File Cannot Open

What Are ~$ Temporary Files in Word and Excel and How to Remove Them

Maira Mehtab Oct 22, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user is seeing unopenable duplicate files beginning with ~$ and wants to know what they are and how to handle them.

What Are ~$ Temporary Files in Word and Excel?

Product: Word, Excel
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Opening a Microsoft Word document or Excel workbook in a local or shared folder.
Observed behavior: An unopenable file prefixed with ~$ is automatically created alongside the original document and is marked as ineligible or inaccessible.

Before you start

Before attempting to delete any ~$ temporary files, ensure that the corresponding Word document or Excel workbook is fully closed and not currently being edited by anyone else on your network.

Solution 1Recommended

Close the Application and Safely Delete Leftover ~$ Lock Files

Understand how Office manages lock files and properly delete them if they remain stuck after a system crash.

Files starting with ~$ are temporary 'lock files' created automatically by Microsoft Word and Excel. They are designed to prevent multiple users from editing the same document simultaneously, which could cause data corruption.

These files do not contain the actual document data; they only hold ownership information about who currently has the file open. Normally, these ~$ files delete themselves the moment you close the document or application. If they remain, it is typically due to an unexpected application crash or an interrupted network connection.

Close all active Office applications

Ensure that Microsoft Word and Excel are completely closed. Check your taskbar to verify no hidden document windows are still running.

Refresh your file folder

Navigate to the folder containing the ~$ file, right-click any empty space, and select 'Refresh'. In most normal cases, the ~$ file will disappear once the main document is properly closed.

Manually delete the lock file

If the file persists after confirming the main document is closed (often due to a previous crash), simply right-click the ~$ file and select 'Delete'. This action is completely safe and will not affect your original document.

Do Not Attempt to Open ~$ Files: These temporary files are not duplicate documents and cannot be opened. They only contain metadata, so you do not need to recover or backup ~$ files.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do ~$ files stay on my computer after I close Word or Excel?

Usually, this happens if the application crashes, your computer shuts down unexpectedly, or the file is stored on a synced cloud drive that failed to update. Once you verify the main file is closed, you can safely delete the leftover ~$ file manually.

Can I recover my lost data from a ~$ lock file?

No, ~$ lock files do not contain the actual content of your document. They only contain a few bytes of metadata identifying the user who currently has the file open. You must use auto-recover features or backups to restore lost data.

How can I hide these ~$ temporary files so they don't clutter my folders?

These lock files are classified as hidden system files by default. If you can see them, you likely have 'Show hidden files' enabled. You can hide them by opening File Explorer, going to the View tab, and unchecking the 'Hidden items' box.

Document & File Issues