Word suddenly saves file in temp folder

Hi NiklasB, I hope you're well today!

Just to make sure that I fully understand what is happening, I have a few questions to ask you.

Could you give me an example of the file name when it is renamed? Does this look like a temporary Word file?

Is the file removed from its original location when saved, or is it relocated only while it is open and being edited?

If you'd like, please feel free to share any screenshots about this (excluding any personal info).

Let me know what you find!

Hi Daphne,

Here is a screenshot, it makes a work file on Mac HD somewhere... 

(removed since they links have been broken)

Thanks for the screenshot NiklasB!

It seems that Word is creating temporary files, which are used to temporarily store file info when it's being edited to free up the computer memory, or to prevent data loss.

The temporary file should only exist while the current session of Word is open, and it shouldn't result in the original file being removed from its location.

When you save the file and close the Word app, the changes should be saved to the file in the original location and the temporary file will be deleted.

If you'd like to read a bit more about these temporary files and how they work, you can check out this Microsoft article here.

You shouldn't need to worry about this, it's a feature of the Word app that is expected and assists you with editing your files and preventing data loss.

I hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks Daphne for your reply!

The problem is, that when I press save, it saves the file in the new location, and the changes made to the file do not appear in the original location. This has happened a few times...

We can of course by-pass this by being alert and choosing Save as and use the original name, but this is not user friendly!

We have this problem only on one mac, our other works fine in this respect...!

Thanks for the info NiklasB!

That does indeed sound rather strange. :thinking:

In this case, saving the file would be down to the app used to make the edits, so the file being saved in another location might be due to a setting within Word.

I would suggest reaching out to Microsoft Support to find out why the app is saving the file to the incorrect location on the device that you mentioned.

Sorry that I can't be of much more help with this, but please don't hesitate to get back to me with any other questions.

Thanks!