I downloaded Microsoft 365 but all my files from my previous version of word are not showing. How do I retrieve them?

Hello, Sue M1

Thank you for your contribution to the Microsoft Community.

I understand that you would like to know the previous version of the file.

Version history in Microsoft 365 only works for files stored in OneDrive or SharePoint in Microsoft 365. 

View previous versions of Office files - Microsoft Support

If the AutoRecover option is turned on, you can automatically save versions of your file while you’re working on it. How you recover something depends on when you saved it.

Recover an earlier version of a Word file - Microsoft Support

Looking forward to your further reply so that we can serve you better.

Best wishes, 

Rel - MSFT | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

In Word, navigate to the folder where you stored your documents and open them from there. If this is not the default Documents folder, you will want to set this folder as the one where Word looks for documents. At File | Options | Save, make sure that the "Default local file location" is set to the correct folder.