odd hidden file behavior

Question

I was working on a document and somehow it started appearing as a ".~WRD [something]" file. (Looks like a temp file). I saved it as an ordinary file and it seems to be working fine now.

However, when I went to import a style from my Normal file into a new blank file (or any file), I get this on the right side:

And when I close the file on the right and navigate to Normal, I get the same result. It is reading my Normal file as .~WRD

Is there anything I can do to fix this behavior? Is it clear what the origin of the problem is? Restarting Word and rebooting the machine (Mac 14.5 OSX) is not making a difference.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi

When you save files to your Mac, OneDrive or SharePoint, temporary files are automatically hidden by Mac OS or the cloud service.

When you save to other locations such as Box or a network drive, you will most likely see the temporary files while a document is open. These files store information about the referenced file name, but they are not your document.

This is normal behavior. When you successfully close a document, Word attempts to close all temporary files that are associated with that document.

You should not do anything with temporary files while the referenced document is open. Even just opening a temp file can result in corruption of the document.

Answer 2

Hi James I. Porter,

Thank you for your further reply and cooperation. Per your query, After my research, I suggest you can try to reset the Normal.dotm by remove it from the Templates folder and restart Word to automatically create a new Normal.dotm to check whether the issue persist or not.

If the issue doesn’t persist, then you can replace the new Normal.dotm with the file which contains your own Normal settings to check whether the issue persists or not.

If the issue persists, I’m afraid this issue needs to be investigated from back end to find the cause. The support team has higher permission to remotely assist you and collect background logs for the root cause. This is a more efficient way in handling this case for you. If you are an admin, I recommend you get support by following steps from this link: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.If you are not an admin, you can contact your admin to contact Microsoft support. You can look for the way to find your admin through this link: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support Appreciate again for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely, Harry | Microsoft Community Moderator

Answer 3

I am also seeing this (Save Changes in XXX):

I am baffled. I've tried to replace this Normal with an earlier version (from a month ago). I continue to see the temp file listed. Unless I can figure out where the redirect is to a temp file and solve the problem, I would like to export all my Normal settings to a new Normal and try again w/o losing any of the settings. Is this possible?

Tx

Answer 4

Thanks. Two things. The Normal file appears as a regular Word file in the finder. There is no temp file nearby. Second, I don't think it's possible to open a Normal file, copy its contents, and paste it into a new file. Normal files don't have 'contents' but (apparently) only settings that are invisible.

Answer 5

Hi James I. Porter,

Greetings. Thank you for posting the thread to our community. I understand your concern, it seems your Normal.dotm has been replaced to a file show as ~WRDXXXX type file. For situation you’ve encountered, I do understand the inconvenience caused and feel very sorry about it.

After my research, the WRD type file is the temporarily file as you assume, here is the full official support article as reference for you: Description of how Word creates temporary files - Microsoft Support

If my understanding is right, since you also mention: “And when I close the file on the right and navigate to Normal, I get the same result. It is reading my Normal file as .~WRD”.

In that case, I suggest you can try to create a new Word document for a new Normal.dotm, then manually paste the content of the temporarily file to this new Normal.dotm and replace this temporarily file. Finally, restart your Word to check whether the issue persists or not.

You can find the original Normal.dotm (global template) by following to this path: ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates.

If my understanding of this issue is not consistent with yours, feel free to point it out, I will continue helping you. Hope you having a nice day. Sincerely, Harry | Microsoft Community Moderator