the box next to Save AutoRecover information every x minutes and enter a new value—e.g., 1 to make AutoRecover back up your presentation every minute.

Other Methods to Recover PowerPoint Files:

Unsaved PowerPoint presentations aside, you might have to deal with misplaced or deleted PowerPoint files every now and then. When that happens, here are several ways you can try to get them back.

Check PowerPoint’s Recents List

If you can’t remember the location of a PPTX file, just check PowerPoint’s Recent list on the Start Screen. If the presentation is listed there, select to open it.

Use Windows Search or Spotlight

Your PC or Mac keeps an index of whatever’s in its internal storage. If you can remember the file name of a lost presentation (or even part of it), try searching for it through Windows Search or Spotlight Search .

Check the Recycle Bin or Trash

Windows and macOS store deleted items for 30 days, so check the Recycle Bin or Trash if you can’t find a presentation. If the PPTX file is inside, you can restore it to its original location.

Use File History or Time Machine

You should be able to recover a lost PowerPoint file if your PC or Mac is set to back up to an external hard drive. Learn how to retrieve deleted files or previous versions using File History or Time Machine .

Use a File Recovery Tool

If all else fails, use data recovery software to retrieve deleted PowerPoint files. Check our list of top file recovery programs for the PC and Mac .

Don’t Forget to Save or AutoSave Your Presentations

Losing an unsaved PowerPoint presentation can be a frustrating experience, but with AutoRecover, you can recover your work and stop having to start over from scratch.

Regardless, it’s best not to leave things to chance, so remember to always save your work frequently. If you prefer storing your presentations on OneDrive, use the AutoSave feature in Microsoft Office to avoid lost data.

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn't hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube. Read Dilum's Full Bio

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• Files & Documents

How to Recover a Deleted or Unsaved PowerPoint Presentation

Last update: March 22, 2023

PowerPoint is very popular presentation software. It can be disastrous to lose or delete an important PowerPoint file. Fortunately, there are ways to get lost PowerPoint presentations back. Read on to see how you can recover your valuable data.

Ways to Recover Deleted or Unsaved PowerPoint Presentations

There are multiple ways to recover deleted or lost PowerPoint files. Let’s take a look at the various methods you can use to get back deleted or unsaved PowerPoint files.

Method 1: Use Operating System Features

The first place to look for any lost files is in the special folders that the Windows and Mac operating systems provide to temporarily store deleted items.

To recover a PowerPoint presentation from the Windows Recycle Bin , follow these steps:

• Open the Recycle Bin by clicking on its icon.
• Find the file you wish to restore.
• Click or tap on Restore to recover the file to its original location.

Mac users can use the Trash to recover recently deleted PPT files with these steps:

• Open the Trash by clicking on its icon.
• Locate the item you want to recover.
• Right-click on the PowerPoint file and click Put Back.

Method 2: Try Native PowerPoint Features

PowerPoint provides two powerful native methods of recovering data. You can use the PowerPoint Autorecover feature or the Recover Unsaved Presentation feature. Here’s how they work.

AutoRecover – PowerPoint automatically saves files temporarily via the AutoRecover feature. Recovering them requires navigating to the appropriate folder and searching for your file. To see where PowerPoint is storing the files, use the following steps in PowerPoint.

• Open File > Options > Save.
• The file is specified in the AutoRecover file location field.

You can also  enable or disable AutoRecover  from this window and modify the elapsed time between automatic saves of your PowerPoint files.

Recover Unsaved Presentation  – If PowerPoint crashes before you have a chance to save your presentation, you can use this feature to recover your work. Just follow these steps:

• Open the File tab in PowerPoint.
• Select Recent.
• Click on the Recover Unsaved Presentation icon on the bottom-right of the window.

Recover from temporary PowerPoint files  – You may be able to manually save files that have been temporarily saved by the application. Look in these locations for your operating system if you have lost a PowerPoint file.

• Windows – C :\ Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp
• Mac – /Users/<username>/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Powerpoint /Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

Method 3: Use PowerPoint Recovery Software

In cases where the previous recovery methods are not successful, specialized software may help you restore a lost PPT file. Data recovery software works by taking advantage of the way modern operating systems delete data. When a file is deleted on a Windows or Mac machine, the data is not immediately removed from a disk-based storage device. The operating system disables logical access to the deleted data but it remains on the disk until it is overwritten by new information.

Our editorial team has extensively used licensed copy of Disk Drill data recovery software, which has proven to be a reliable solution for various data loss situations. The steps with other recovery applications will be similar to the following procedure that we use with Disk Drill for Windows.

• Download and install the software. Don’t use the disk that contained the lost PowerPoint files or you risk overwriting them.
• Launch the application and select the disk with the missing PowerPoint presentations from the list of available devices.

• Click the  Recover  button to сhoose a safe storage location that is not on the disk being recovered.

There are many data recovery software solutions available for Mac and Windows computers. Some are freeware applications while others are commercial products. When you are tasked with recovering a lost PowerPoint file, you want to choose the right software tool. Here are some things to keep in mind when making your choice.

Freeware solutions such as Disk Drill data recovery software provide more features than free alternatives.The only real benefit of free tools is the price. The features included with a commercial solution are generally far superior to free alternatives. When faced with a data loss situation, you want to use the best tool available, and a paid/freeware solution will give you a better chance of successful recovery.

Method 4: Recover PowerPoint Presentation From a Backup

If you are following accepted best practices and backing up your computer regularly, you may have a copy of the lost PowerPoint available on backup storage media. Whatever tool you choose to use for making backups, the recovery process is essentially the same and will follow these general steps.

• Connect the storage media containing the backup files to your computer.
• Start the backup and recovery application.
• Search for the PowerPoint presentation you want to recover.
• If found, restore the file to your computer.

The fact that the last resort may be to use a backup copy to recover your files demonstrates the importance of making it a regular practice to back up your data. Take the time to do it. Someday you will be very happy that you did.

Why Do PowerPoint Files Get Deleted?

Just as with any other type of file living on your computer or laptop, there are many ways that PowerPoint presentations can be lost or deleted. Here are some of the most common reasons you might lose one of these important files.

• Human error is involved in a large majority of data loss incidents. It’s very easy to inadvertently delete the wrong file and then empty the Trash or Recycle Bin. You may also accidentally format a drive or partition that contained some PowerPoint files.
• An infection with a virus or malware can be responsible for the loss of data on a Mac or Windows 7/8/10/11 machine. Files may be randomly deleted or the filesystem can become corrupted depending on what type of malware has entered your system.
• Physically damaged disks will often exhibit lost and deleted data. Disks can be damaged due to simple wear and tear or by treating them badly and exposing the devices to excessive moisture or heat.

Protecting Your PowerPoint Files

There are several measures that you can take to protect your PowerPoint files.

The information presented in this section should help you protect your PowerPoint presentations and recover them if you are impacted by a sudden data loss. Here are a few more points of interest regarding recovering deleted PowerPoint files.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i recover a powerpoint that i have overwritten.

Once you have saved a PowerPoint over an older copy, the best way to recover it is with a backup. Windows users may also be able to use the Restore Previous Version feature that also depends on restore points being saved by the operating system.

How can I recover deleted PowerPoint files from an iPad?

Data recovery software can be used to restore a PowerPoint file deleted from an iPad. Connect the iPad to your computer and let the recovery software scan it as it would any other disk-based device.

How can I recover a file if PowerPoint crashes?

Use the Recover Unsaved Presentation feature to recover files that you were working on when PowerPoint stopped responding or crashed. Alternately, you can use PowerPoint’s Autorecover feature which can be configured to automatically save presentations on a time-frame of your choosing.

• 12 publishings

Robert is a freelance writer and technology enthusiast who graduated from Pace University in New York with a degree in Computer Science in 1992. He is a former computer specialist at IBM. During his long career in IT, he has worked for a number of major service providers in various roles related to data storage, management, and protection.

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How to recover an unsaved PowerPoint file: 5 different methods

If you’ve accidentally deleted a PowerPoint file or forgot to save your progress, you can recover PowerPoint in Microsoft 365, PowerPoint 2021, PowerPoint 2019 and PowerPoint 2016. Each version comes with built-in features that you can use to restore presentations.

• Step 1: Search for the file
• Step 2: Rename the file
• Step 3: Recover an unsaved PowerPoint file
• Step 1: Show last-used files
• Step 2: Recover a PowerPoint file that wasn’t saved
• Restoring previous versions of a PowerPoint file
• Recovering old versions from cloud storage
• Step 1: Open the recycle bin
• Step 2: Search for the unsaved PowerPoint file
• Step 3: Recover PowerPoint file
• Step 1: Save the file in a temporary location
• Step 2: Copy the file into another folder
• Step 3: Open the file
• Step 1: Open a new presentation
• Step 2: Recover unsaved PowerPoint
• Step 3: Save file
• The safe mode
• Option 1: Activation in the menu bar
• Option 2: Activation via Options

The easiest and fastest way to restore a PowerPoint is to use the built-in feature under Open > Recent > Restore Unsaved Presentation .

How to recover an unsaved PowerPoint file ¶

If you try to close an unsaved PowerPoint file, the program will display a warning message. This message lets you know that changes to the file still need to be saved. Despite this precaution, it can happen that open programs are closed without saving and data is lost. Unforeseen situations can also cause the program to close without saving. Luckily, there are various ways to recover a PowerPoint.

Recover a PowerPoint file with temporary files ¶

In the “temp” folder, Windows saves temporary files on an ongoing basis. There’s also a possibility that unsaved contents of your PowerPoint can be found in this folder.

Step 1: Search for the file ¶

Open File Explorer and enter the term “PPT*.tmp” into the search bar. Now wait and see if the search comes up with anything.

When saving, PowerPoint adds a random number to the filename. Since you don’t know this number, you can use * as a placeholder.

Step 2: Rename the file ¶

If a PowerPoint file shows up in File Explorer, you can now rename it with .ppt at the end.

Step 3: Recover an unsaved PowerPoint file ¶

Next, open the file to check whether it’s actually the unsaved PowerPoint file you want to recover. To recover the file, simply save it to another location on your computer.

Recover a PowerPoint presentation using the integrated PowerPoint feature ¶

PowerPoint provides a feature to recover an unsaved PowerPoint. To make use of this feature, proceed as follows:

Step 1: Show last-used files ¶

Open the presentation program, click on the menu point Open and then select Recent from the left menu bar.

Step 2: Recover a PowerPoint file that wasn’t saved ¶

Now, you can click on the button Recover Unsaved Presentations .

A folder will now open where you can find all saved drafts. If the file you’re looking for is there, left-click on it and select Open . Save the file. You can now continue to work on your presentation.

How to recover an old version of a PowerPoint file ¶

While working on a PowerPoint presentation, unwanted changes can quickly be reversed with the key combination [Ctrl] + [Z]. Using this shortcut, deleted paragraphs of text can be brought back with just a few clicks. But as soon as you save a file and close it, data that you have deleted will be lost. Follow the steps below to recover an old version of a PowerPoint file.

Restoring previous versions of a PowerPoint file ¶

Use the right side of your mouse to click on a file and select Previous Versions from the menu bar. A new window will open with the corresponding tab. In this window, previous versions of your PowerPoint file can be found, but only if a recovery point is marked. Select a previous version to restore an old version of your PowerPoint.

