While you might not think of or understand it, Microsoft Word creates a 2nd duplicate of any type of documents you have open as well as are working with. However why does Microsoft Word do this? Today’s SuperUser Q&A message has the response to an interested reader’s inquiry regarding this habits.

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The Question

SuperUser reader JBurnham would like to know why Microsoft Word develops two copies while being used:

Why does Microsoft Word produce an additional duplicate of the exact same data, however hidden, while being used? As well as why does the file created while a document is open constantly have “~$” replacing the very first 2 letters of the data name?

For example:

Why does Microsoft Word produce a 2nd duplicate? And also what is up with the “~$” in the second file’s name?

The Answer

SuperUser factors Matthew Williams as well as Frank Thomas have the response for us. To begin with, Matthew Williams:

The documents you describe is a temporary file which serves a variety of purposes. From Microsoft themselves:

Quoted Text: A short-term file is a file that is created to briefly keep information in order to totally free memory for various other purposes, or to function as a safety net to avoid data loss when a program does specific functions. For example, Word establishes immediately where and also when it requires to create short-lived data. The momentary documents only exist during the current session of Word. When Word is shut down in a normal style, all short-term files are first shut and afterwards erased.

Rate

Going on from this, these momentary data help enhance rate. If your system is battling with having sufficient memory, Word will certainly aid it along by changing non used performance from memory to disk in the form of a short-lived data.

Integrity

In order to make certain the integrity of your documents in case of a system mistake, info is contacted the momentary data, then on to the original data. Should you have any error occur, it can be restricted/recovered from short-term data as opposed to your core data.

Secured Files

Estimated Text: When you open up a documents that is locked, either because it is open in one more home window of Word or since an additional individual on the network has it open, you can collaborate with a duplicate of the data. Word locations this copy in the Windows Temp directory site. Similarly, if a template affixed to a record is secured, Word instantly makes a duplicate of the design template in the Temp directory. The copy of a locked data does not instantly update the initial owner’s documents.

Owner File ~$ (Same Directory as Source File)

Quoted Text: When a previously conserved data is opened for editing and enhancing, for printing, or for evaluation, Word produces a temporary documents that has a.doc documents name extension. This file name expansion begins with a tilde (~) that is adhered to by a dollar indicator ($) that is adhered to by the remainder of the initial data name. This short-term file holds the logon name of the individual who opens up the documents. This short-term documents is called the “owner documents”.

Resource– Description of exactly how Word develops short-lived data [Microsoft]

Final note from Matthew: This is a large topic. I have offered a variety of examples on this data’s use, yet please make use of the source attended to a detailed list of reasons from Microsoft. I do not wish to copy/paste the entire page right here.

Adhered to by the answer from Frank Thomas:

Primarily due to the Auto-save features. If you do not inform a record to conserve your changes, do you anticipate it to conserve over the original with no command to, or warning that it will happen? It also permits your adjustments to be recovered if Word crashes as well as you have not saved for 2 hrs. By default, there will certainly be a 10 min old variation of your modifications that can be recovered.

On a much more basic level, it enables one customer to open a data on a share and read it while one more customer has it open for adjustment, though if several individuals are editing and enhancing it, last-in-wins.

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