What is a .ASD file?
An ASD file is a type of temporary backup file that is automatically created by Microsoft Word, which is a software program used for writing and editing text documents. The purpose of an ASD file is to store a backup copy of the document you are currently working on in Word. This is very useful because it helps to protect your work in case something goes wrong, such as if the computer crashes or there is a power outage.
The ASD file contains a "snapshot" or a saved state of your document at a specific moment. This means that if you need to recover your document after an unexpected problem, you can use the ASD file to restore your work up to the last point it was saved by the autosave feature.
To open an ASD file, you generally need to use Microsoft Word. The most common versions of Microsoft Word that can open ASD files include Microsoft Word 365. These files are particularly important for recovering unsaved or accidentally closed documents.
ASD files were first used by Microsoft starting with Word 95, also known as Word 7.0, which was released in 1995. They are still used in the latest versions of Microsoft Word. It's important to note that Word creates these ASD files automatically, even if you have not enabled the "Always create backup copy" option in the program settings. This option, when enabled, creates a different type of backup file with a .WBK extension.
The location where ASD files are saved depends on your operating system: - For Windows 8, 8.1, 10, and 11, ASD files are typically stored in the directory [user]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Office\UnsavedFiles. - For Windows Vista and 7, you can find them in [user]\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Word. - For Windows XP, the files are located in [user]\Application Data\Microsoft\Word.
In summary, ASD files are an important feature of Microsoft Word that help ensure your documents are safe and can be recovered in case of unexpected disruptions. You can open these files using Microsoft Word to recover your work.
Verification
Our goal is to help people find the most up-to-date information about file extensions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. We researched over 10,000 file extensions and their respective programs that open those files. If you want to suggest edits or updates about .ASD file formats, example files, or programs that are compatible. Please contact us.