Recovering old versions from cloud storage ¶

If you automatically save your files to Dropbox, Google Drive, One Drive or another cloud storage service, you have another option for recovering an unsaved PowerPoint. Search for previous versions, manage your old files, and recover the file you’re looking for.

How to recover a deleted PowerPoint file ¶

It’s generally a good idea to delete files that you no longer use or that are outdated. This allows you to maintain a clear overview of your file system. But what if you accidentally delete an important PowerPoint file? No need to worry. When you delete a file, it’s not completely deleted from your computer.

Step 1: Open the recycle bin ¶

To recover a deleted file from your recycle bin , double-click on the waste bin icon.

Step 2: Search for the unsaved PowerPoint file ¶

Enter the name of your PowerPoint file into the search field of the recycle bin program.

Step 3: Recover PowerPoint file ¶

Now, use the right side of your mouse to click on the file and select the option Undo Delete from the menu. Your presentation will now automatically reappear in the folder where you deleted it.

Use the full Office suite Microsoft 365 for your business and enjoy benefits such as SSL/TLS encryption and secure storage.

How to recover a damaged PowerPoint file ¶

You’ve saved a PowerPoint file, but can’t to open it? We’ll show you different ways to recover a damaged PowerPoint.

Move a Presentation to recover a PowerPoint file ¶

In most cases, it’s not possible to tell whether the location or the file itself is damaged. If the file can be restored with the following instructions, the location is affected. In this case, it is best to restore and back up all files from this folder.

Step 1: Save the file in a temporary location ¶

Open the folder where the damaged file is located. Open the context menu with a right-click on the file. Select Copy option to save the file to the clipboard.

Step 2: Copy the file into another folder ¶

Next, open any folder or create a new one. Paste the file by right-clicking on a free area and selecting Paste from the context menu. You can also copy the file to the folder by using the key combination [Ctrl] + [V].

Step 3: Open the file ¶

Try to open the file by double-clicking it. If you can do this without encountering any problems, it may be the original location itself that is damaged.

Paste slides into a new presentation ¶

In many cases, however, it’s not the location that’s damaged, but the PowerPoint file itself. In this case, the program offers a handy function to insert the slides into a new and undamaged file.

Step 1: Open a new presentation ¶

Open up a blank PowerPoint document.

Step 2: Recover unsaved PowerPoint ¶

In the menu, select Start and select New Slide from the drop-down menu. Using the left side of the mouse, choose the option Reuse Slides .

A field with the same title will appear on the right. Click on the Browse button and select the file you want to restore in Explorer. A thumbnail preview of all slides will appear. Click on the slides with the left mouse button to insert them into the new presentation. To restore the entire unsaved PowerPoint file, right-click to open the context menu and click the Insert all slides option.

Step 3: Save file ¶

As soon as you’ve transferred all slides, make sure that you save the file in a new location.

The safe mode ¶

If a PowerPoint file cannot be opened in normal mode, try starting it in safe mode. To do this, hold down the control key [Ctrl] and then double-click on the PowerPoint file to select it. Click Yes in the confirmation window to open the presentation in safe mode.

Most Office programs can be opened in safe mode using this technique.

Now, you can look for any issues with the file before saving it under a new name.

How to avoid losing PowerPoint files ¶

Despite the many options to recover a PowerPoint file, a successful recovery isn’t guaranteed. That’s why it’s important to use the shortcut [Ctrl] + [S] throughout your work. With this shortcut, you can regularly save your file, ensuring your work isn’t lost.

PowerPoint comes with a function that automatically saves open presentations. We’ll show you how to activate the function and avoid losing your files.

Option 1: Activation in the menu bar ¶

Activate the feature in the PowerPoint menu bar by moving the switch to AutoSave On .

Option 2: Activation via Options ¶

If you activate the feature in the Options area, additional custom settings are available. Select the File button in the menu. Then click on Options followed by Save. Activate the function Save AutoRecover information every… and enter the desired time interval. If you enable the Keep the last AutoRecovered version if I close without saving option, you avoid losing data if you accidentally close the PowerPoint file without saving it. If necessary, you can also adjust the location of the file to make it easier to find the backed-up file.

Files from other Microsoft 365 programs can also be recovered. Find out more about “ How to recover an Excel file ” and “ How to recover unsaved Word documents ” in our dedicated tutorials.

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How to Recover Deleted/Unsaved PowerPoint Files (Multiple Methods for Windows)

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In that situation, you can use the methods below to recover the PowerPoint file and save yourself a lot of time.

Quick Navigation

How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint File

Forgetting to click the save button when creating a PowerPoint presentation is a fairly common problem, which is why Microsoft made it possible to recover unsaved presentations directly from PowerPoint.

Method #1: Click Recover Unsaved Presentations

As soon as you create a presentation, PowerPoint saves it in a special folder, called UnsavedFiles. The presentation is stored in this folder until you click the Save button and provide your own directory. Here’s how you can recover unsaved PowerPoint presentations that are still located in the UnsavedFiles folder:

• Launch PowerPoint.
• Open the File menu and click Open.

• Open your presentation and save it someplace safe.

If the UnsavedFiles folder is empty, then you need to try the other methods described in this article.

Method #2: Use the AutoRecover Feature

Located inside the Save section of PowerPoint Options is the AutoRecover feature. When enabled, this feature stores information about opened PowerPoint files every X minutes, and when PowerPoint is closed without saving.

The recovery files created by the AutoRecover feature can be found in the following location (USERNAME = your username):

You can recover them from this location by copying the path and pasting it in the File Explorer address bar.

Then, simply move the PPT or PPTX file to a safe location.

Method #3: Check the Temp Folder

Windows allows any application to store temporary inside the following folder:

You can quickly open this folder by pressing Windows key + R on your keyboard and typing %temp% in the Run prompt.

Since the Temp folder tends to be rather messy, we don’t recommend you go through it manually. Instead, enter the following search queries in the search box located in the top-right corner of File Explorer:

If these search queries fail to yield any results, then it’s possible that your PowerPoint files are deleted. The good news is that there are several ways to recover deleted PPT files, and we explore them in the next section of this article.

How to Recover Deleted PowerPoint File

The three methods we’ve described so far can help you recover a presentation that was closed without saving, but what about presentations that were saved, only to be deleted? Well, that’s where the following three methods come in.

Method #1: Look Inside the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin should be the first place you look for lost PowerPoint files:

• Press Windows key + R to open the Run prompt.
• Enter: explorer.exe shell:RecycleBinFolder

• Find your PowerPoint file.

No luck finding your PowerPoint document inside the Recycle Bin? Then it’s most likely permanently deleted .

Method #2: Retrieve Your File from a Backup

It would be beyond the scope of this article to describe all popular backup applications available to Windows users, so we decided to narrow them down to just three:

• Local backup:
• OneDrive backup:
• File History:
• Connect your backup drive to your computer.
• Open it using File Explorer.
• Find your PPT presentation.
• Copy it to your computer.
• Open a web browser.
• Visit:  https://onedrive.live.com/
• Log in with your username and password.
• Download it to your computer.
• Open the Start menu.
• Type “file history.”
• Select Restore your files with File History.
• Navigate to where your PPT file was located and restore it.

Don’t have a backup of your lost PowerPoint file? Don’t despair! There’s still one method that you can try, and it works even if you don’t back up your files.

Method #3: Use Data Recovery Software

Data recovery software can undelete even permanently deleted files, as long as they haven’t been overwritten by new data. Such software applications are available from many different vendors, some of which are targeting enterprise customers, while others are focusing on individual home users.

To recover a PowerPoint presentation with Disk Drill :

• Add the lost PPT/PPTX file to the recovery queue by clicking the checkbox next to it.

Tips to Avoid Losing PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) Files

Creating PowerPoint presentations is hardly ever fun, but having to recreate a lost presentation from scratch can be a torturous ordeal. Here’s what you can do to avoid losing your PowerPoint files:

• 💾 Enable AutoSave : If you’re using the latest version of PowerPoint (2016 or 2019) and have a Microsoft 365 subscription, then you can enable the AutoSave feature to save your files automatically, every few seconds, as you work. All you need to do is sign in with your Microsoft account and click the AutoSave button in the top-left corner. Unfortunately, the AutoSave feature is not present in PowerPoint 2003/2007/2010/2013.
• 💻 Back up your presentations : It’s never a good idea to keep just a single copy of an important presentation. Instead, consider using the 3-2-1 backup strategy , which states that you should always have three copies of your data, stored on two different media, with one copy off-site.
• ⚡ Buy a UPS : An uninterrupted power supply, or UPS for short, is essentially a battery that sits between your computer and the wall outlet the computer draws power from. In case of a power outage, the UPS quickly turns on to power your computer, allowing you to save your work.
• 💀 Avoid pirated versions of PowerPoint : Obviously, you should never use a pirated version of any software, but it’s especially dangerous to use a pirated version of PowerPoint and other Office applications because you never know if it hasn’t been tampered with and infected with malware.
• 🔧 Maintain your system : Unless your operating system is rock-solid, there will always be a chance of PowerPoint crashing at the worst possible moment. That’s why you should avoid installing dubious software applications from the internet. Instead, try to keep your system as clean as possible by following basic system maintenance tips .

How to recover deleted PowerPoint files?

Follow these simple steps to recover deleted PowerPoint presentations:

• Download, install & run Disk Drill on your PC.
• Select the disk containing the deleted PowerPoint files.
• Start the scan & wait for it to finish.
• Select the PPT files you want to recover & click “Recover”.
• Choose a safe recovery destination & hit “Confirm”.

How to recover a PowerPoint file after a crash?

To recover a PowerPoint file after a crash, open PowerPoint on your computer, click the File menu > Open > Recover Unsaved Presentations.

Can you recover deleted slides from PowerPoint?

No, even the latest version of PowerPoint doesn’t make it possible to recover deleted slides. The best you can do is restore an older version of the PowerPoint file, which can be easily done using OneDrive.

How to recover a corrupted PowerPoint file?

PowerPoint has a built-in file repair option, and you can access it by opening the File menu and selecting > Open > Browse > Open and Repair (accessible after clicking the small arrow next to the Open button).

How to recover a PowerPoint file that was saved over?

Unfortunately, you can’t recover a PowerPoint file that was saved over unless you have a backup safely stored somewhere on your computer or in the cloud.

In this article, we’ve described multiple methods that you can use to recover deleted and unsaved PowerPoint files, so all you need to do is pick the one that best fits your situation by consulting the Quick Navigation section at the start of this article.

This article was written by David Morelo , a Staff Writer at Handy Recovery. It was also verified for technical accuracy by Andrey Vasilyev , our editorial advisor.

Curious about our content creation process? Take a look at our Editor Guidelines .

Home Blog PowerPoint Tutorials How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint

How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint

Losing unsaved information when making PowerPoint presentations can result in a massive loss of time and effort in an instant. You can use different methods to recover unsaved PowerPoint presentations and file versions. In the methods listed below, you can learn how to recover unsaved PowerPoint files and return them to specific file versions.

