~$Normal.dot template file is not automatically deleted in Word 2002 and Word 2003 (275955)

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Office Word 2003
Microsoft Word 2002

This article was previously published under Q275955

SYMPTOMS

When you view the contents of the folder that contains your Microsoft Word templates, the autosave copy of the normal template, ~$Normal.dot, appears even after Word is started and then you quit the program normally.

CAUSE

This issue may occur if you make a change to the Normal.dot template and Word quits unexpectedly. Autosave files are normally deleted after the document owner (the program that created the autosave file) opens the file and then closes normally, but the normal template autosave file is not deleted.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, manually delete the autosave file. To delete the file ~$Normal.dot, follow these steps:

Start Microsoft Windows Explorer.
Locate the ~$Normal.dot file.

It is typically located in the default Word template folder:
Disk:\Documents and Settings\User name\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
Right-click the ~$Normal.dot file, and then click Delete.
When you receive the confirmation message, click Yes.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Modification Type:	Major	Last Reviewed:	3/23/2006
Keywords:	kbprb kbtemplate KB275955 kbAudEndUser