A bastard file is a temporary file your computer creates when a program crashes or closes unexpectedly before saving your work
When you are working in a program like Microsoft Word or Adobe Photoshop and the application suddenly closes — whether from a crash, a power loss, or you force-closing it — the program cannot save your document the normal way. Instead, it writes a bastard file (also called a crash file, recovery file, or orphaned file) to your hard drive. This file holds the unsaved version of what you were working on.
The file sits on your computer with a temporary name, usually in a hidden folder. Most programs check for these files the next time they open and offer to recover your work. If you accept, you get back what you had before the crash. If you decline or ignore the offer, the bastard file usually stays behind, taking up disk space and serving no purpose.
The term "bastard" comes from the file being parentless — it was never formally saved to a named location by you, so it exists in a kind of limbo on your drive.
Key Takeaways
- Bastard files are temporary copies created when a program crashes or closes without saving your work normally.
- Most programs offer to recover your work from these files the next time they open, but you have to accept the offer.
- If you decline recovery or never see the offer, the bastard file remains on your hard drive taking up space.
- You can safely delete bastard files once you have recovered what you need or decided you do not need the unsaved work.
- Different programs store bastard files in different hidden locations, but your operating system usually shows them only if you turn on viewing hidden files.
Where bastard files hide on your computer
Bastard files are stored in hidden folders because they are not meant to be part of your normal file system. On Windows, they often live in a folder like C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\[ProgramName]. On Mac, they typically go into ~/Library/Application Support/[ProgramName]. Each program decides where to put them.
You will not see these files in your normal file browser unless you turn on the setting to show hidden files. On Windows, open File Explorer, click the View tab, and check "Hidden items". On Mac, open Finder, press Command+Shift+Period, and hidden files will appear. Once you do this, you can navigate to the program's folder and look for files with names like "recovery", "backup", "temp", or "crash".
The exact naming and location varies wildly. Microsoft Office stores recovery files in one place, Adobe Creative Suite in another, and smaller programs might put them almost anywhere. If you are looking for a specific program's bastard files, searching the program's name plus "recovery files" or "temp files" will usually point you to the right folder.
How programs use bastard files to recover your work
When you reopen a program after it has crashed, it checks for bastard files from the last session. If it finds one, it displays a recovery dialog asking whether you want to restore the unsaved document. You usually see this within the first few seconds of the program opening.
If you click "Recover" or "Restore", the program loads the bastard file and opens it as a new unsaved document in the editor. You can then review it, make sure it is what you want, and save it normally with a real filename. Once you save it, the bastard file has served its purpose and can be deleted.
If you click "Do Not Recover" or "Discard", the program closes the recovery dialog and the bastard file stays on your hard drive but is no longer used. The program will not offer to recover it again. This is where orphaned bastard files accumulate — they sit in hidden folders indefinitely, wasting disk space.
Why bastard files sometimes do not appear
Not every crash produces a recovery dialog. If a program closes so suddenly that it cannot write a bastard file, or if the file gets corrupted during the crash, there will be nothing to recover. Power failures, system freezes, and forced shutdowns are the most common culprits.
Some programs also have recovery features turned off by default. You may need to enable automatic recovery in the program's settings before it will create bastard files. Check the Preferences or Settings menu under "Autosave" or "Recovery" to see whether this is on.
Additionally, if your hard drive is full or running low on space, the program may not have room to write a bastard file. In this case, the crash happens and nothing is saved at all — not even a temporary copy.
How to find and delete bastard files safely
Once you have recovered the work you need, or decided you do not need it, you can delete the bastard files. The safest approach is to let the program delete them for you. When you click "Do Not Recover" on a recovery dialog, many programs automatically remove the bastard file. If the program is not offering recovery anymore, you can usually delete the file manually from the hidden folder.
On Windows, navigate to the hidden folder where the program stores recovery files, right-click the bastard file, and select Delete. On Mac, do the same in Finder. You can also empty your Recycle Bin or Trash afterward to permanently remove them.
If you are not sure whether a file is a bastard file or something the program needs, do not delete it. Instead, move it to a separate folder first. If the program still works fine, the file was safe to delete. If something breaks, you can move it back.
Some disk cleanup tools and antivirus programs can automatically find and remove bastard files. Be cautious with these — they sometimes delete files that programs still need. Running a cleanup tool is usually safe, but backing up your important files first is a good precaution.
Bastard files versus other temporary files
Bastard files are one type of temporary file, but not the only kind. Programs also create cache files, log files, and session files that serve different purposes. A cache file speeds up loading by storing recently used data. A log file records what the program did. A session file remembers your window positions and open tabs. None of these are bastard files.
The key difference is that a bastard file is unsaved work — it contains actual content you were creating. Other temporary files are metadata or supporting information. If you delete a cache file, the program just rebuilds it. If you delete a bastard file, you lose unsaved work that might have been recoverable.
This is why recovery dialogs specifically mention bastard files and offer to restore them, while they silently clean up other temporary files in the background.
Preventing bastard files from piling up
The best way to avoid a buildup of bastard files is to save your work regularly and close programs normally. If you save every few minutes, a crash costs you only a few minutes of work, and you may not bother with recovery. If you close a program using File > Exit or the close button, the program saves and exits cleanly, and no bastard file is created.
Enable autosave in programs that offer it. Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and many others can save your work automatically every few minutes. This reduces the amount of unsaved work at risk if a crash happens.
If a program crashes repeatedly, the problem is usually the program itself, not your computer. Check whether an update is available, or consider using a different program. Frequent crashes suggest a bug or compatibility issue that an update might fix.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover a bastard file if I already closed the recovery dialog?
Yes, but it requires manual work. Navigate to the hidden folder where the program stores recovery files, find the bastard file, and open it directly with the program. The program will load it as an unsaved document. You can then save it normally. The exact folder location depends on the program, so you may need to search for it.
Do bastard files take up a lot of disk space?
Usually not much individually — most are a few megabytes. But if a program crashes repeatedly and you ignore recovery dialogs, they can accumulate. If you have dozens of old bastard files sitting in hidden folders, they might add up to hundreds of megabytes or more. Deleting old ones frees up space.
What happens if I delete a bastard file while the program is still running?
The program will not notice unless it tries to access that specific file. If the program is actively using the bastard file (for example, if a recovery dialog is open), deleting it might cause an error. It is safest to close the program first, then delete the bastard file.
Why is it called a "bastard" file and not something else?
The term comes from the file being parentless — it was never formally saved by you to a named location, so it exists without a proper origin or parent file. The term has been used in computing for decades, though some organizations now call them "recovery files" or "crash files" instead.
Do all programs create bastard files?
No. Only programs that work with documents or projects typically create them. Web browsers, email clients, and utility programs usually do not. Programs that do create them include word processors, photo editors, video editors, spreadsheet applications, and design software.