Method and system for managing documents modified while being viewed in a browser window

A method and system are provided for managing files which are modified while the contents of the files are being viewed in a browser window in a data processing system. During execution of the browser, if a request to close a window in the browser is received, it is determined whether a file which was displayed in the window was modified since a last save operation for the file. If the file was modified, and the file had not been saved with the modifications, then an indicator of the modified file is included in a modification list with a reference to enable access to the modified file. The modification list is then sent to a user of the file so that the user may select options for saving the modified file, discarding the modifications, or resuming editing of the file. Thus, integrity of file modifications is enhanced.