Method 1: Recover PowerPoint Files Offline

If your system or PowerPoint app randomly crashes, you are usually provided with the option to recover an unsaved file version. If such an option does not occur, you can recover your files using a recovery file. For this purpose, you should first ensure that file recovery is enabled in PowerPoint.

Enable File Recovery in PowerPoint

To enable file recovery, go to File -> Options . In the dialog box that opens up, configure your recovery settings.

You can set your newly created files and the PowerPoint templates you are editing to be saved after a set period of time (e.g., every 1 minute), enable recovering the last version of the file if PowerPoint is closed without saving the presentation, pick the default file location for saving the recovered files, and choose to keep copies of the files online or offline.

Autorecover PowerPoint Files

To recover a PowerPoint file, go to File -> Open and click Recover Unsaved Presentations or via File -> Info -> Manage Presentations -> Recover Unsaved Presentations .

Select the file version to recover from the list to autorecover PowerPoint.

Method 2: Recover PowerPoint Files using OneDrive

Enable autosave for powerpoint files to onedrive.

The new version of PowerPoint comes with an AutoSave option where your presentations can be autosaved to OneDrive. You can enable autosave using this option or enable OneDrive via File -> Save As .

If you aren’t logged in, you will be asked to Sign in and select OneDrive to save the file automatically online.

Recover AutoSaved Files from OneDrive

You can recover files by going to File -> Home and selecting the file name from the list.

The autosaved version of the file can also be found online by logging into your OneDrive account and searching for the file, by going to recent files, or via My Files -> Documents .

Method 3: Recover a File Version in PowerPoint

Sometimes, you don’t need to recover an unsaved file but a specific file version of the PowerPoint file. To recover a file version, go to File -> Info -> Version History .

This will display the versions available for the file for recovery in PowerPoint.

You can also recover file versions by logging into OneDrive and selecting Version History via right-click context menu.

Other Methods for Recovering Unsaved PowerPoint Files

There are also several methods that might be useful to autorecover PPT. These methods might be used when you have exhausted the means to recover PowerPoint files through conventional means.

Restore PowerPoint from Recycle Bin: Sometimes, a file might be accidentally deleted and placed in the Recycle Bin. Restoring a file from there might be your best option at times to recover an accidentally deleted file.

Restore PowerPoint using System Backup: Restoring a system backup might be viable if you have lost an important PowerPoint file due to an operating system reload or if the file might be saved in an older backup.

Recover PowerPoint using Data Recovery Software: There are a wide number of data recovery software that can be used to find and restore permanently deleted files from your hard drive. Some examples include EaseUS free data recovery software, Wondershare Recoverit Data Recovery, and Recuva.

Restore PowerPoint using Cloud Storage App: If you’re unfamiliar with OneDrive, you might use alternative cloud storage apps such as Google Drive, Box, or Dropbox to save files. If you have a PowerPoint saved to these apps which were deleted or are missing, you can look to recover it via your cloud drive by logging into your cloud storage account and sifting through deleted files.

Temp Folder: you can also recover an unsaved PowerPoint via the Windows Temp folder by going to Windows+R and entering %temp% in the dialog box. This folder is usually located at C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\Temp .

Final Words

To ensure that you can recover PowerPoint files, it is advised to enable autosave either offline or online via OneDrive. This will ensure that you can recover your PowerPoint file and a specific version according to need. Suppose you are unable to recover your PowerPoint files using conventional methods. In that case, the options available require a bit of heavy lifting, such as restoring a system backup, using data recovery software, or sifting through the Windows Temp folder. If you’re really lucky, restoring the file via the RecycleBin might be all you need to do.

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PowerPoint Tips  - Recover Unsaved Presentations

Powerpoint tips  -, recover unsaved presentations, powerpoint tips recover unsaved presentations.

PowerPoint Tips: Recover Unsaved Presentations

Lesson 7: recover unsaved presentations.

/en/powerpoint-tips/spell-check-and-thesaurus-shortcuts/content/

Recover unsaved presentations

Sometimes you don’t get the chance to save your presentation before your computer crashes or you lose power. Thankfully, PowerPoint can help you recover unsaved presentations .

Watch the video below to see how you can restore your work.

• If PowerPoint recovers any unsaved files when you open it, a Document Recovery window will appear.
• Click on the file to open it and then close the window.
• If the Document Recovery window does not appear, click on the File tab in the PowerPoint menu.
• Select Open at the bottom of the recent presentations.
• Click on Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Select the unsaved file that you want to recover and open it.

We also recommend saving the recovered file in order to prevent losing it in the future. Keep this shortcut in mind next time you have computer trouble, and hopefully, your hard work won't be lost!

Now let’s go over the steps for compressing media files in PowerPoint. 

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How to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Lee Stanton Lee Stanton is a versatile writer with a concentration on the software landscape, covering both mobile and desktop applications as well as online technologies. Read more May 18, 2023

If you’ve ever faced the devastating prospect of losing a PowerPoint presentation due to a computer crash or accidental deletion, we get you. This guide will walk you through the steps to recover unsaved PowerPoint work and keep your ideas and data safe. With these instructions, your hard work to create a fantastic presentation won’t be in vain.

Recovering Deleted or Crashed PowerPoint Files

PowerPoint presentations can be lost due to various reasons. You might accidentally delete a file, suffer a software crash, or even fall victim to a virus attack. In such situations, there are several recovery methods to try:

• Use the AutoRecover feature.
• Use “Recover Unsaved Presentations” in PowerPoint.
• Check the Temp folder, where temporary files are stored. You can locate it at C:\Users[User]\AppData\Local\Temp on Windows or use the Run command and type %temp% .
• Restore from the Recycle Bin or a backup if you have one. Open the Recycle Bin, locate your file, right-click, and select “Restore.”
• Use data recovery software such as Recuva or Disk Drill to scan your system and recover various file types, including PowerPoint presentations.
• Restore from the Recent Files Folder, which stores a list of recently accessed files.

In case of an operating system malfunction or device corruption, you might need to use Windows File Recovery.

Recovering Unsaved PowerPoint Using AutoRecover

Setting up Microsoft PowerPoint’s AutoRecover is a straightforward way to help ensure your work isn’t lost in an unexpected shutdown or power outage. This handy feature will offer to open any recovered files for you after you restart PowerPoint, though it’s important to remember to save them manually before making any more changes.

If you want to open AutoRecover files without waiting for the program to do it for you, here’s what you need to do (for Office 365 and later):

With Office 2021 or earlier, a Document Recovery pane will immediately pop up when you turn on your computer and list all recoverable files.

In some cases, you might need to check the AutoRecover folders manually. Here’s where to find them:

• On Windows: C:\Users[User]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint.
• On Mac: Users/[User]/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Powerpoint/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery.

Of course, replace [User] with your actual username.

Adjusting AutoRecover Settings

To ensure your presentations won’t get lost in case of a data accident, you might want to change how often AutoRecover saves files and where it keeps them.

To switch on AutoSave in PowerPoint, you just need to press the AutoSave toggle switch in the top left. You can also visit the File, then Options, and then Save and tick the AutoSave box for this. Here you can also experiment with personalizing it. Having the AutoSave feature switched on will periodically and automatically save your work, giving you extra protection.

Operating System-Specific Tips

Recovering an unsaved PowerPoint can vary slightly depending on your operating system.

Don’t forget about the Temp folder. Windows creates temporary files that could contain your unsaved work. To find this folder, go to C:\Users[User]\AppData\Local\Temp or use the Run command and type %temp% . Look for files with a .ppt or .pptx extension.

If you’ve set up Time Machine on your Mac, it’s another good place to look for lost presentations. Just enter the Time Machine, navigate to the folder where your presentation should have been saved, and return to it before the file is lost. From there, you can restore the file with a few clicks.

Recovering Deleted Presentations

If you’ve mistakenly deleted a PowerPoint presentation, don’t panic. The file may still be recoverable. On Windows, deleted files usually get thrown into the Recycle Bin. To restore these files, find them in the folder, right-click, and select “Restore.”

If you’ve permanently erased the file or if it has been lost due to formatting or corruption, data recovery software is your best bet.

Data Recovery Software

Sometimes, you may find yourself up a creek without a paddle regarding data recovery. Thankfully, third-party software exists and can help salvage any effort gone awry. Recuva and Disk Drill are two popular programs specializing in retrieving data from disks that have either been formatted or damaged. These programs can scan through your computer’s drives for traces of missing documents and attempt to bring them back from the brink of deletion.

Though these should be a last resort, they can often save the day after exhausting other options.

Recovering from Major Mishaps

Sometimes, you might find yourself in the middle of a severe computer problem like an operating system crash or hardware malfunction. In those cases, Windows File Recovery can be a lifesaver. This Microsoft tool is powerful enough to restore files lost from a disk formatted or corrupted beyond repair. Although it takes more effort than other methods mentioned here, it can bring relief in desperate circumstances, but it should only be used by experienced tech users.

Data Loss Prevention Tips

Prevention is better than cure. To prevent such nerve-racking scenarios in the future, consider these tips:

• Create multiple backups of all your important PPTX documents. For example, storing them in the cloud is a great way to make sure they never get lost. Microsoft Office has built-in integration with OneDrive.
• Save early and save often. Make it a habit.
• If your system crashes, don’t use it until you’ve retrieved any lost data. This will reduce the risk of overwriting or deleting what you’re trying to recover.
• Start attempting to restore your files as quickly as possible after the data gets lost. The sooner you start, the higher chances you have of success.

Understanding PPT and PPTX Files

Microsoft PowerPoint presentations come in two file types: PPT and PPTX. The newer PPTX is the standard as of 2007. It combines XML and ZIP to compress the presentation, making it less bulky and more easily recoverable, which is nice when you’re dealing with misplaced presentations. As a bonus, all its content is stored as individual XML files inside the ZIP archive.

Road to Recovery

Losing your hard work on a PowerPoint presentation can be extremely disheartening, but if you act fast and use this guide, you may be able to recover your lost file. Try the less complex methods before attempting more advanced techniques.

But preparation and prevention are best – back up your files regularly, keep AutoSave enabled, and know where the AutoRecover folder is located. Also, remember to save your changes often while working on the presentation.

Have you lost any critical PowerPoint files? Got any other recovery tips? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Have you lost your PPT file due to a system crash or deletion and aren’t sure how to retrieve it? Don’t worry, this is the place for you. Data loss scenarios are quite common, and several methods are available to help recover your PPT file back. Follow our instructions for quick and easy methods to restore your deleted files.

What is the PowerPoint File Type (PPT, PPTX)

PPT stands for the Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation binary format, and it is the main file extension that saves PowerPoint presentations. The software is widely used to design presentations for educational and business purposes. All slides, videos, texts, images, etc., are stored within the PPT file.

Introduced in 1987 with the release of PowerPoint, the PPT extension used to be the primary file type to save your presentations for versions 2003 and older.

How to Recover Deleted PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) Files

There are many possible fixes to assist you in restoring your lost PPTX files. Go through the table below for an overview of available recovery methods:

While these solutions can be convenient, it is also important to keep certain practices in mind while working on your PPTX file. A few tips and tricks that can be helpful in data-loss situations are:

• 💾 Keep more than one backup of your PPTX file. In case of an unexpected file loss, having backups would ensure a smooth recovery process.
• ❌ If your device crashes or you want to retrieve your file, avoid writing new data to that drive. It can lead to complications while restoring the desired file.
• ⏩ Start the data recovery process as soon as you can. The longer you wait to attempt getting the file back, the restoration chances would become more uncertain.
• 💯 Try the most sure-shot method of file recovery first. It would increase the possibility of successful recovery and might prevent permanent file damage.

