Large Word Document spontaneously gains pages or loses words.

Anonymous
2018-03-02T21:38:27+00:00

When I transfered a large Word 2010 Doc to my new computer (into Word 2016) from the cloud, 1500 words disappeared. Nobody could figure out why or which words were missing.

Now that same file (Word 2016) has spontaneously added 10 pages (it went from 469 to 479 pages), but there are no blank pages and the page format and word count haven't changed. Can anyone tell me what could have happened?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2018-04-08T04:56:58+00:00

    Which issue is that? The one where over 1300 words spontaneously disappeared or the one where 10 pages spontaneously appeared?

    I appreciate your checking into it. To be clear, the 10 pages spontaneously appeared when I opened the file from Word on my computer, not the cloud.

    Word Uservoice seems to be for voting for suggestions on how to improve Word. Besides suggesting that MS shouldn't release software that's loaded with mysterious glitches it doesn't know how to fix, I don't think it would help.

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  2. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-04-08T09:04:18+00:00

    Even you say that you cannot identify the words that are missing.  So, how do you know that they are missing?

    If you are going by word count, that may not be precise.

    Are your comparisons between the document as it was in Word 2010  and as it is now in Word 2016, or are they between how you see the document in Word Online and in Word 2016

    As far as pages being added, that could well be because the printer that is active in Word 2016 is laying out the document in a different manner to the way that it was laid out in Word 2010

    If you want the matter investigated, provide a link to the document in the cloud and send me a copy of the document from Word 2016.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-04-08T17:12:19+00:00

    You're mixing up the issues, so let me start again.

    Issue #1. Between downloading the Word 10 doc from the cloud (which originated from my old computer) into the Word 16 doc in my new computer, 1300 words disappeared according to the Word Count.

    Issue #2. MONTHS LATER, I opened the Word 16 doc in my now six-month-old computer and discovered 10 extra pages according to the Page Count. But the number of words hadn't changed.

    I hope that clarifies it.

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  4. Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2018-04-08T21:41:34+00:00

    I do not believe that I am mixing up the issues.

    Word count may not be precise, depending upon where you a seeing it 

    Page count may well change if you have a different printer as the active printer as the way in which Word lays out the document is dependent upon the printer driver.

    As I said, if you are really concerned about the issue and want to have it investigated, make copies of the document available.

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-04-10T04:17:35+00:00

    The word count had been consistent up until the words disappeared. Then it consistently reflected the lower word count. The word count at the bottom of the screen and the top of the screen (under review>word count) were in agreement.

    When the extra pages appeared, the printer hadn't been changed; the extra pages have remained there ever since.

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