How to Stop Word From Adding ~$ Hidden Files

When you open a document in Word, you may notice hidden files starting with a tilde and dollar sign like ~$ocument.docx appear in the same folder. These are temporary owner files that Word creates to indicate which file is currently open and by whom. While these files are normally hidden and harmless, they can clutter shared folders, confuse users, or trigger security alerts. This article explains why Word creates these ~$ files and provides three methods to stop Word from generating them.

Why Word Creates ~$ Hidden Owner Files

Word creates a ~$ file every time you open a document. The file name mirrors the original document but replaces the first two characters with ~$. For example, opening Report.docx creates ~$eport.docx. The purpose of this file is to act as a lock file. It tells Word and other users that the document is currently in use. When you close the document normally, Word deletes the ~$ file automatically.

The ~$ file contains metadata about who opened the file and when. It does not contain the document content. Word uses this file to prevent two users from editing the same document simultaneously in a shared folder. If Word crashes or the system loses power, the ~$ file may remain behind as an orphan. This orphan file does not affect the original document but can be confusing to see in file listings.

You cannot delete the ~$ file while the document is open because Word holds a lock on it. After closing the document, you can safely delete any leftover ~$ files manually. However, if you want to prevent Word from creating these files entirely, you need to change specific settings in Word or in the Windows Registry.

Method 1: Disable AutoRecover and Owner File Creation in Word Options

The most direct way to stop Word from creating ~$ files is to disable the AutoRecover feature. AutoRecover saves a copy of your document at set intervals. When AutoRecover is active, Word writes the ~$ owner file to track the open session. Turning off AutoRecover stops this behavior.

1. Open Word Options
   Launch Word and click File in the top-left corner. Then click Options at the bottom of the left pane. The Word Options dialog box opens.
2. Go to the Save section
   In the Word Options dialog, click Save in the left column. The right pane shows all save-related settings.
3. Disable AutoRecover
   Under the Save documents section, find Save AutoRecover information every X minutes. Change the value to 0 by typing 0 in the box or using the spinner arrows. This disables AutoRecover entirely.
4. Turn off the last autosaved version option
   Below the AutoRecover setting, uncheck Keep the last autosaved version if I close without saving. This prevents Word from saving a temporary owner file when you close the document.
5. Apply the changes
   Click OK at the bottom of the Word Options dialog. Word now stops creating ~$ files for all documents opened from this point forward.

Important: Disabling AutoRecover means you lose automatic backup copies of your work. If Word crashes, you may lose unsaved changes. Consider saving your document manually every few minutes or using a third-party backup tool instead.

Method 2: Use Windows Registry to Disable Owner File Creation

If you need to prevent ~$ files only for documents opened from network locations, or if the Word Options method does not work, you can modify the Windows Registry. This method forces Word to skip creating the owner file entirely.

Warning: Editing the Registry incorrectly can damage your Windows installation. Back up the Registry before making changes. Create a restore point or export the key you plan to edit.

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Windows + R on your keyboard. Type regedit and press Enter. If prompted by User Account Control, click Yes.
2. Navigate to the Word Options key
   In Registry Editor, go to the following path:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Word\Options
   If you use a different Office version, replace 16.0 with the appropriate version number (15.0 for Office 2013, 14.0 for Office 2010).
3. Create or modify the DisableDDE value
   In the right pane, right-click an empty area and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value DisableDDE. If the value already exists, double-click it. Set the value data to 1 and click OK.
4. Close Registry Editor
   Exit Registry Editor. The change takes effect immediately. Word will no longer create ~$ files for documents opened from local or network drives.

The DisableDDE registry value stops Word from using Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) to check for existing open documents. DDE is the mechanism that creates the ~$ owner file. Setting DisableDDE to 1 disables this check, so Word skips owner file creation.

Method 3: Open Documents as Read-Only to Prevent ~$ Files

If you only need to view a document and do not plan to edit it, opening the file as read-only prevents Word from creating a ~$ file. Read-only mode does not acquire a write lock on the file, so Word skips the owner file entirely.

1. Open the document as read-only
   In Word, click File > Open. Browse to the document. Click the file once to select it. Then click the small arrow next to the Open button. From the drop-down menu, select Open Read-Only.
2. Edit the document after opening
   If you need to make changes, you can still edit the document. However, to save changes you must use File > Save As and give the file a new name. Saving with a new name creates a separate document and does not generate a ~$ file for the original.

This method is useful for reviewing documents in shared folders without leaving behind temporary files. It does not disable ~$ files globally; it only prevents them for the current session.

If ~$ Files Still Appear After Making Changes

~$ files persist after disabling AutoRecover

If you disabled AutoRecover and unchecked the last autosaved version option but still see ~$ files, the cause may be a third-party add-in. Some add-ins create temporary files that mimic Word owner files. Disable all add-ins via File > Options > Add-ins. Click Go next to Manage COM Add-ins and uncheck each add-in. Restart Word and test again.

~$ files appear for documents opened from email attachments

When you open a document from an email attachment, Word may still create a ~$ file in the temporary folder. This is normal and cannot be prevented through Word Options alone. To avoid this, save the attachment to a local folder first, then open it. The ~$ file will be created in the local folder and will be deleted when you close the document.

~$ files remain after a crash and cannot be deleted

If Word or Windows crashes, an orphan ~$ file may remain. To delete it, close all Word instances. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Escape. End any WINWORD.EXE processes. Then navigate to the folder containing the ~$ file and delete it manually. If the file is locked, restart Windows and delete it immediately after the restart.

Item	Word Options Method	Registry Method
Scope	All documents opened in Word	All documents, especially network files
Complexity	Simple, no technical skills needed	Requires Registry editing skills
Side effects	Disables AutoRecover; no automatic backups	May affect DDE functionality for other Office features
Reversibility	Easy; re-enable AutoRecover in Options	Moderate; change DisableDDE back to 0 or delete the value
Effectiveness	Works for most users	Works when Options method fails

You now know three ways to stop Word from adding ~$ hidden files. Start by disabling AutoRecover in Word Options because it is the simplest method. If that does not work, use the Registry method to set DisableDDE to 1. For one-off situations, open documents as read-only. As a final tip, regularly clean orphan ~$ files by running a simple PowerShell command: Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\YourFolder" -Filter "~$" -Recurse | Remove-Item. This deletes all leftover owner files in a folder and all subfolders.