Being mindful of these pointers can help avoid severe data loss and make the recovery process quite efficient.

How to Recover PowerPoint (PPT, PPTX) Files with Software

Although various data recovery methods are available to help you restore your PPTX files, third-party software is perhaps the most effective. Instead of relying on temporary folders, these solutions can permanently retrieve your files. While it may seem challenging at first, most file recovery software like Disk Drill is relatively user-friendly.

Steps to recover your PPT, PPTX files with Disk Drill:

• While it is faster than most recovery software, Disk Drill will take some time to scan your device for lost data. You can choose your recovery method — Quick Scan or Deep Scan . ⏯️ You can also pause and resume scans halfway to glance through the files found.

Recover PPT, PPTX Files from Windows Recycle Bin and Mac Trash

If you wish to retrieve your deleted PPT, PPTX files, there’s a simple solution to help you get them back. You can use the Windows Recycle Bin or Mac Trash to restore your files to their original location.

Both these folders in your system temporarily store your deleted files. This makes it easy to recover your data without much effort.

Recovering PPT, PPTX files from the Windows Recycle Bin

• Once you’ve opened the folder, find and select the PPT or PPTX file you wish to recover.

Recovering PPT, PPTX files from Mac Trash

Restore from a Recent Files Folder

While the Windows Recycle Bin and the Mac Trash folders offer effortless data recovery, they can only recover deleted files — whether accidental or voluntary. However, you don’t necessarily need to download software to retrieve your data. There are other solutions within your system that can help you restore your lost PPT, PPTX files.

Let’s go through both the options one by one:

Recovering Files Using Windows File History

• Make sure you have turned on the File History option. If not, select an internal or external drive to which you want to backup your information, and turn it on.

• Go through available backups and locate the PPT or PPTX file you want to recover.

Recovering Files Using Mac Time Machine

• Navigate through the folders to locate your PPT or PPTX file from available backups.

Having backups of your data is a valuable practice that always comes in handy in the long run. The techniques mentioned above can assist you with the convenient recovery of your PPT, PPTX files only if you’ve saved them. It may seem like a limitation in comparison with the data recovery efficiency of software. However, there is a bonus feature on PowerPoint that can help recover your lost files.

Recover PPT, PPTX Files using Windows File Recovery

Windows File Recovery is Microsoft’s command-line recovery utility and is available for free download from the Microsoft Store. Since it doesn’t have a graphical user interface, users must enter the corresponding command prompt to recover lost files. This utility supports various file systems and types and is a helpful tool for data recovery. 

Here’s how you can recover PPT, PPTX files with Windows File Recovery:

• Download Windows File Recovery from the Microsoft Store and Install it on your PC.
• Launch Windows File Recovery and click the Run as administrator option.
• Once the Command Prompt window opens, enter the command in the following format: winfr source-drive: destination-drive: [/mode] [/switches]
• You need to specify a mode in the format mentioned above, according to what’s suitable for your file system. You can use two basic modes to recover files – Regular and Extensive .
• You can also mention any specific file extensions according to the files you wish to retrieve. For instance, enter a similar command to retrieve PPT, PPTX files: winfr C: E: /extensive /n *.ppt /n *.pptx
• Note that the source and destination drives must be different. After you’ve entered, Microsoft automatically creates a recovery folder on the destination drive.

Recover PPT, PPTX Files from your Temporary Files Folder

Another method that you can use to retrieve your unsaved PPT, PPTX files is through the temporary files folder. Windows has this temporary folder dedicated to saving files from various applications. Here’s the path to the temporary files folder: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp

There are other ways to access this folder as well. Follow these steps to recover your lost or unsaved PPT, PPTX files from the temporary files folder:

• Once you run the command, the folder window will open in File Explorer. To narrow down your search options, you can filter through the results by using the following extensions – *.pptx, *.ppt, ppt*.tmp . 

Recover PPT, PPTX File from a Local Backup

An easier way to retrieve your PPT, PPTX files is to look for them in a local backup. However, turning to this method will only be feasible if you’ve created backups of your files either on hard drives, or on the cloud. In this article, we shall look at the steps to recover PPT, PPTX files from a local backup:

• Connect your backup drive to your computer.
• Open it using File Explorer.
• Look through the data to find your PPT presentation.
• Copy it to your computer and access the backed up version. 

Recovering PPT, PPTX Files with PowerPoint Features

Did your presentation disappear? PowerPoint provides features that can help recover your unsaved or deleted files. All versions from 2010 and onwards have the Auto Recovery feature and the Recover Unsaved Presentations option. The former saves the file you’re working on at regular time intervals. Both features help the user ensure they have a place from which they can retrieve their lost files.

Auto-Recovery

If you haven’t saved the PPT or PPTX file you’re working on; PowerPoint creates a temporary folder to save these files. You can navigate to the Auto-Recover File Location and look for your file there. However, to enable this feature, you must ensure that the AutoRecover information option is turned on.

Recover Unsaved Presentations

If PowerPoint or your system crashes while you’re working or before you have the chance to check a saved version, you can use this feature. Once you click on the Recover Unsaved Presentations option, it will open your missing file.

On Windows: Open File > Info > Manage Versions > Recover Unsaved Presentations .

You can find more information on these features at the Microsoft Community.

How to Open PPT, PPTX on Mac and Windows

Microsoft PowerPoint is the most suitable application to open your PPT, PPTX files. It supports all the texts, transition effects, images, clipart, videos, etc., which are vital assets to format the presentation. It is available on both Windows and Mac operating systems as well as on Android and iOS. You can purchase a subscription to Microsoft 365 from Microsoft’s official website.

You can also view PowerPoint files in several other presentation programs. Some examples are Apple Keynote, Corel Presentations, or PPTX viewer. If you have a Microsoft Account or a Microsoft 365 account, it will allow you to view and edit your presentations in the web browser.

Programs that Open PPT, PPTX Files

While Microsoft PowerPoint works best, multiple applications can support PPT, PPTX files. You may not be able to edit them using these applications, but you can view them easily. Some programs that support PPT, PPTX files are:

On Windows: Microsoft PowerPoint 354 Corel Presentations 2021 File Viewer Plus

On Mac: Microsoft PowerPoint 354 Apple Preview Apple Keynote

Android: File Viewer by Android Microsoft Office Microsoft PowerPoint Google Drive Google Slides

iOS: Microsoft Office Microsoft PowerPoint Google Drive Google Slides

Tips to Avoid PPT, PPTX File Loss

While it is quite possible to recover your lost PPT, PPTX files conveniently, it is advisable to try and avoid data loss situations. Here are a few tips you can follow to keep your files safe:

• 💿 Save your work manually – While technological advancements have made it easier to recover files, it is good to keep saving your file manually while working. If the system crashes or an unforeseen problem arises, you can seamlessly get back your precious presentations.
• 💾 Keep multiple backups – Ensure that you have backups of your files. You can either backup your PPT, PPTX files to a different storage device or use the backup features on your systems. Both Windows and Mac OS offer some advanced features that allow you to back up your files safely.
• ☁️ Enable AutoRecover and AutoSave – Verify that AutoRecover has been turned on in PowerPoint. This feature can help you recover your deleted or unsaved files without hassle. A lot of users fret that they forgot to save their presentations. This is where the AutoSave option is a real gamechanger: It automatically saves the changes you continue to make onto the OneDrive cloud storage.
• 🩺 Install a good Antivirus – It is crucial to have reliable antivirus software installed on your computer. It will protect your files from malware and prevent file corruption.
• 🔋 System and Power compatibility – It is suggested that you ensure your system’s compatibility with the software. With constant technical developments, outdated software versions would not work on newer systems. To avoid data loss due to sudden power outages, invest in an Uninterrupted Power Source (UPS).
• 🗄️ Separate software from other data – You should keep your software and other data, including your media files and documents on different drives. If this isn’t followed, your system can crash, or you risk disk failure. It can thus result in significant data loss.

This information can help you avoid losing your data. However, if a data-loss situation arises, the methods mentioned above can help you recover files or other data.

How to recover unsaved PowerPoint files in Windows 11?

PowerPoint comes ready with features that actively work to keep a record of your presentations, even if you haven’t saved it yet. To do this, PowerPoint takes regular snapshots of your file, which allows you to recover it in the event of sudden power or application failure.

To recover an unsaved PowerPoint file, follow these steps:

• Open PowerPoint .
• Click File , then Open . At the bottom of the recent files list, click Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Select the unsaved presentation file in the UnsavedFiles folder, then click Open .

Once opened, save the presentation file like normal.

Where are PowerPoint AutoSave files stored?

If you’re not a Microsoft 365 user, the AutoSave feature that automatically saves your presentation almost immediately after any change won’t be available to you. Instead, you must rely on the AutoRecover feature.

AutoRecover, when enabled, will automatically make a copy of your file every 10 minutes by default. The path to this AutoRecover folder is typically C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint\ , but the below instructions will show you how to find the exact location for you.

• Click File , then Options .
• Click Save .
• Copy the path in the AutoRecover file location box and open it in File Explorer .

How to recover unsaved PowerPoint files on OneDrive?

If your PowerPoint presentation crashes before you get a chance to save it in OneDrive, you may still be able to recover it from a version that was automatically saved. To do so, follow these steps.

• Click File , then Open .
• Click Recover Unsaved Presentations .
• Select your unsaved presentation and click Open .

Going forward, if you’re a Microsoft 365 user, consider saving your file in OneDrive immediately after creating it. This way, the AutoSave feature will be enabled from the beginning, which will save your file every few seconds.

How do I recover PowerPoint history?

Follow these steps to recover PowerPoint file history:

• Open the file you want to view.
• Click File > Info > Version history . 
• Select a version to open it in a separate window.
• If you wish to restore a previous version you’ve opened, select Restore .

Where are temporary PowerPoint files stored?

Temporary PowerPoint files are stores under the following path: C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Temp

Follow these steps to recover temporary PPT, PPTX files:

• Press Win + R and type in %temp% in the Run prompt.
• You can filter through the results in File Explorer by using the following extensions – *.pptx, *.ppt, ppt*.tmp . 
• If the presentation is located within the temporary files folder, it should show up in the results and you can recover it.

How to recover PowerPoint files that were not saved on the iPad?

All PowerPoint presentations are saved automatically on iOS devices. In the event that the AutoSave feature was manually disabled, there will be no way to recover an unsaved presentation.

Joshua Solomon

Technology, SaaS, and digital marketing are Joshua's go-to niches. He understands the need for simple and easy-to-read articles on the internet. As technologies grow in complexity, guides and how-to pieces must remain com...

Brett Johnson

This article has been approved by Brett Johnson, Data Recovery Engineer at ACE Data Recovery. Brett has a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems and Network, 12 years of experience.

