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In Windows, if any app is prompting you to save your work, a shutdown is prevented to save work. However, on macOS, if a 3rd party app (like MS word) prompts you to save your work, macOS just kills the app, thus losing any unsaved work after a shutdown. Why?

user21987
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  • How are you shutting down? – mmmmmm Oct 09 '21 at 18:25
  • I tried both from GUI and terminal. @mmmmmm – user21987 Oct 09 '21 at 18:25
  • OK GUI a dialog box will stop the shutdown and works in the same way as MS Windows so I think does work. From terminal - then the app does not have time or the control to show a dialog box but should create an autosave file so that no work is lost. See https://apple.stackexchange.com/q/103571/237 for terminal – mmmmmm Oct 09 '21 at 18:41
  • What OS, what version of Word? I don't use Office enough to be sure of that, but if it's not going to auto-save keep any unsaved copy on restart, then the app ought to halt shutdown/restart until you have confirmed or denied the "save before quitting" document dialog. Mac apps all, by default, save any document on quit, whether you saved it or not [unless you specifically switch that function off]. See https://i.stack.imgur.com/JLBKX.jpg – Tetsujin Oct 09 '21 at 18:50
  • My experience with Word is it does auto-saves frequently, into a "temporary" version of the file. When Word restarts, it says "Hey, I have some unsaved files, shall I open them as they were last auto-saved?" except using more confusing language. If your Word doesn't, check your settings. Regardless, this is not a problem you should have. You should go to each app in turn and manually save before shutdown. Using 'shutdown' to do a 'find my unsaved files for me' is a lot like using Trash to hold short-term work. (hey I know people who do that). – Harper - Reinstate Monica Oct 09 '21 at 20:11
  • @Harper-ReinstateMonica - tbh, since Apple [& many 3rd parties] switched to this method, I very rarely save anything any more, until I know I'm done with it & ready to file away. Many of the apps I use most frequently don't even have a Save option, they just constantly preserve last-state - everything from Final Cut Pro right down to Notes. The only real 'workflow interruptor' these days for me is Photoshop, which does definitely insist on save or discard. – Tetsujin Oct 10 '21 at 16:19

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