~$Normal.dot template file is not automatically deleted in Word

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

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.

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

1. Start Microsoft Windows Explorer.
2. 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
3. Right-click the ~$Normal.dot file, and then click Delete.
4. When you receive the confirmation message, click Yes.

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