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How to Recover an Unsaved PowerPoint

Computers don’t always work the way they’re supposed to. Nothing is more frustrating than when a program locks up and stops responding, or worse, completely crashes—especially if you lose progress on an important presentation that you’re working on.

Fortunately, PowerPoint will try to automatically save backup copies of your presentations. If PowerPoint 2019 encounters a problem and stops responding, you can restart PowerPoint or your computer and try to recover your lost presentations.

Recover a Presentation

If an unsaved presentation can be recovered, a Recover unsaved presentations heading will appear on the Welcome screen.

The Document Recovery pane appears, listing all recovered presentations that were found.

The last autosaved version of that presentation opens.

The Document Recovery pane closes, and you can get back to work.

AutoRecovery Settings

You can further protect your work by using the AutoRecover feature to periodically save a temporary copy of the presentation you're working on. To recover work after a software failure, you must have turned on the AutoRecover feature before the problem occurred. You can set the AutoRecover save interval to occur more frequently than its default setting of every 10 minutes.

• Click Save .
• Make sure the Save AutoRecover information check box is checked.

You can’t specify the interval if the check box is not selected.

Even with PowerPoint’s recovery features, the best way to ensure that you don’t lose much progress is to save your work regularly.

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How to Recover a Lost, Deleted, or Unsaved PowerPoint File

Nov 18, 2022

PowerPoint presentation (or PPT/PPTX) files are vital nowadays to manage your daily work, especially in the business/corporate sector. However, due to work pressure, you can forget to save your essential files or accidentally lose or delete your crucial information due to multiple loss scenarios.

A few loss scenarios are:

• System crash
• Power outage
• System shutdown (abruptly)
• PC virus attacks
• Unmount the external drive during the PPT file transfer

These are only a few of the multiple reasons. So instead of panicking, you can spare your time here for a valuable read. This article guides you through recovering unsaved, deleted, and lost files on Windows and Mac PCs in multiple scenarios and circumstances.

Part 1. What Is a PowerPoint File

A PowerPoint file is crucial in all organizations, including educational institutions. The images, texts, slides, videos, etc., are stored within the PPT file. Since its release in 1987, PPT extensions/file types have been used to save visual PowerPoint presentations for Windows versions 2003 and up.

However, since 2007 a newer version, PPTX, has replaced the older PPT extension to become the default file type for all Microsoft PowerPoint files. It is inclusive of both the XML and ZIP formats to compress files. If you are still a user of the older versions, the PPTX file format allows you only to view the slide shows and not edit them.

Be it PPT or PPTX file format, losing any file can cost you your efforts and essential data. However, using multiple recovery methods, you can retrieve them in under minutes. So let us check the best recovery methods in different delete/lost files scenarios.

Part 2. How to Recover Unsaved or Deleted PowerPoint Files Via PowerPoint Features

PowerPoint provides its built-in features Auto-Recover and Recover Unsaved Presentations to recover your unsaved and lost/missing PPT/PPTX files. Since these files are stored here temporarily, you must be quick enough to recover and save them in time.

1. Recover Unsaved/Deleted PowerPoint Files Using Auto-Recover

PowerPoint's Auto-Recover option recovers your unsaved and lost files without taking much time. However, remember to enable the Auto-Recover option beforehand for a quick and seamless recovery. Follow the steps below to allow the feature to recover your missing PPT/PPTX files.

(1) Open the PowerPoint presentation > File > Options > Save > Save presentations

(2) Check the options for:

• Save AutoRecover information every _ minutes .
• Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving .

(3) Copy your missing file's destination path from the AutoRecover file location

(4) Visit Windows Explorer > Paste the copied file path on the address bar > Click Enter to search your lost/unsaved PPT/PPTX file.

2. Recover Unsaved/Deleted PowerPoint Files Using Recover Unsaved Presentations

You can quickly recover your unsaved or lost PPT/PPTX files using the PowerPoint built-in option of Recover Unsaved Presentations. Just go through the below-given guidelines to get back your missing file:

(1) Open the PowerPoint on your device (Windows PC).

(2) Now tap the File tab (at the upper-left corner) > Click Open > Visit the Recent section > Click Recover Unsaved Presentations (at the bottom).

(3) Now a folder for Saved Drafts will open. Search for your lost file and double-click to open it.

(4) Finally, save your recovered PPT/PPTX file.

Part 3. How to Recover Deleted PowerPoint Files on Windows and Mac PCs

Windows Recycle Bin and Mac's Trash/Bin can help you retrieve your deleted PowerPoint files in their original location. For example, suppose you accidentally delete your crucial PPT/PPTX file. In such a case, you can opt for any of the below-given methods depending upon your system. However, be careful to recover them as soon as possible, as these folders only store your files temporarily.

1. Recover Deleted PowerPoint Files in Windows Using Recycle Bin

Now recover your deleted PPT or PPTX files in Windows quickly using the Recycle Bin without much effort, following the below-mentioned steps:

(1) Visit your Windows desktop > Click the Recycle Bin icon.

(2) Open the folder > Search and select your deleted PPT/PPTX file to need to recover.

(3) Right-click on your chosen file > Click the Restore option to retrieve the file in its original location.

2. Recover Deleted PowerPoint Files on Mac Using Trash/Bin

Mac PC lets you recover your deleted PowerPoint files using the Trash/Bin option. Simply check the steps provided below for a quick recovery:

(1) Open your Mac dock and click the Trash/Bin icon.

(2) Open the folder to search for deleted PPT/PPTX files > Select the PowerPoint files you need to recover.

(3) Right-click the chosen file and click the Put Back option to recover it to its original location. Alternatively, you can retrieve your file by dragging and dropping it into a different folder.

Part 4. How to Recover Missing/Lost PowerPoint Files on Windows and Mac PCs

Suppose you lose your essential PowerPoint file. In such a case, you can still recover it using your device's built-in functions like File History (Windows) and Time Machine (Mac). However, to recover your PPT/PPTX files from these features, ensure you already have a backup copy of your missing file.

1. Recover Lost PowerPoint Files in Windows Using File History

Windows PC facilitates you to recover your lost PowerPoint files through its built-in File History option. Check the below-given steps to retrieve your lost PPT/PPTX files via the File History feature.

(1) Open the Windows menu > Type Restore your files using File History in the Search bar.

(2) Once the Control Panel opens before you, turn on the File History option. You can also select an internal/external drive to which you need to back up your essential data and turn it on.

(3) Now tap the Restore personal files option and go through the available backup files to locate PPT/PPTX files you need to recover.

(4) After finding your file, click the green-colored Recover button at the bottom to restore it to its original location.

2. Recover Lost PowerPoint Files on Mac Using Time Machine

You can quickly recover your lost PowerPoint files using the Mac PC's inbuilt Time Machine option. Follow the below-given steps to restore your lost PPT/PPTX files through the Time Machine feature.

(1) Open the Spotlight Search using the Command + Spacebar keys and type Time Machine .

(2) Now scroll through the backed-up PowerPoint files to locate your desirable (lost) PPT/PPTX file.

(3) Once found, select it and click Restore to retrieve it.

While these methods can guide you to retrieve your PowerPoint files in the respective loss scenarios, the recovery process can be troublesome. For example, your file recovery can only be possible if you have previously backed up your data or have enabled the Auto-Recover feature. 

Unless you are an expert or know your device well, you must not try these methods yourself. Even a slight mistake can cost you tremendous effort and result in impossible file recovery. Additionally, it can be time-consuming and might not deliver the expected results. So you can use a professional data recovery tool like Wise Data Recovery for a speedy and seamless recovery of your PPT/PPTX files in all loss scenarios. Let us check it below. 

Part 5. Wise Data Recovery: Best Recovery Solution for All Your Lost/Deleted PowerPoint Files

You must instantly switch to the Wise Data Recovery app's reliable services once you lose or delete any essential PPT/PPTX files. It is a data recovery tool that recovers vital data and file formats from multiple devices in numerous loss scenarios.

Moreover, it is highly compatible with all Windows versions from XP and above on all desktops and laptops. Its advanced mechanism scans quickly and deeply to recover your files even if the disk is formatted. So let us have a closer look at its prime features.

Exclusive Features

Wise Data Recovery recovers data seamlessly in a matter of minutes. Its noteworthy features are:

1. Recovers files in multiple loss situations:

Its advanced WinPE bootable media technology recovers accidentally/permanently deleted files, including lost files from disk format, system crashes, virus attacks, etc.

2. Recovers multiple file formats:

It recovers files of multiple formats, including Word documents, Excel sheets, PowerPoint files, graphics, videos, images, texts, audio, emails, and archive files.

3. Recovers files from multiple devices:

It recovers files from multiple devices, including HDD, SSD, SD cards, Floppy Disks, USB Flash Drives, Digital cameras, etc. Additionally, it supports various file systems like FAT, NTFS, HFS/HFS+/HFSX, and Ext2/Ext3.

4. Quickest scanning speed:

It takes less time to scan and recover your missing files. Moreover, you can input keywords of lost files to cut down the search time before scanning. 

5. Availability of a portable version:

It also has a portable version to enable you to work on it without installing it. Download it on a computer and move it to a flash drive. Run the drive on a PC having lost/missing files to retrieve them.

Steps to Recover Unsaved/Lost/Deleted PPT/PPTX Files

Check the below-mentioned simple steps to quickly recover your targeted files using the Wise Data Recovery app:

Step 1: Launch the app and select the drive:

First, launch the Wise Data Recovery app and select the drive where you lost your PPT/PPTX file. For example, C: drive. If you have not installed it, please click here to download the latest version of Wise Data Recovery .

Step 2: Scan the selected drive:

After selecting the C: drive, Wise Data Recovery starts the scan automatically. The scan may take a long time, depending on the size and performance of the selected disk. Please wait patiently for the scan to finish.

Step 3: Recover your lost file:

After scanning, please click the Office file under the File Type to find the PPT . Finally, select your chosen file and click Recover to retrieve and save it on your PC or external storage.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. how to open a powerpoint file on mac pc.

Suppose you have the PowerPoint app on Mac, Double-click on the file to open. However, in the absence of an app, right-click your PPT/PPTX file > Select Open With > Click Keynote .

2. How can I recover unsaved PowerPoint files on OneDrive?

Check the below-given steps to open PowerPoint files on OneDrive:

• Open PowerPoint > File > Open > Recover Unsaved Presentations
• Select your desired file > Open

3. How to save a PowerPoint file on Windows PC?

Use the shortcut keys Ctrl+S to save your PPT/PPTX file. Alternatively, you can

• Click File > Save > Computer
• Under the Save As option > Recent Folders > Browse > Select a file path and folder > Name the file > Save

Using the Save As type list, you can pick a different file format (PDF, XPS, etc.) to save your PowerPoint file.

Wrapping Up

While making a PowerPoint presentation can be tedious, accidentally losing your file can be heartbreaking. However, if you ever misplace or delete your essential files, you can resort to the goodness of the Wise Data Recovery app. It is a free and reliable solution to recover your crucial files under any loss circumstances. Moreover, it is an effective and virus-free program that is perfectly suited even for beginners. Using it, you can retrieve even permanently deleted files across multiple devices.

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How To Recover Unsaved Or Deleted PowerPoint Files

How to recover lost PowerPoint file easily? Read this post. This article will show you how to recover deleted or lost PowerPoint file efficiently and will not bring any damage to the original data. 

