A strange problem has been affecting Word for a few days. Microsoft’s popular word processor deletes saved files after closing the application. While waiting for a fix, a simple method nevertheless allows you to avoid losses.
Several Word users have recently reported a curious bug, with potentially very damaging consequences. The very popular Microsoft word processor, widely used in business and in school or home settings, seems to erase certain files after closing the application, even when they have been saved.
A strange behavior, the exact causes of which have not yet been determined. Microsoft has officially acknowledged the problem and identified some factors that trigger it. While waiting for the publication of a definitive fix, the company indicates the procedure to follow to avoid the bug.
Word bug: files with a # in their name or an uppercase extension removed
According to a bug report from October 3, 2024 published on the Microsoft support siteseveral Word users saw their documents disappear from their computer after closing the application, even though they had saved their work. The issue appears to affect version 2409 of Word for Microsoft 365, but could also occur on the non-subscription version of the word processor.
In detail, it is the files which contain the “#” character in their name, or whose extension is written in capital letters (.DOCX or .RTF instead of .docx or .rtf) which would be deleted. More precisely, the bug occurs when the user closes Word with work in progress and not saved: in this case and for security reasons, the application then offers to save their document before closing.
Unfortunately, even if the user accepts the saving offered by Word, the file then disappears from the computer, even if it was an already existing document. A particularly painful problem therefore, or even downright detrimental if the file thus deleted was an important work document. Fortunately, there is an easy way to recover deleted files and a solution to prevent the bug from occurring.
Word bug: recover deleted files and avoid losing new ones
For users who unfortunately encounter this problem and whose documents have been deleted, all is not lost. Indeed, the files deleted by the bug are in reality simply moved to the Windows Recycle Bin, so it is possible to quickly restore them to their original location from File Explorer… if the Recycle Bin has not been been emptied in the meantime, of course.
Microsoft has not yet precisely identified the root cause of this bug and therefore has not released a definitive fix at this time. The company nevertheless offers two solutions to prevent the problem from occurring. First, manually save the files before closing Word, by clicking floppy disk icon or using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S. Tests carried out by Microsoft seem to show that the bug does not occur in this scenario.
Next, the company recommends enabling the “Do not show Backstage when opening or saving files with keyboard shortcuts” option in Word. This can be found in the menu Files > Options > Saving of the application. Enabling this setting would, once again, prevent the bug from triggering and deleting files after closing Word, even if they contain a “#” in their name or an uppercase extension.