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PowerPoint Not Saved or Deleted - 6 Ways to Recover PPT Files Quickly

Delete a PowerPoint file you're about to use or quit the program without saving your PowerPoint files? Don’t worry - you can recover deleted or unsaved PPT files quickly using several proven methods.

This guide will walk you through 6 proven ways to get it back on Windows and Mac. Follow the step-by-step methods below to restore your presentation quickly.

Part 1: Can You Recover a Deleted or Unsaved PowerPoint File?

Is there a way to recover PowerPoint? Yes! You can recover PowerPoint files in several ways:

  • Restore deleted PPT files from the Recycle Bin or Trash
  • Recover unsaved presentations using AutoRecover
  • Find temporary PowerPoint files on your computer
  • Use professional data recovery software for permanently deleted files

Quick Comparison of PowerPoint Recovery Methods

Method Works For Ease of Use Success Rate
Data Recovery Software Permanently deleted PPT files Easy Very High
Recycle Bin/Trash Recently deleted PPT files Easy High
AutoRecover Unsaved PowerPoint files Easy High
Temporary Files (.tmp) Unsaved or crashed PPT files Medium Medium
Built-in Repair Tool Corrupted PowerPoint files Easy Medium
Online Repair Tools Damaged or corrupted PPT files Medium Medium

Part 2: Best Way to Recover PPT Files (Recommended)

How to recover deleted slides in PowerPoint? Are there any other methods? If you inadvertently delete PowerPoint files when you need them to be presented in a meeting or a class, you need a professional desktop program to recover deleted PowerPoint files as soon as possible. Apeaksoft Data Recovery is such a product. You can recover permanently deleted PowerPoint files without technical skills from your computer. This user-friendly software can tackle PPT loss in various situations.

Apeaksoft Data Recovery

Recover Deleted PPT Files

  • Effectively restore deleted PowerPoint files from your computer.
  • Support recovering an Excel/Word as well.
  • Store your PowerPoint results in SPF files for future recovery.
  • Available for both Windows and Mac systems.
Free Download

Secure Download

Free Download

Secure Download

Data Recovery

Below are the steps on how to recover deleted PowerPoint via this tool:

Step 1. Download Apeaksoft Data Recovery by clicking the buttons above.

Step 2. Choose the location where you save your PowerPoint in and click Start Scan at the bottom right corner.

Apeak PPT File Location

Step 3. After scanning, click Documents in the left panel and select PPT/PPTX. Your targeted PowerPoint file will be present on the right page.

Select them and click Recover.

Apeak PPT Recover

Tips: If your deleted PowerPoint files are stored on an external hard drive, connect it to your computer beforehand and let this program help you recover lost data from the external hard drive.

Part 3. How to Recover Deleted PowerPoint Files

Can I recover a deleted PowerPoint file? Of course! You can get back your PPT files in the Recycle Bin on your computer if you haven't emptied them yet. Here, we will show you how to recover deleted PowerPoint files on Windows 11/10/8/7. It is similar if you recover deleted PowerPoint on Mac.

Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin on your desktop.

Step 2. Locate your deleted PPT files.

Step 3. Double-click or right-click it and choose Restore.

Part 4. How to Recover Unsaved PowerPoint Files

1. How to recover PowerPoint files not saved via AutoRecover

How do I recover PowerPoint unsaved? Basically, Microsoft provides an AutoRecover feature in case you lose presentations due to crashes, power failures, etc. This useful feature is available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Here is a manual guide to recovering PowerPoint not saved:

Step 1. Click the File tab at the top left.

Step 2. Click the Open option from the left sidebar.

Step 3. Click the Recover Unsaved Presentations at the bottom to check your unsaved PPT. When you locate the one you want, click it.

Info Autorecover

You can also follow the path: File - Info - Manage Presentation - Recover Unsaved Presentations to restore unsaved PowerPoint.

Info Autorecover

2. Recover unsaved PPT from the temporary files folder

If you don't enable the AutoRecover feature, you can still try to recover unsaved PPT from the temporary files folder on your computer.

On a Windows PC:

Step 1. Press the Win and R keys simultaneously. Enter %temp% to open the temporary files folder.

Temporary Files Folder

Step 2. You can narrow down all the results by filtering with the related extensions. Once you discover your unsaved PowerPoint files, you can copy and paste these PPT files to your desktop. Then, alter their extension from .tmp to .ppt or .pptx.

On a Mac:

Step 1. Go to Finder, click the Go > Go to Folder. Enter ~/Library/Caches.

Step 2. Now, you can navigate to PPT or PPTX files and directly drag them to your desktop. Here, you can open them with PowerPoint without effort.

Part 5. How to Recover Corrupted PPT Files

Sometimes, you may find PPT file is corrupted after recovering an unsaved or deleted PowerPoint file due to some errors. Here we list 2 methods to repair it.

Method 1. Using the Built-In Repair Tool

Step 1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint and click File on the top left.

Step 2. Click Open and locate your recovered PPT file.

Step 3. Click the down arrow next to Open in the bottom right corner and then choose Open and Repair.

Open And Repair

Method 2: Using a Third-Party PowerPoint Repair Tool

If recovering PPT won't repair on Mac/Windows using the built-in feature, you can seek help from a third-party tool to recover PPT file online.

There are many repair tools online. Here, we recommend OnlineFile.Repair and Repair Toolbox because they enjoy a good reputation among users.

Note that you should be mindful of your privacy security when using the third-party tools to repair PPT files.

Part 6: Tips to Prevent PowerPoint File Loss

1. Enable AutoRecover in Microsoft PowerPoint. To do so, you can follow the path: File > Options > Save > check corresponding options.

Enable Autorecover

2. Frequently save your PowerPoint file to Cloud service tool like OneDrive for real-time backup.

3. Using PowerPoint for the web since it can save your files to OneDrive.

Part 7: FAQs About PowerPoint Recovery

Can I recover an overwritten PowerPoint file?

Yes. But it requires a backup. You can try restoring a previous version via OneDrive or File History if backup is enabled.

How long does PowerPoint keep AutoRecover files?

AutoRecover files are kept temporarily and may be deleted after you close PowerPoint or restart your computer. It’s best to recover them as soon as possible.

Can I recover permanently deleted PowerPoint?

Yes, you can use professional data recovery software like Apeaksoft Data Recovery to recover permanently deleted PPT files, as long as they haven’t been overwritten.

Where are AutoRecover files stored?

It depends on your settings in PowerPoint. Usually, AutoRecover files are stored in the temporary folder on your system.

Conclusion

By reading this detailed guide, you can learn how to recover deleted PowerPoint files as well as how to recover unsaved PowerPoint files.
From our point of view, we regard software like Apeaksoft Data Recovery as the best because it is fast and lossless. You don't need to repair the recovered PPT files additionally.
We hope this guide can help you recover your PPT effectively.

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