Part 1 – You Need to Recover Deleted or Lost PowerPoint File Sometimes

As an important part of Microsoft Office, PowerPoint is used widely. PowerPoint, along with Word and Excel, provides great convenience for our work, improving the work efficiency to a large extent. Well, power failure, system crash, human error or many other reasons could make your PowerPoint file ( also known as PPT file or PPTX file ) gone ( or at least the content of it gone ). No wonder there are so many people who asked “ how do I recover unsaved PowerPoint files ” and “ how do I recover deleted PowerPoint file “.

Taking this into consideration, we feel it’s necessary to talk about how to recover deleted or lost PowerPoint file with a piece of free data recovery software or with the solutions provided by Microsoft.

Recently, one of my friends Annik said that she has worked on a PPT file all day, but now lose one important PTT file. She struggled to find it based on her knowledge but ended with a failure. Now, she needs help to get that PTT file back.

In her case where the PPT file is lost unexpectedly, we guess a piece of free  file recovery software may help. Here, we suggest MiniTool Power Data Recovery , which has helped a lot of users finish PPT recovery or the recovery of other kinds of files and won the favor of many people. Believe it or not, it works well in various file loss cases; and even if it can’t find the specific file for you, it will never do any damage to your disk and other data. So you might as well give it a shot, and we believe it will surprise you.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery Trial Click to Download 100% Clean & Safe

After that, we’ll talk about the AutoSave function and Auto Recovery options of Microsoft PowerPoint in detail. Please jump to it if you want to know clearly about those features.

Part 2 – Recover PowerPoint File with Different Methods

According to search, the recovery of MS PowerPoint content is widely talked. Sometimes, we have deleted a very important PowerPoint file by mistake and sometimes, the PowerPoint file/content is lost somehow due to different reasons like system crash and power failure. No matter which the situation is, you must want to restore PowerPoint file , right?

Here, we provide different ways to help you recover deleted PowerPoint file and recover not saved PowerPoint. You should first confirm your situation and then select the appropriate way to start PowerPoint file recovery yourself.

How to Retrieve Deleted/Lost PowerPoint Files

Before you do anything else, you should acquire a MiniTool Power Data Recovery , which is regarded as the best file recovery program by a large number of users. Considering that the size of PowerPoint file is generally not too large, We think you should firstly download the trial edition of this software on your computer to check whether it can find the files you want to recover.

You can download the program directly by clicking on those two buttons. Then, please run the setup program to install the software immediately.

This free MiniTool data recovery software has four recovery modules: This PC, Removable Disk Drive, Hard Disk Drive , and CD/DVD Drive .

These four recovery modules can fix different situations for you:

• This PC recovery module can help you to recover data from logical damaged partition, RAW partition, or formatted partition.
• Removable Disk Drive recovery module is used to retrieve files from different kinds of removable drive, such as USB flash drive, SD card, memory card, and more.
• Hard Disk Drive recovery module is designed to get your missing data back from the lost partition.
• CD/DVD Drive recovery module can be used to recover your data from scratched or corrupted CD/DVD.

So, if you want to recover deleted or lost PowerPoint file, you need to choose a proper recovery module accordingly. In this post, we take This PC module as an example.

Suppose that you want to recover a PowerPoint file from partition F:, you need to choose that partition from This PC interface and click on Scan button to start the scanning process.

This software will take some minutes to finish the scanning process. When it finishes, you will enter the scan result interface.

Here, we will tell you some useful tricks to find your wanted files quickly.

• You can click on Type tab to make this software show you the scanned files in type, and then you can pick out the PowerPoint files easily.
• If you know the name of the lost or deleted PowerPoint file, you can click on Find button to input the name of the file to locate the target item directly.
• You can also use the Filter function to filter the files according to your own requirements which can help you find the target PowerPoint file easily.

After you check the files you want to recover, you need to click on Save button and choose a path on the pop-out window to save these files. Here, you should notice that you’d better not save the selected files to its original location to prevent them from being overwritten.

After these steps, you can discover that your lost or deleted PowerPoint files are back to the specified location.

• If you want to use this software to recover your data. Please update it to an advanced edition .
• If you need to use other recovery modules of this software to recover deleted or lost PowerPoint file, you can refer to the above steps, and we will not repeat them here.

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Well, how to recover deleted PowerPoint files on Mac? You should get MiniTool Mac Data Recovery and run it to choose Undelete Recovery from the main window. Then, select the target drive to scan and check files to recover at the end of the scan.

Top Recommendation:

If you plan to recover Word document, instead of PowerPoint file, the “ How To Recover Unsaved Word Document (2020) – Ultimate Guide ” article will help you out. Please click to read it earnestly.

How Can You Recover PowerPoint Unsaved

Closing a PowerPoint file without saving the changes and system crashing down when PowerPoint is running are quite common things actually. You may easily run into one of them. When that really happens to you, how are you going to deal with it? If you have no idea at all about how to recover an unsaved PPT file, we are here for you; we’ll show you the exact way to get back lost content with the AutoSave  and Auto Recovery options provided by Microsoft.

Recover unsaved presentations.

When you need to get back the unsaved content while PowerPoint is still opening, you should follow this:

• Click File button in the upper left corner.
• Navigate to Versions under Info option, which is selected by default.
• Find out the certain version from all the automatically saved versions by taking a look at the autosave time.
• Click on it in order to open it in a new window, in which you can choose to Compare this one with the current version in the running PowerPoint or you can just click on Restore to recover this version.

Recover autosaved PowerPoint.

What if you have closed a PPT file without saving the many changes that have been made? Under this circumstance, you are not able to find the previous versions through above method. What to do at this time? Please calm down and follow the steps given below to recover an unsaved PowerPoint file all by yourself.

• Open any PowerPoint file on your computer or just create a new one.
• Click File in the upper left corner and select Options , instead of Info.
• In the pop-up PowerPoint Options window, please shift to Save from General.
• Look at the AutoRecover file location and open C drive to expand the folder step by step in Windows Explorer (the default location is C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint\ ).
• Find the unsaved PowerPoint file and click on it.
• Click on the Restore button in the open file and then choose Yes from the pop-up prompt window to allow the restoration of this PowerPoint file.

To know more about automatically save and recover files in Office for Mac, please look at this page .

Part 3 – Conclusion

While you are using Microsoft Office, you must be aware of the potential risks of important file loss, like Word document, PowerPoint file and excel file. In case of any unexpected data loss, we highly recommend that you make a reasonable backup plan for your data, at least important data. To backup data on a regular basis is a good habit that all of you should form.

Well, there’re many cases in which the accidents happen before people have a chance to backup PowerPoint file or before they realize the importance of backup. Does this mean that data will be gone for good? Of course not! We have practical solutions to help you recover deleted or lost PowerPoint file efficiently. You should stop doing anything else when the accidents occur and then resort to the methods we mentioned in part 2 immediately in order to avoid any unnecessary data overwriting and recover as much data as possible.

If you run into any problems while recovering PowerPoint file that has been deleted or lost suddenly, please feel free to contact us via email or just leave a short message below to explain your problem. Then, we’ll reply you very soon.

Recover Deleted or Lost PowerPoint File FAQ

• Open Windows File Explorer.
• Type ppt*.tmp into the search box at the upper right and hit Enter .
• Look through the found ppt files and right click on one to Rename it. (Please add the .ppt extension.)
• Double click on this ppt file to open.
• Click Save As and choose a storage path for it.
• Use MiniTool Power Data Recovery : run software -> select the drive to scan -> choose needed PowerPoint file to recover.
• Use Restore previous versions : open File Explorer to find the folder containing deleted PowerPoint file -> right click on it to choose Restore previous versions.
• Turn to Backups : open the software/services that you used to make backup -> select the backup that includes the deleted PowerPoint file -> restore to this backup.

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2 Easiest Ways to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint (Step-by-Step Guide)

Working with PowerPoint and other office software is becoming increasingly popular, especially since the onset of COVID-19. Alongside this trend, users facing challenges have become more common, with their presentations occasionally getting lost due to errors or unexpected interruptions in PowerPoint. However, there's no need to worry; PowerPoint presentations can be recovered. In this article, we will discuss methods to recover unsaved presentations on both Mac and Windows. So, let's proceed to recover your presentation!

How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Windows (In Easy Steps)

In this section, we will learn how to recover unsaved PowerPoint files on Windows, so, let's get started!

Method1: Using the “Recover Unsaved Presentations” Feature in PowerPoint

In this method, we will utilize PowerPoint's built-in feature called "Recover Unsaved Presentations:

Step 1: Open the PowerPoint app on your Windows system and go to the "Open" tab in the sidebar. There, you will find the option for "Recover Unsaved Presentation".

Step 2: The system will then prompt you to the location of unsaved files within File Explorer. You can also manually navigate to the directory.

Step 3: In the directory, you will see a list of recoverable PPT files. Select the latest version to restore.

Step 4: Make sure to save your recovered PowerPoint file in a safe and easily accessible location. It's recommended to save it as a copy.

Method 2: Using the AutoRecover Feature to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint

Step 1: Open PowerPoint, click "File" in the upper left corner, and select "Options" from the dropdown.

Step 2: In the PowerPoint Options window, choose "Save" from the left-hand menu, locate "AutoRecover file location", and copy the following path:

C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\PowerPoint

Step 3: Open File Explorer, then paste and browse the copied path to locate the unsaved file you need.

Step 4: Copy the unsaved file to a secure location, change its file extension to .pptx or .ppt, and attempt to open and save it in another location.

How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac (Easy & Quick)

Mac users can recover their unsaved presentation files easily as follows:

Method 1: Check Recent Files on Mac

Step 1: Start the PowerPoint application on your Mac.

Step 2: Navigate to the menu bar at the top of your screen. Click on "File" and select "Open Recent" from the dropdown menu. Click on Presentation to move forward.

Step 3: Choose the file you need, and it will open in PowerPoint.

Step 4: Now, go to "File" again, but this time, select "Save As" and pick your desired location to save the file.

Method 2: Using AutoSave Feature on Mac (If Enabled)

Step 1: Open PowerPoint on your Mac, then go to "Preferences".

Step 2: In the Preferences menu, click on "Save" in the Preference window.

Step 3: Make sure the box next to "Save AutoRecover info every" is checked, this enables AutoSave.

To Find the AutoRecovery Folder:

Step 1: Quickly locate the PowerPoint AutoSave folder on your Mac. Open Finder, click "Go" in the menu, and select "Go to Folder".

Step 2: Copy and paste the following folder path in the search field, replacing "username" with your username:

/Users/username/Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Powerpoint/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

Step 2: Once you find the necessary file, you can either drag and drop it into a different folder or open the PPT presentation and click "File" > "Save as".

How to Avoid PowerPoint from Being Unsaved Again

What is wps office and why choose it.

Unexpected power outages and computer crashes can disrupt your work at any moment. To maintain productivity and safeguard your work, it's crucial to utilize the right resources. WPS Office offers a solution by providing cloud storage options that automatically save your work as you progress. This comprehensive office suite is highly compatible, allowing you to seamlessly work on documents, presentations, and spreadsheets without any concerns. Plus, its compatibility with Microsoft Office ensures smooth collaboration and hassle-free document sharing.

