2024-10-07 15:16:43
An unusual error in Microsoft Word can lead to the loss of important documents. Here’s how you can protect your files.
Microsoft Word is currently causing problems for some users. As the company confirms on its support website, an unusual bug in the Microsoft 365 version of its word processing program causes documents to be deleted when saved and not backed up under certain circumstances. IT blogger Günter Born had previously drawn attention to the problem.
The error occurs when files have capitalized endings such as .DOCX or .RTF or a hash symbol (#) is included in the name. According to Microsoft, this happens when users close the program without saving first and then click “Yes” in the query to save the work progress. But instead of saving the file as desired, it is deleted.
To avoid data loss, Microsoft recommends that users manually save documents before closing Word. Another protective measure is to activate the “Do not show backstage when opening or saving files using keyboard shortcuts” option in the program settings. This setting appears to circumvent the problem, although the exact mechanism of action remains unclear.
The good news: The “deleted” files are not completely destroyed immediately, but are simply moved to the trash. If you haven’t emptied it in the meantime, you can find your documents there and restore them with a right click. However, storage locations without a recycle bin – such as network drives or USB sticks – could be permanently lost without a backup.
The error affects Microsoft 365 version 2409 of Word. It is still unclear what causes it. Microsoft has confirmed that experts are investigating the issue, but an official fix is still pending.