Microsoft warns of Word error: files deleted instead of saved
Microsoft warns of a bug in Word from Microsoft 365, whereby the word processor deletes documents instead of saving them.
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Under certain circumstances, Word does not save documents when it asks for them, but deletes them instead. Word with version number 2409 from the Microsoft 365 software bundle is affected.
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A Microsoft support article explains the problem. "Users of Word build 2409 may encounter an issue that causes their files to be deleted instead of saved if the name contains an uppercase file extension (.DOCX, .RTF) or the '#' character," the developers explain. "The problem occurs after the file has been modified and the save dialog appears when you try to close Word," concludes the error description.
Temporary countermeasures
Microsoft's Word team is currently investigating the problem. A temporary workaround is to search for deleted files in the recycle bin and restore them. However, this does not help users who work on network shares or USB sticks without a Windows recycle bin. In general, Word users should therefore save the edited document manually and only then close Word. In attempts to reproduce the error, it only ever occurred when Word was closed using the "X" symbol and then the document was saved with the dialog that appeared.
In addition, the option "Do not show backstage when opening or saving files using keyboard shortcuts" should be activated. It can be found in Word after calling up the "Options" under the "Save" item. It is currently unclear when an automatic error correction in the form of updated software will be available.
Less critical but annoying bugs occur in Microsoft Office from time to time. In March, for example, Microsoft Office users under macOS experienced problems if they had configured their Mac system with English language but German number display and metric system. Due to internal changes in macOS 14 (Sonoma) and Microsoft's failure to make timely adjustments, Office simply ignored these settings, driving those affected to white heat. The message above shows a workaround that can be activated in the macOS terminal.
(dmk)