Microsoft Word deletes certain files after saving

Currently, users are reporting a problem where Word simply deletes some files after saving them. This depends on the name of the documents and the spelling of the file extension. However, a workaround exists.

Word deletes files

On October 2nd, Günter Born was on his Blog Written by users who reported that Word deletes some files after saving them. Microsoft has now also identified the bug in a post on its website Support website confirmed and provided a precise description of the undesirable behavior of the Office software.

The spelling is crucial

Accordingly, locally saved Word files with uppercase file extensions (.DOCX, .RTF) or a # in the title will be deleted after saving. “The problem occurs after an edit has been made to the file and saved, when prompted after trying to close Word,” it says in more detail. Version 2409 of Microsoft 365 is affected.

After all, the documents are ‘only’ moved to the trash and not permanently removed from the computer’s hard drive. A restoration is therefore relatively easy. Nevertheless, this bug may have led to an increased heart rate for some users. According to Microsoft, there are currently several ways to work around the problem.

Several temporary solutions

Since the bug only occurs when using the save dialog that is automatically displayed when closing Word, users should save the file manually before clicking on the X in the program window. On the other hand, the error does not occur if you select the option “Do not show backstage when opening or saving files using keyboard shortcuts” under File –> Options –> Save.

However, the reason for this is unclear. According to Microsoft, the team in Redmond is currently still investigating the problem. It could take some time until a fix is available. However, if you know about it, at least the negative consequences of the bug can be avoided relatively easily with the two options just mentioned.