- Search options:
On other pages:
In the Search for online templates box, enter the type of document you want to create and press ENTER. Tip: To start from scratch, select Blank document. Or, for practice using Word features, try a learning guide like Welcome to Word, Insert your first table of contents, and more. Select Start, type the document name in the Start Search box (.doc or.docx), and then press Enter. If the File list contains the document, double-click the document to open it in Word. If the File list does not contain the file, go to Method 2. Method 2: Search for Word backup files. Word backup file names end with the.wbk extension.
Displaying the Search/Find Window Pane
When a PDF is opened in the Acrobat Reader (not in a browser), the search window pane may or may not be displayed. To display the search/find window pane, use 'Ctrl+F'.
When the Find window opens, follow these steps and refer to Figure 1 below:
- Click the small arrow on the right side of the box.
- Select the drop down item - 'Open Full Acrobat Search'.
Figure 1
Search Options
There are several ways to search for information within a PDF document. These include the following:
- Basic Search
- Advanced Search
Basic Search Options
To execute a basic search request complete the following steps:
- Type your search term(s) inside the 'text box' where you are asked: 'What word or phrase would you like to search for?'
- Click the 'Search' button to execute the search request.
Advanced Search Options
To get to the Advanced Search feature, click on 'Show More Options' at the bottom of the search window pane.
Brief explanation of the options available in the advanced search are:
- Match Exact Word Or Phrase - Searches for the entire string of characters, including spaces, in the same order in which they appear in the text box.
- Match Any Of The Words - Searches for any instances of at least one of the words typed. For example, if you search for each of, the results include any instances in which one or both of the two words appear: each, of, each of, or of each.
- Match All Of The Words - Searches for instances that contain all your search words, but not necessarily in the order you type them. Available only for a search of multiple PDFs or index definition files.
- Boolean Query - Uses the Boolean operators that you type with the search words into the What Word Or Phrase Would You Like To Search For box. Available only for searching multiple PDFs or PDF indexes.
Note: You cannot run wildcard searches using asterisks (*) or question marks (?) when searching PDF indexes.
Click 'Use Advanced Search Options' near the bottom of the search window pane to display the advanced search information. To execute an advanced search request complete the following steps:
- Type your search term(s) inside the 'text box' where you are asked:'What word or phrase would you like to search for?'
- Select an option from the drop down menu for 'Return results containing:'
- Click the 'Search' button to execute the search request.
Sample Search Request Using Advanced Search Options
![Machine Machine](/uploads/1/2/4/2/124268672/990786684.jpg)
For the purposes of this example, steps are provided to illustrate how to execute a search request for finding information about diazinon and kaolin in a PDF document. Assume that a PDF document is opened in the browser. If the search window pane is not displayed, please refer back to 'Displaying the Search Window Pane' for assistance.
The Search Criteria
Below are the steps to be followed for completing a search request to find information about diazinon and kaolin. Refer to Figure 2.
- Click 'Show More Options' near the bottom of the search window pane. (Step 1)
- Select 'Match Any Of The Words' from the drop down menu for 'Return results containing:' (Step 2)
- Type 'diazinon kaolin' inside the 'text box' where you are asked: What word or phrase would you like to search for?' (Step 3)
- Click the 'Search' button to execute the search request. (Step 3)
Figure 2
The Search Results
In this example, the search results produced 10 items in the PDF document for information about diazinon and kaolin. See Figure 3 below.
Figure 3
Additional Information
Setting a Preference for Displaying the Advanced Search Option as the Default
- Select 'Edit' from the menu option at the top-left of the computer screen.
- Select 'Preferences'.
- The Preferences popup window is displayed.
- Under Categories: select 'Search'.
- Refer to the 'Search' section and check the box 'Always show more options in advanced search'.
- Click the 'Ok' button to save.
If you're looking for recent Word document recovery info, see:
- Recover your Office files (For versions through Office 2019)
For more on earlier versions of Word, see:
Resolution
To fix this problem, use the following methods in the order in which they're presented, as appropriate for your situation.
Method 1: Search for the original document
To do this, follow these steps, as appropriate for the version of Windows that you're running.
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type the document name in the Start Search box (.doc or .docx), and then press Enter. If the File list contains the document, double-click the document to open it in Word.
- If the File list does not contain the file, go to Method 2.
Method 2: Search for Word backup files
Word backup file names end with the .wbk extension. If the Always create backup copy option is selected, there may be a backup copy of the file.
Note
To locate this option:
- Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013:Select File, then Options, and then Advanced. Scroll down to the Save section and select Always create backup copy.