Edit Your PowerPoint Presentations with WPS Office

Step 1: To kickstart the editing process, the initial step involves downloading WPS Office. Head to the official WPS Office website to initiate the download.

Step 2: Open the WPS Office application once it has been successfully downloaded.

Step 3: After launching WPS Office, choose "Slides" from the Side Bar, and then you’ll see the “Open” icon, click on it to open your PowerPoint Presentation.

Step 4: Elevate the quality of your presentation with ease by making use of the diverse editing tools available in WPS Presentation!

Step 5: Once your presentation is ready, click on the menu in the top left corner. Then, select the "Save" option to store your presentation safely on your computer.

Use Cloud Storage Service

WPS Cloud is a comprehensive document storage and management service integrated with WPS Office. It offers users 1GB of free storage space for files and rich media. Documents are automatically saved to WPS Cloud, allowing file roaming and cross-device accessibility.

Creating a New Folder:

Step 1: In WPS Office , click on "Files" in the sidebar menu.

Step 2 : Select "WPS Drive." You'll see all your files stored in WPS Cloud. Now, click on "New" and then choose "Folder" to create a new folder in WPS Cloud.

To delete a single file:

Step 1: Go back to "WPS Drive" and locate the file you want to delete.

Step 2: Right-click on the file, then choose "Delete" from the context menu to remove it from WPS Drive.

Downloading Files:

Step 1: In "WPS Drive", locate the file you wish to download.

Step 2: Right-click on the file and select "Export" from the context menu.

Step 3: Choose the location to save the file and click "Save".

Use Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE, No Ads.

Edit PDF files with the powerful PDF toolkit.

Microsoft-like interface. Easy to learn. 100% Compatibility.

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Q1. What is the standard storage space provided for a WPS account?

A standard WPS account comes with 1 GB of storage in the cloud. You can save documents, spreadsheets, and other files there. But if you need additional space, you can get a Premium account. You get 20 GB of storage with a Premium account. You have to pay for Premium every month for a monthly subscription. It is practical if you usually make and save big files using WPS.

Q2. Do PowerPoint presentations save automatically?

Yes, PowerPoint presentations do have an autosave feature. By default, PowerPoint autosaves your work every 10 minutes. This feature protects your work in case of unforeseen issues like power outages or program crashes. But it's still a good practice to save your work yourself regularly. If you want to retrieve an autosaved file, you can do so from the Backstage view in PowerPoint.

Q3. How do I change the AutoSave frequency in PowerPoint?

To modify how often PowerPoint saves your work automatically, follow this straight-forward step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Open PowerPoint and click on the "File” menu. You can locate this on the Left side.

Step 2: From the menu that displays, select "Options".

Step 3: In the Options window, click on "Save".

Step 4: Look for the "Save AutoRecover information every [X] minutes" field under "Save presentations".

Step 5: Adjust the number in this field to set how often PowerPoint saves your work automatically.

Remember that saving more frequently will secure your work but may slow down the PowerPoint. Therefore, find the ideal option that suits your preferences.

Empower Your PowerPoint Journey with Recovery and Enhancement

However, sometimes, due to power outages or app malfunctions, our hard work in crafting a presentation isn't saved. In this article, we have explored how to recover our unsaved presentations. WPS Office offers the convenience of cloud storage, allowing you to seamlessly recover unsaved presentations. Download WPS Office today and streamline your presentation-making process.

• 1. How to Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin on Windows and Mac with WPS Office
• 2. How to Recover Drive Windows 10 A Comprehensive Guide
• 3. How to Recover Deleted Word Documents on Android: A Comprehensive Guide
• 4. How to Recover Unsaved Word Documents on Android A Comprehensive Guide
• 5. 2 Easiest Ways to Run Microsoft Office on Linux for Free in 2024 (Step-by-Step)
• 6. How to Recover Your PC Using System Restore on Windows 10

15 years of office industry experience, tech lover and copywriter. Follow me for product reviews, comparisons, and recommendations for new apps and software.

How-To Geek

How to view and restore old versions of powerpoint files.

Accidentally deleted something important from a PowerPoint presentation?

Quick Links

Requirements, how to see older versions of your powerpoint presentations.

Microsoft PowerPoint lets you view and switch to older versions of your presentations. If you accidentally deleted something important and it got overwritten in PowerPoint, here's how to restore it.

Before you get started, make sure that you have a Microsoft 365 subscription. The ability to view and restore previous versions of PowerPoint presentations can be accessed only through a Microsoft 365 subscription.

Fortunately, this subscription also gives you access to all other Office apps, along with 1TB of OneDrive storage. You can put the cloud storage to good use by automatically saving your presentations to OneDrive.

Also, enabling auto-save  on PowerPoint is required for accessing version history. To do so, you'll need to create a new PowerPoint presentation and then turn the "AutoSave" switch on in the document's title bar. When PowerPoint shows you a confirmation pop-up, select "OneDrive."

Related: How to Automatically Save PowerPoint Presentations to OneDrive

Now that you've sorted out the basics, open PowerPoint and load any PowerPoint presentation. There are two ways to check version history here, and we'll show you both.

First, click "File" in the menu bar.

In the left pane, click "Info."

Click "Version History" on the right.

Alternately, you can click the file name at the top of the document that you've opened and select "Version History" from the pop-up menu.

No matter which method you choose, a new pane labeled "Version History" will open up on the right-hand side of your presentation in PowerPoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint sorts older versions of the document by date and time here. To load a previous version of the presentation, click the "Open version" button below the version that you need to go back to.

This will open a read-only file that shows an older version of your PowerPoint presentation. Right below the ribbon menu, you'll see a button labeled "Restore." Click it to go back to the previous version.

Note that this will overwrite your PowerPoint presentation. You can always repeat the same steps to visit the modified version of your document in case you want to copy any additional changes to the older version.

If you use Microsoft 365 apps frequently, you might also be interested in knowing how to restore previous versions of Excel workbooks or Word documents .

Related: How to View and Restore Previous Versions of a Word Document

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How to Recover A Deleted or Lost PowerPoint Presentation

By  Michael  | Last Updated January 04, 2024

It is really annoying that sometimes we unconsciously delete some important PowerPoint presentations by accident. Later when we find that the PowerPoint presentations are lost, we have no idea how to get them back. If you have the same trouble, this post is what you need. In this post, we will introduce to you four methods to recover a deleted or lost Powerpoint presentation easily and effectively.

Method 1: Recover deleted ppts from Recycle Bin

Method 2: recover deleted ppts in autorecover folder, method 3: recover deleted ppts in onedrive, method 4: recover deleted ppts with data recovery tool, bottom line.

When you find that the PowerPoint presentation is lost, the first choice that you should consider is to recover it from Recycle Bin. Recycle Bin in Windows is used to store the deleted files and folders. If you are not accustomed to empty the Recycle Bin, you can try to find the deleted Powerpoint slide is in Recycle Bin or not. Here are detailed steps.

Step 1 : Double-click the icon of Recycle Bin on the desktop.

Step 2 : Type .ppt in the search box on the top right corner.

Step 3 : Right-click the ppt that you want to recover and select Restore option. Then, the deleted ppt is restored to the original location.

There is an AutoRecover feature in PowerPoint software, which attempts to saves a recovery file by periodically. If it is enabled, the deleted PowerPoint presentation may have a backup file in the specific directory. Follow the guide below to find it out.

Step 1 : Open PowerPoint app and go to File < Options < Save .

Step 2 : If the checkbox next to Save AutoRecover information is checked, it means the feature of AutoRecover is enabled. Copy the AutoRecover file location.

Step 3 : Open File Explorer and paste the location in the address bar. Then you can find out all the recovery files. The name of ppt files is different from that of their original files and you need to take time to find out the deleted PowerPoint presentation.

If you have signed in to Office and synchronize Office files, your Office files will have a backup in Onedrive including the deleted ppts files. So, you can try to recover the deleted ppts in Onedrive and here's what to do.

Step 1 : Open Onedrive in the browser and sign in with your Microsoft account.

Step 2 : Then you can check if the deleted files are backed up in the Onedrive or not. Once you find out the deleted ppt, right-click it and select Download option to download it on your computer.

If the methods above can't help you get the deleted ppts back, a powerful data recovery tool is the only way out. iSunshare BitGenius is such kind of tool that aims to safely and effectively recover the lost data from hard drive. You can use it to recover the deleted ppts in ease and the following guide shows you how to do.

Step 1 : Download and install iSunshare BitGenius on your computer.

Step 2 : Open it and click the hard drive where the deleted ppt is located in the Hard Disk Drives section. If you remember the detailed location of deleted ppt, you can choose to customize a location. Then click Start button on the bottom right of interface.

Step 3 : The app will start to scan the lost or deleted files, which may take much time. Once completed, all the lost files and their directories will be displayed.

Step 4 : Click Filter button and a box pops up. Check the checkbox of Documents and then click Apply button. Then all the office files including words, excels, ppts will be shown on the right pane. Type .ppt in the searching box and hit Enter. Then you can see all the lost or deleted PowerPoint files. Select the ppts that you want to recover and click Recover button.

Step 5 : Select a location for the PPT files to be recovered.

Step 6 : In the end, the deleted files are restored to your computer. Then a tips box pops up to ask you if open the recovery folder. Click Yes button and you will see all the deleted ppt files are recovered successfully.

As long as you follow the detailed methods above, the deleted PowerPoint presentations should be recovered successfully. It is the most effective method to recover the deleted ppt files with iSunshare BitGenius. Besides, iSunshare BitGenius is so powerful that it enables you to recover various kinds of lost files like words, photos, videos in a very high success rate.

Related Articles:

• How to Recover Data from Formatted Hard Drive or Partition
• How to Restore Lost Data from Windows 10 Hard Drive
• How to Undelete Access Database File Lost from Recycle Bin
• How to Retrieve Important Data after Deleted or Lost Accidently

iSunshare is dedicated to providing the best service for Windows, Mac, Android users who are in demand for password recovery and data recovery.

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How To Recover Unsaved PowerPoint

Losing unsaved work in PowerPoint can be frustrating, especially if you've spent a lot of time on it. But don’t stress, PowerPoint's AutoRecover feature can save the day.

The AutoRecover feature is designed to automatically recover files in the event of unexpected application shutdown, power failure, or crash .

It periodically saves a copy of the file in the background.

Before we get started, it’s important to note that while AutoRecover can help prevent data loss, it should not be used as a replacement for regularly saving your files using AutoSave or the Save button. Saving your files frequently is the most effective way to ensure that your work is saved.

How To Recover Unsaved PowerPoint 🤔

Frequently asked questions 🙋.

Important disclosure: we're proud affiliates of some tools mentioned in this guide. If you click an affiliate link and subsequently make a purchase, we will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you (you pay nothing extra). For more information, read our affiliate disclosure .

If you have accidentally closed a PowerPoint file without saving it or experienced a power outage, there are several steps you can take to recover your unsaved work:

• Open PowerPoint and go to the "File" tab.

