Has Microsoft ever used those crash reports when my Office documents crashed?

Question

It seems like whenever one of my Office documents crashes, which is probably on a weekly basis, I get a notice that the problem is being "reported to Microsoft". My question is whether Microsoft has anybody looking at these crash reports or whether this is just something to keep us idiots happy, because nothing ever seems to get done about making the actual documents more stable. It's not like you haven't had the last 40 years to get this right, Microsoft.

Does Microsoft in fact have people looking at these crash reports and does this create projects to fix the issues? If so why are the issues not being fixed?

#justanotherpissedoffcustomer

Answer 1

It's pretty clear that while Microsoft may collect and process the logs, they clearly don't.

Answer 2

"Microsoft may collect and process Office diagnostic logs" But does Microsoft actually process Office diagnostic logs? Or have they lain there in an unused office since 1990?

Answer 3

Yes. Office crash and diagnostic reports are used.

Microsoft states that Office diagnostic log files can be sent automatically when optional diagnostic data is enabled, and that those files are processed in situations where the additional information could be useful in resolving an issue. On Windows, supported Office apps include Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Word, and Visio.

The available documentation also shows an established path for issue intake and triage:

1. Office apps can send feedback directly from File > Feedback.
2. Microsoft publishes known-issue articles with statuses such as Fixed and Investigating.
3. Some articles document specific fixes, for example:
   • Excel, Word, and PowerPoint crashes with older GigaTrust software were marked STATUS: FIXED after updating GigaTrust to version 11.2 or higher.
   • A Word crash affecting mail merge with .dot/.dotm templates is marked STATUS: INVESTIGATING.

That supports the conclusion that crash/diagnostic data and user reports do feed into investigation and fixes.

The context does not provide a basis for why a specific recurring crash has not been fixed yet. It only supports these facts:

• Microsoft may collect and process Office diagnostic logs when optional diagnostic data is enabled.
• Those logs are intended to help resolve issues.
• Microsoft tracks some crash problems publicly and marks them as investigating or fixed.
• Feedback can be submitted directly from Office apps.

If the goal is to verify whether reports from a device are actually being uploaded, the Diagnostic Data Viewer can show an event named Office.Diagnostics.DiagnosticLogsUploaded, and on Windows a copy of uploaded logs is usually found in %temp%\Diagnostics\UploadCache for up to 24 hours.

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References:

• Overview of diagnostic log files for Office
• Fixes or workarounds for recent Office issues
• Excel, Word, or PowerPoint may crash with older versions of GigaTrust software
• Word might crash when performing a mail merge with templates (.dot/dotm)