- Word 2010:Select File, then Options. In the Save tab, select Always create backup copy.
To find the backup copy of the file, follow these steps:
- Locate the folder in which you last saved the missing file.
- Search for files that have the .wbk file name extension.
If there's no .wbk file in the original folder, search the computer for any .wbk files. To do this, follow these steps:
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type *.wbk in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- If the File list contains the backup file, repeat the steps in step 2 ('Search for files that have the .wbk file name extension') to open the file. If the File list does not contain the backup file, go to Method 3.
If you find any files that have the name 'Backup of' followed by the name of the missing file, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running.
Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013
- On the **File **menu, select Open, and then Browse. (In some versions, select **Computer **and then Browse.)
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the backup file that you found, and then select Open.
Word 2010
- On the File menu, select Open.
- In the Files of type list (All Word documents), select All Files.
- Select the backup file that you found, and then select Open.
Method 3: Search for AutoRecover files
![How To Search A Document For A Word On A Machine How To Search A Document For A Word On A Machine](/uploads/1/2/4/2/124268672/810188493.png)
AutoRecover file names end with the .asd extension. By default, Word searches for AutoRecover files every time that it starts, and then it displays all that it finds in the Document Recovery task pane.
- Use Word to automatically find the AutoRecover files. To do this, follow these steps:
- Right-click the taskbar, and then select Task Manager.
- On the Processes tab, select any instance of Winword.exe or Microsoft Word, and then select End Task or End Process. Repeat this step until you have exited all instances of Winword.exe and Word.
- Close the Windows Task Manager dialog box, and then start Word.If Word finds the AutoRecover file, the Document Recovery task pane opens on the left side of the screen, and the missing document is listed as 'document name [Original]' or as 'document name [Recovered].' If this occurs, double-click the file in the Document Recovery pane, select Save As on the File menu, and then save the document as a .docx file. Manually change the extension to .docx, if necessary, by right-clicking the file and selecting Rename.
- If the Recovery pane does not open, manually search for AutoRecover files. To do this, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running.Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013
- On the **File **menu, select Open, and then Browse.
- If you don't see your document listed, select Recover Unsaved Documents.
Word 2010- On the Filemenu, select Recent.
- If you don't see your document listed, select Recover Unsaved Documents.
- If you can't locate an AutoRecover file in the location that is identified in the Folder name list, search your whole drive for any .asd files. To do this, follow these steps:Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type .asd in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- If the File list does not contain AutoRecover files, go to Method 4.
If you find any files that have the .asd extension, use one of the following procedures, as appropriate for the version of Word that you're running:Word 2019, Word 2016, or Word 2013- On the **File **menu, select Open, and then Browse. (In some versions, select **Computer **and then Browse.)
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the .asd file that you found, and then select Open.
Word 2010- On the Filemenu, select Open.
- In the Files of type list (All Word Documents), select All Files.
- Select the .asd file that you found, and then select Open.
Note
If you find an AutoRecover file in the Recovery pane that does not open correctly, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to open damaged files.
Method 4: Search for temporary files
Temporary file names end with the .tmp extension. To find these files, use one of the following procedure.
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type .tmp in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
- On the Show only toolbar, select Other.
- Scroll through the files and search for files that match the last few dates and times that you edited the document. If you find the document that you're looking for, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to recover information from the file.
Method 5: Search for '~' files
Some temporary file names start with the tilde (~) character. To find these files, follow these steps:
Windows 10 and Windows 7
- Select Start, type ~ in the Start Search box.
- Select See more results.Scroll through the files, and look for any that may match the last few dates and times that you edited the document. If you find the document that you’re looking for, go to 'Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents' for more information about how to recover information from the file.
For information about how Word creates and uses temporary files, see Description of how Word creates temporary files.
Method 6: How to troubleshoot damaged documents
For information about how to troubleshoot damaged Word documents, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
More information
You can lose a Word document in certain situations. For example, the document may be lost if an error occurs that forces Word to close, if you experience a power interruption while editing, or if you close the document without saving your changes.
Note
The whole document may be lost if you have not recently saved the document. If you have saved your document, you may lose only the changes that you made since the last save. Be aware that some lost documents may not be recoverable.
The AutoRecover feature in Word performs an emergency backup of open documents when an error occurs. Some errors can interfere with the AutoRecover functionality. The AutoRecover feature is not a substitute for saving your files.
We do not provide any utilities to recover deleted documents. However, some third-party utilities to recover deleted documents might be available on the Internet.
For more information about AutoRecover, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.