Forum Discussion
Word Document Disappeared During Copy/Paste
I experienced an unusual data-loss issue in Windows File Explorer. While copying and pasting a Microsoft Word document within the same folder on my D: drive, the original document suddenly disappeared and was not available in the Recycle Bin. A related Word temporary file (~wrl2248.tmp, 178 KB) was initially visible but subsequently disappeared as well.
I restarted the computer, enabled hidden/system files, searched the drive, and checked Word recovery locations without success. I then used Microsoft Windows File Recovery in both Regular and Extensive modes. The document was recovered, but Word reported unreadable content and could not repair or open it. I would appreciate guidance on the cause and any further Microsoft-supported recovery options.
3 Replies
In what application were you performing the Copy and Paste?
An alternative to using Copy and Paste would be to open the document in Word and then use File>Save As to save another copy with a different name.
However, in the File Explorer, there would not normally be any problem with Copying a file that is NOT open in Word and then Pasting it into that folder. When that is done, " - Copy" will automatically be appended to the filename as shown in the following screen shot of those actions just being performed.
If you provide access to the document that you were not able to open via sharing to OneDrive or Dropbox, I will see if it can be recovered.
