{"id":75438,"date":"2023-12-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/?p=75438"},"modified":"2025-01-31T15:50:12","modified_gmt":"2025-01-31T20:50:12","slug":"how-to-delete-a-microsoft-word-document-or-file","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/how-to-delete-a-microsoft-word-document-or-file\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Delete a Microsoft Word Document or File"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Want to delete a Microsoft Word document<\/a> from your Windows computer? We\u2019ll show you different ways to get it done. The steps in this tutorial apply to all versions of Microsoft Word and Word for Microsoft 365.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Delete Documents in the Word App\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can delete Word documents from the Microsoft Word application\u2019s home page.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Launch Microsoft Word on your PC, right-click the file in the \u201cRecent\u201d section, and select Delete file<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
    \n
    \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
      \n
    1. Select Delete<\/span> on the confirmation prompt to delete the document from your computer\u2019s hard drive.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
      \n
      \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      Microsoft Word also lets you remove documents from the recently opened section<\/a> without deleting them from your device.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Open Word, right-click a file you want to remove from the \u201cRecent\u201d list, and select Remove from list<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

      \n
      \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

      Delete Word Document Using File Explorer\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      You can delete a Word document through the Windows File Explorer<\/a>. Use this method if your PC doesn\u2019t have the Microsoft Word app or you know the document\u2019s location.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Close the document if it\u2019s open in Microsoft Word or a different app, and follow the steps below.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      1. Launch the Windows File Explorer (Windows key<\/span> + E<\/span>) and navigate to the path of the document you want to delete.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        You can also navigate to a document\u2019s location through the Microsoft Word app. Open Word<\/span> and go to the Home tab<\/span> to see recently opened documents. Right-click the document and select Open file location<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

        \n
        \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
          \n
        1. Select the document and press the Delete key<\/span> on your keyboard, or select the Bin icon<\/span> on the ribbon.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
          \n
          \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

          Alternatively, right-click the file and select the Bin icon<\/span> on the context menu.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

          \n
          \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
            \n
          1. You can delete multiple Word documents simultaneously in the File Explorer. Press and hold the Ctrl<\/span> key, choose the files, and select the Delete<\/span>\/Bin <\/span>icon on the ribbon.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
            \n
            \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Alternatively, right-click the selected documents and select the Bin icon<\/span> on the context menu.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            If you can\u2019t find a document, type its name (or related keywords) into the taskbar or Start menu search box. You can also perform an in-depth search in File Explorer<\/a> using the search bar in the \u201cThis PC\u201d tab.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

            \n
            \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

            Delete Word Documents Saved in OneDrive\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

            Microsoft allows you to access and delete Word documents uploaded\/saved to OneDrive from the Word app.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            1. Open Microsoft Word on your PC and select Open<\/span> on the sidebar. Next, select the OneDrive account where you saved the document you want to delete.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
              \n
              \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
                \n
              1. Locate the document or enter the file name in the search box. Right-click the document and select Delete<\/span>.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                \n
                \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
                  \n
                1. Select Delete<\/span> on the confirmation pop-up to proceed.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n
                  \n
                  \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                  You can use the methods above to delete documents created in other Microsoft Office apps\u2014Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, etc.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Recover Deleted Word Documents\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  If you deleted a Word document in the app or File Explorer, you can restore it from the Recycle Bin<\/a>. Word documents deleted in OneDrive folders can be recovered in the OneDrive web app.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Recover Word Documents in Windows Recycle Bin\n<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                  Launch the Recycle Bin app<\/span>, locate and right-click the Word document, and select Restore<\/span>. Windows will move the file back to its original folder.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

                  \n
                  \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                  Recover Word Documents Deleted in OneDrive\n<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                  Sign in to OneDrive<\/a> in your browser, select Recycle Bin<\/span> on the sidebar, right-click the Word document, and select Restore<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n

                  \n
                  \"How<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

                  Note:<\/span> Items in the OneDrive recycle bin are permanently deleted after 30 days. For work and school accounts, recycle bin items are automatically deleted in 93 days.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  Delete Unneeded Word Documents in Windows\n<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                  It\u2019s super easy to remove Word documents from a Windows computer. You can delete the files directly in the Word app or through File Explorer. You could also use third-party file managers<\/a> to get the job done.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Want to delete a Microsoft Word document from your Windows computer? We\u2019ll show you different ways to get it done. The steps in this tutorial apply to all versions of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":75422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[10442,10488],"class_list":{"0":"post-75438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to","8":"tag-microsoft-office","9":"tag-microsoft-word"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/wp-content\/pictures\/2023\/12\/preview-media-how-to-delete-a-microsoft-word-document-or-file-1.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Sodiq Olanrewaju","author_link":"https:\/\/helpdeskgeek.com\/author\/solanrewaju\/"},"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t