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Word docs "disappearing" when opened.

Anonymous
2016-03-23T19:38:39+00:00

I have been having this problem for months and it is starting to drive me nuts.  Sometimes - not all the time - when I open a Word document it will appear to open, but then disappear.  But it does not REALLY disappear.  It is there, but invisible.  If I swap windows with ALT-Tab you can see it is there, but you just can't get to it.   The "missing" document is pictured on the left below with the other open document to the right.

The only way I have found to get to the document is to go to another Word document and select View, Arrange All.  It then will allow me to click into the window and maximize it so I can edit as normal.  

Again, this does not happen with every document I open, but only sometimes.  And it does not always happen twice with the same document, so it is not document specific.  

I am using Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 with Windows 7.  Most of my documents are saved in compatible mode, but I don't think they are the only ones that open this way.  

This used to happen with my last computer (Sony VAIO) and I thought it was the computer's problem, but I now have a Lenovo ThinkPad and it still happens. 

Any clue why this is happening and how to make it stop?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2016-03-26T00:00:23+00:00

    Welcome.  

    I also use two monitors, but it can happen even when I am not using two monitors, so that must not be the issue.  

    I sure wish we could come up with a fix for this.  Some days it happens with every file I open, some days it never happens, and some days it happens sporadically.

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  2. Stefan Blom 338.5K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2016-03-25T23:51:00+00:00

    It could be that the "missing" file has been displayed "off screen".

    Anything is possible, but, at least in my case, there is no logical reason for the window to end up off screen; for example, I never use two monitors.

    2 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2016-03-25T23:58:11+00:00

    Thanks, but I already have a temporary fix, I am trying to figure out why it happens in the first place to hopefully get it to stop... and  I often have 6-7 open windows at a time.

    1 person found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2016-03-25T23:34:12+00:00

    Thanks.  That works for me only if it is the only file I have open.  If there is more than one, and I usually have at least two open, double clicking does not work for me. 

    Must be a glitch - but I wish they would fix it!!  Although, I am glad to see that it has happened to someone else!

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  5. Anonymous
    2016-03-24T13:48:49+00:00

    This also happens when I create a new file in Word.  If I create a new document with Ctrl-N it sometimes does the same thing.

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