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Multiple attachments file names swapping after auto-save

Question
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The basic issue is that when a user attaches 2 items to an email and leaves the email open for awhile without manually saving it the filenames will sometime swap or they will all rename to the same name. Even if different file types. Example:
User creates an new email. Attaches "File name here 10-14-15 spreadsheet.xlsx" and "File name here 10-14-15 document.pdf". Then they leave the email open (long enough for I assume the auto-save feature to kick in). They then hit send on the email. If they look in their sent items (or on the recipient's end) and there are 2 files attached named "File name here 10-14-15 spreadsheet.xlsx" The content of the 2nd document hasn't changed, but it has been renamed and the file type even changes. If you open it with a PDF viewer it's fine.
If the user utilizes OWA the issue does not occur. If the user first saves the document as a draft the issue does not occur.
Now for the fun part. This is happening to 3 users in a company of over 100. They are all running Windows 7 Professional. However, 2 of them are 32-bit and running Outlook 2010. The 3rd is on 64-bit and running Outlook 2013. All connecting to Exchange 2010.
This seems to be on outlook as I have found people who have reported this on multiple server platforms. This is repeatable and the workaround of saving as a draft first always prevents the issue.
References:
https://community.office365.com/en-us/f/158/t/410806?ss-src=related
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-outlook/kb3055041-causing-a-problem-when-sending-mail/67d94937-373d-409a-b0b1-3f185a7b205d/?auth=1
http://blogs.technet.com/b/outlooksupportjp/archive/2015/09/04/attachment-file-name-are-renamed-to-other-attached-file-name-from-sending-outlook-2010.aspx
All replies
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I too am having the same issue.
Here is my description of the same problem from the Office 365 community site:
Here is how to replicate:
- Start a new email, add recipient, subject, and body of email
- Attach multiple files with similar names (the first 20 characters of these files are the same "Customers 12-2015 -", for example)
- Let Outlook Autosave after 3 minutes (default), or click save, and send
- If I close the email before sending then reopen it from the Drafts folder and send then the filenames are not swapped.
So the swapping occurs on the sender side. If I follow the steps above the email in the sent items folder has the swapped filenames.
I can reproduce this error in Safe Mode, so it definitely seems like an Outlook 2013 issue, not an add-in, not Office 365, and not a recipient problem.
Finally, before sending if I open the attachments from the compose email window, they display correctly, but once the email is sent the file names swap.
It is exactly as described here:
Here are three other forums that report the same issues:
community.spiceworks.com/.../1181698-email-attachments-changed-file-names
I now have more than two users that are attaching multiple XLS and XLSX files that are arriving with swapped names. This means some of the files are appearing corrupt (because an XLSX is being read as an XLS file, etc...).
I need a resolution soon. We have customers who think we don't know how to attach and name files.
This time it happened with no anti-virus add-in running, just the typical O365 add-ins in Outlook 2013 64 bit:
MS Exchange Add-In
MS Sharepoint Server Colleague Import Add-in
MS VBA
OneNote Notes about Outlook Items
I thought it was an Office 365 / Exchange Online issue until I found a way to replicate it. Here was my previous posting:
https://community.office365.com/en-us/f/158/t/410806?ss-src=related
Thank you for your help!
- Proposed as answer by André Santo Wednesday, October 14, 2015 3:36 PM
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When is the update with this bug fix estimated to be released? We are still experiencing the issue almost a month after this posting. I understand that de-bugging and coding/compiling/beta testing these fixes takes time - I would just like some idea of your timeframe.
Thanks
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Well another Outlook 2013 user from another company experiencing the same thing.
The example email in this case had 3 total attachments (docx files), all 3 had the first 7 characters the same but only two attachments switched content. Literally all of the content of one was in the other and vice versa (or they each were renamed with the other filename) with the 3rd untouched.
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I am also having this same issue!!! Has Microsoft issued a fix or which update to uninstall to temporarily fix it?
We have Office 365 Pro Plus v15.0.4763.1003/Outlook 2013.
Only way to workaround it right now is to save email w/ multiple attachments (which gets saved into Drafts folder), close Outlook program, re-open Outlook, open saved mail in Drafts folder and hit Send.
Attachment PDFs are not renamed if this is done.
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They finally published a fix:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3095559
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3101488
- Proposed as answer by robertlansing Friday, December 11, 2015 3:55 PM
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We are still experiencing this issue with Click-to-Run versions of Outlook 2013 despite Office being up to date.
And the KB2975838 update is not listed as being included in the recent releases of the Click-to-Run versions.
So, it looks like this issue has not yet been fixed in Click-to-Run versions?
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It looks like the Click-to-Run version was updated with KB3101488 instead of KB2975838.
KB3101488 is also supposed to have fixed this same issue yet we are still experiencing the problem with changed attachment file names when sending multiple attachments.
We've tried reinstalling Office 2013 and then verifying that the installation is up to date, but this hasn't resolved the issue either.
And with Click-to-Run version there is no way of uninstalling the update that started the problem back in August/September. -
Hello John, have you noticed any progress with this issue? I have same problem with some users.
Lukas
- Edited by Lukas Kovalsky Friday, January 8, 2016 2:26 PM Gramar
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Jesus please tell me someone has a fix for this in office outlook 2016. Same exact issue. Attatchments are being added and the PDF will be named what the excel document is. Freaking headache. Anyone?
Other Info:
Windows 7 32/ 4 GB / office 2016 / outlook is giving us this file name change problem.
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We're now experiencing this issue in Office 2016 x64 on Exchange 2010. No resolution after several hours of attempting to fix. We can reliably replicate the issue. Adding all files into a ZIP is not a solution, and for some not a good workaround.
Common Microsoft, get it together.
- Edited by MaruIT Thursday, July 28, 2016 5:43 PM office-ver
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I believe I have found a work around for this issue!
I made it so my account no longer autosaves to drafts (and I make sure I do not save it manually) and I no longer encounter this issue.
File>Options>Mail>Save messages> Unclick Automatically save items that have not been sent after this many minutes.
Good Luck!!