Keep getting weird and arbitrary tmp files created as I create a doc. How can I prevent it?

Question

Using Word or Excel 2007. Typing but not saving anything yet but when I go into my folder there are 5 or 6 new files with the .tmp extension. It's sporadic. What can I do to prevent this from happening?

Answer 1

As Suzanne says, the temp files should be deleted automatically when the document is closed (not when it is saved). Various things can interfere with that, including Word program crashes, poorly written add-ins, and improperly set folder permissions. Without going through a tedious troubleshooting process, there's no way to know why your temp files stay.

What you can do is set up a batch file that deletes the files when you run it. A sample batch file -- with important notes about what you must change to make a working file from the sample -- is in http://www.gmayor.com/what_to_do_when_word_crashes.htm .

Answer 2

Quite a few temp files are also created in the document folder. They are of the format ~wrlxxxx.tmp, which http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=211632 describes as "Clipboard" files. Be that as it may, in my experience, when they appear, they are fully accessible and usable copies of previous versions of the document. If you have "Always create backup copy" enabled, the first "whirly" file will be the version before the *.wbk file, and there will be one for each time you've saved in the current editing session.

These files can pile up and consume a lot of space if you're working on a large file (which is why it can be so disastrous to work on a file on a floppy or other removable media), but they are all deleted when you close the file. In the past, when I was using a system with limited resources, I had to remember to close and reopen the document periodically during a long editing session.

Answer 3

You cannot do anything to prevent it. Word doesn't operate without its temp files. Read "How Word Uses Temporary Files" .

Answer 4

Using Word 2007. Typing but not saving anything yet but when I go into my folder there are 5 or 6 new files with the .tmp extension. It's sporadic. What can I do to prevent this from happening?