Bug in MS Word Can Delete .DOCX Documents Instead of Saving Them

Topic

From the 07-Oct-2024 Neowin article A Bug in Word Deletes Documents Instead of Saving Them :

If you save files on your local machine, you better pay attention to their file extensions. Microsoft says that if a file has its extension capitalized (.DOCX instead of .docx) or with the symbol # in it, an attempt to save when closing the file will result in Windows just deleting the file…Fortunately, the damage is not permanent, and you can restore the deleted file from the Recycle Bin.

This bug appears to affect all Office Version 2409 products.
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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4894 * Firefox v131.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24080.9-1.1.24080.9 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.11.133-1.0.5048 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783 * Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019 C2R Version 2409 / Build 18025.20104

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Our current tests show the issue occurs after saving when prompted on clicking X to close Word. It does not currently reproduce when manually saving before close.

Locally saved Word files with capitalized file extensions or # in the title may be deleted after save

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lmacri

STATUS: FIXED

This issue has been fixed by a service change, which fully rolled out on 10/8/24.

If you’re still seeing the issue, please close all open Office apps and re-open Word to ensure the change has been picked up.