2. Click on "Open" and select "Recent Documents".

3. Look for the "Recover Unsaved Presentations" button at the bottom of the window and click on it.

4. This will open the "Unsaved Presentations" folder. Look for the file you want to recover and double-click on it.

5. If none of these steps work, you can try using a third-party recovery tool such as Recuva or EaseUS Data Recovery to scan your computer for lost files.

How can I prevent losing unsaved work in PowerPoint? To prevent losing unsaved work in PowerPoint, it's important to save your work regularly and use the AutoSave feature , which automatically saves your changes every few minutes.

Can I recover an unsaved PowerPoint file if I didn't use AutoSave? Yes, you can still try to recover an unsaved PowerPoint file even if you didn't use AutoSave. Follow the steps above to recover an unsaved presentation.

What if the "Recover Unsaved Presentations" button is not available? If the "Recover Unsaved Presentations" button is not available, you can try searching your computer for PowerPoint files or using a third-party recovery tool.

How can I prevent losing my PowerPoint files due to computer or software issues? To prevent losing your PowerPoint files due to computer or software issues, it's important to regularly back up your files to an external hard drive or cloud storage service, such as OneDrive or Google Slides .

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7 ways to recover unsaved or deleted powerpoint on mac (office 2018/2019/2021).

Last week, I spent two days in designing my PowerPoint presentations with great shapes, animations, images, tables, word art, basic shapes, stars, etc. Unfortunately, my PowerPoint crashed and unsaved, I didn’t have extra time to make such a valuable PowerPoint again. How can I recover unsaved PowerPoint on Mac? 

Many users have similar problems, and I am not the exception.

To recover PowerPoint file that not saved on Mac or lost for unknown reason, there are 7 ways, no matter you want to recover unsaved or deleted PowerPoint on Mac in Office 2018, 2019 or the latest 2021 version. Also, to cover all the topics about PowerPoint recovery on Mac , we include the solutions to recover previous version of PowerPoint on Mac in case of needs.

The Best Way to Recover Unsaved and Deleted PowerPoint on Mac

• Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac (2018/2019/2021)
• Recover Lost or Deleted PowerPoint on Mac (2 Ways)
• Extended: Recover Previous Version of PowerPoint on Mac (3 Options)

  Cisdem Data Recovery for Mac

Safely recover powerpoint files with ease on mac.

• Recovers unsaved, deleted even corrupted PowerPoint files
• Recover 1000+ file types: document, photo, video, music, archives, others
• Support any data loss situation: deletion, format, partition loss, system crash, etc
• Repair corrupted videos and photos in different formats
• Recover from internal or external storage
• Use both quick and deep scan to find the most files
• Preview and filter to recover wanted files only
• Recover files to local drive or Cloud
• M1 and T2 supported

You can choose a third-party PowerPoint recovery software to recover unsaved or deleted PowerPoint file on Mac. As long as the PPT document has not been overwritten yet, there's hope of recovering them sucessfully.

Cisdem Data Recovery will be a good choice for you as it is effective in PPT recovery no matter which PowerPoint version you are running. It is the best data recovery software for Mac which can recover files such as office document files, pictures, videos, etc from Mac hard drive and other external storage devices.

Why Choose Cisdem Data Recovery?

• Restore unsaved, deleted and damaged PowerPoint, Word, Excel, PDF
• Recover files in 1000+ file formats including video, photo, audio file, document and many other data
• Recover lost files due to accidental deletion, unexpected power failure, virus attack, system crashes and other improper operations
• Recover files from both internal and external storage devices
• Repair damaged mp4, avi, mkv and more videos with one click
• Repair photos
• Preview files before recovery
• Recover highlighed or selected files to local drive or cloud
• 100% safe and compatible with all macOS operating system including macOS Sonoma&Ventura

You can download and install this PowerPoint recovery software on Mac. It’s free to try it. Then follow the below guide to start your unsaved or deleted PowerPoint recovery job.

How to recover unsaved PowerPoint on Mac?

If you cannot find the unsaved PowerPoint files in the Unsaved Documents folder, you can go directly to Type > Documents > PPTX or PPT folder to search file by name, size, date.

How to recover deleted PowerPoint on Mac?

• Download and install Cisdem Data Recovery on your Mac.
• Select the hard drive. Go to Hardware Disk, choose the hard drive where stored your PowerPoint files. 

• Select and Recover them to your local drive or Cloud.

Also, you can check out the following video tutorial (start from 01:26)

How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac (2018/2019/2021)

Method 1: use powerpoint autosave on mac if enabled.

What is PowerPoint AutoSave?

Microsoft Office has a fantastic feature called AutoSave, which is built in to automatically save a temporary PowerPoint copy on a periodic basis. The feature is turned on by default and the default save interval is 10 minutes. That is to say, not only limited to Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Office Word and Excel are also featured with an AutoSave, for the purpose to restore office files when accidents happen. 

How to Enable or Disable PowerPoint AutoSave on Mac?

By default, the AutoSave feature is ON in Microsoft Office. However, to make sure if you can recover PowerPoint files that not saved on Mac with AutoSave, you can check if the feature is enabled, or enable/disable according to your needs.

• Launch PowerPoint for Mac, go to Preferences.

• Then you can tweak the settings, such as AutoSave intervals.

Where is the PowerPoint AutoRecovery folder on a Mac?

For Office  2018:

/Users /Library/Containers/com.Microsoft.Powerpoint/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery

For Office 2019 & 2021:

/Users/username/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/PowerPoint

The amount of new information that the recovered PPT file contains depends on how frequently a Microsoft Office program saves the recovery file. For example, if the recovery file is saved only every 15 minutes, your recovered PPT file won't contain your last 14 minutes of work before the power failure or other problem occurred. And you can also use above method to recover word document on Mac  and recover excel files not saved .

Steps to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac (Office 2018)

• Find the unsaved PowerPoint file on Mac, copy to desktop and rename, then open with Office PowerPoint and save it.

Steps to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac (Office 2019/2021)

• On Mac Desktop, press Shift+Command+G.

• Find the unsaved PPT file from Mac folder > copy it onto desktop while rename it > open and save it with Office PowerPoint.

Alternatively, if the PowerPoint app goes through an unexpected shutdown when Autosave feature is initialed properly, there’s another option to get back the unsaved PowerPoint slides possibly. Check out the tutorial below to manually recover an unsaved PPT file:

• From the folder where your unsaved PPT files are stored, select the one you want, open and save it.

Method 2: Recover Unsaved PowerPoint on Mac from Temp Folder If AutoSave Disabled 

If you didn’t configure AutoSave in your Office PowerPoint or couldn't find the unsaved PowerPoint files by following above method, then the last thing you can do is to check your temporary folder. If you are lucky enough, maybe you can find and recover unsaved PowerPoint files on Mac. Here are steps to locate PowerPoint temp files on Mac.

• Go to Finder > Applications, then open Terminal;

• Find the unsaved PowerPoint file, copy to desktop and rename, then recover unsaved PowerPoint file on Mac by changing the extension from .tmp to .ppt.

Method 3: Recover Unsaved and Disappeared PowerPoint on Mac

Also, you may run into a situation that you leave the PowerPoint file unsaved and it even disappeared on your Mac. If you have enabled AutoSave in PowerPoint, it is still possible to recover the disappeared PowerPoint file on Mac.

• Launch the Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Mac.

• Then save or save as to finish the unsaved and disappeared PowerPoint file recovery on your Mac.

How to Recover Lost or Deleted PowerPoint on Mac?

If you still cannot recover the unsaved PowerPoint files even you have tried all above-mentioned methods, or you just lost/delete the files by accident, there are extra 2 ways to restore them.

#1 Recover Deleted PowerPoint from Mac Trash

If you are new to using Mac, you may be not aware of the fact that all the deleted files are just moved to the Trash, if you want to permanently deleted the files, you will need to manually delete in Trash. So, it is possible to recover lost or deleted PowerPoint files in Mac Trash.

• Go to Trash Bin.

#2 Recover Lost or Deleted PowerPoint from Mac with Backup

If you have a good habit to back up files regularly on online storage services, you can recover lost or deleted PowerPoint files on Mac via backups.

#1 Time Machine

Time Machine is a Mac utility to back up all kinds of files onto an external hard drive. If you have turned the Time Machine ON, you can recover lost or deleted PowerPoint on Mac easily.

• Go to Finder > Application, run Time Machine.
• Go to Finder > All My Files and find the lost or deleted PowerPoint files.

#2 Google Drive

• Login into your Google account and go to Google Drive.
• Go to Trash and find the lost or deleted PowerPoint files on Mac.

#3 OneDrive

• Go to OneDrive website, and login into with your OneDrive account.
• Go to Recycle bin and find the deleted PowerPoint file.

Also, if you have backed up files in other storage service, you can recover via those backups, the steps are quite similar.

Extended: How to Recover Previous Version of PowerPoint file on Mac?

You may want to recover a previous version of PowerPoint on Mac, and there are 3 ways to get to the previous version of a PowerPoint file.

#1 Ask for the previous version

If you have sent the PowerPoint file before and edited later, you can get back to the receiver of your previous PowerPoint file, ask for a copy and rename it.

#2 Browse Version History

Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac has a feature called “Browse Version History”, by which you are allowed to view and restore a specific ealier version of the PPT file. Follow the steps below.

• Open the latest version of your PowerPoint file.

• All the edited versions of this PPT file will be displayed as a list. Browse them to find the exact file version you wish to recover.
• Copy the previous version of PowerPoint file to your Mac and rename it.

#3 Use Time Machine

As we mentioned before, Time Machine can help to recover lost or deleted files via backup. Also, it is capable of restoring previous version of a PowerPoint file on Mac.

• Go to Finder > Application, and run Time Machine.
• Go to Finder > All My Files, and find the PowerPoint file.
• Use the timeline on the edge of the screen to check all versions, you can select and press Space bar to preview the file.
• Click “Restore” to recover the previous version of PowerPoint file on Mac.

Although it is always recommended to periodically save your PowerPoint files to avoid any kind of data loss, however if you haven’t been very diligent in saving your work or have suffered from events such as a system crash that may cause data loss, then you can follow the above mentioned process to recover unsaved PowerPoint files and get all lost PPT files back by using Cisdem Data Recovery. Last but not least, always click the "Save" button after you make any change to your PPT presentation. 

Connie has been writing for Mac productivity and utility apps since 2009. Each review and solution is based on her practical tests, she is aways energetic and trustworthy in this field.

Felt so panic when unsaving my important powerpoint files yesterday. AutoSave introduced here is a nice feature. Through it my files were rescued!

Andrew J. Manuse

Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You saved my day's worth of work. For whatever reason it wasn't auto-saving, I don't know, but one of your solutions here worked and I have it back. You rule! Thank you. Thank God almighty!

This app can find the deleted ppt files for me, thanks. Rosa, if I buy one single license, can I get a discount?

Hi, Ching. You can visit its product page to see if there is a discount or not.

I have foolishly deleted a powerpoint file accidentally while using a Mac Cleaner app, but thank god, I got it back with this powerful data recovery.

What a wonderful data recovery it is! I was working on a very important PPT, and i remembered to save it in a folder. I opened my Mac and the PPT was missing. Then I was looking for a data recovery software on Google and i found Cisdem datarecovery, it recovered the missing PPT.

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