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Search for the original document. Windows 10 and Windows 7. On the taskbar, select the Start or Search icon.; Type the document name, and then press Enter. If the File list contains the document, double-click the document to open it in Word. Find the Word document, go to FileSave. Situation 2: The unsaved word document is caused by sudden power off. In this case, don’t be panic. Restart your Mac immediately, once you see the desktop, you will find all the word documents left unsaved are opened. (In Office 2007, click on the Office Orb, then Options.) In the left-hand column, select Save. In the Save options section, highlight the path in the Autorecover file location box and press CTRL+C to copy the path. Step 2: Navigate to the autorecover file location from within Word. Open Microsoft Word, and select File Open.

Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: Solve Mac Problems • Proven solutions

'Why does my Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac? I have tried several attempts to resolve it, but I can't seem to fix the issue or get back my lost Word documents.'

This is a query from one of the MS Word users on Mac that we have got recently. As you know, MS Word is a part of the Office suite, which is developed by Microsoft. Apart from Windows, it is also available for Mac and provides tons of utility features. Though, there are times when Word on Mac keeps crashing and users are not able to utilize its features or even save their existing files.

Don't worry! the issue is pretty common and can easily be fixed. In this guide, we will teach you why does Microsoft Word keep crashing on Mac and how to fix this problem in 8 different ways. Apart from that, we will also discuss how to recover Word document after a crashed Mac. Let's begin and start a quick MS Word troubleshooting on Mac.

Part 1: Why Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac?

Before we discuss issues to fix the Microsoft Word Mac crashing issues, it is important to note what could have caused the problem to begin with. In this way, you would be able to understand why does Word keeps crashing on Mac and can even avoid it in the future.

  • Mostly, MS Word crashes because of a fault in the Office suite of the tool itself. Chances are that the application could not have been installed probably.
  • You might be running an old or incompatible version of Word on your Mac.
  • If you are using a pirated MS Word application, then it could have been corrupted as well.
  • Sometimes, Mac doesn't give permissions to third-party applications (like Word), making them faulty to work.
  • The source drive where MS Word has been installed could be corrupt as well.
  • The location of the MS Word application could have been moved to someplace else.
  • The application was crashed earlier or closed during processing, making it faulty or corrupt.
  • Chances are that MS Word could have been infected by malware.

Part 2: How to Fix 'Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on Mac'

The good news is that most of these problems can easily be resolved if we follow the right approach. Ideally, you can fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing issue with these solutions.

1. Check the Hard Drive Name

A faulty hard drive name is one of the most common issues for Word to malfunction. This is because Mac provides a more flexible way to name the hard drive while Windows has certain restrictions. If needed, you might need to change the hard drive name as well to fix this. Here's how you can check and rename hard drive on Mac to make it compatible with Word.

  1. Just click on the Apple logo on the top left corner of the desktop and open the Applications tab. Go to the utility section to open the Disk Utility window.
  2. Select your Mac hard drive from the left and view its name and other details on the right (under the 'Partitions' tab).
  3. Make sure that the drive has a name and it should start from a character. While it can have numbers, it should not have all numbers or any special character. Make the needed changes to rename the hard drive.

Once the hard drive has been renamed, you can restart Mac and try accessing MS Word on it again.

2. Clear the AutoRecovery Folder

As you know, Auto-save is an inbuilt feature in MS Word that automatically saves the running document in the background. It allows us to fetch our files back if they are lost or closed unexpectedly. Though, sometimes the AutoRecovery folder might cause some clash with the application itself, making it faulty. Therefore, you can consider clearing it to fix Word on Mac keeps crashing.

  1. To start with, simply launch Finder on your Mac, and from its menu, click on Go > Go to Folder.
  2. Now, copy and paste the path '~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Word/Data/Library/Preferences/AutoRecovery/' on your Mac (without the quotes).
  3. As you click on 'Go', it will open the AutoRecovery folder on your Mac. From here, you can just delete the auto-saved files so that the folder would be cleared.

3. Reset the Word Preferences

Sometimes, the reason for Microsoft Word Mac crashing could be the wrong preferences on the application as well. To resolve this, you can reset the preferences altogether and try restarting Word.

  1. Firstly, select the Word icon on the desktop and go to the Word > Preferences option from the menu.
  2. As the Word Preferences tab would be opened, click on the 'File Locations' icon from here.
  3. This will open the File Locations feature on the screen. Click on the 'User templates' option and choose to 'Reset' it.
  4. You can also click on the 'Modify' button to view it. Here, you can see a 'Normal' file. You can cut and paste it to any other location (like your desktop) or simply move it to the Trash as well.

After resetting the Word preferences, restart the applications and check if it fixes MS Word crashing on Mac or not.

4. Save the Word Document to another Location

Apart from the MS Word application, there could be a problem with Mac storage. as well. For instance, if the particular partition or sector on the hard drive has been corrupted, then you should try to save your documents somewhere else. This will help you avoid Word crashing on Mac or prevent the loss of your important files as well.

Related: If you get problems with Mac storage, come to know 8 ways of freeing up and managing Mac storage.
  1. Firstly, open the MS Word application on your Mac and try opening the file. If you are lucky, you would be able to open the file without the Word application crashing.
  2. Quickly, go to the File menu and click on the 'Save As' option.
  3. Now, browse to the location where you wish to save your Word document and give it the needed name.

Alternatively, you can also copy your MS Word file and just paste it to any other location as well.

5. Download and Install Word Updates

As stated previously, one of the reasons for Microsoft Word crashing on Mac could be an old version of the application. If the MS Word application has not been updated in a while, then it can encounter compatibility issues with Mac. The best way to fix MS Word crashing on Mac is by updating it. Not only will it fix the Microsoft Word Mac keeps crashing, but it will also make the application more secure by installing the needed patches.

  1. Simply launch the Word application on your Mac and from its menu, go to Help > Check for Updates.
  2. From here, you can enable the automatic update option if you want to. Make the relevant selection and click on the 'Check for Updates' button again.
  3. In no time, MS Word will connect to its server and look for any recently available updates. Once it will notify you the same, you can just select the update and click on the 'Install' button.
  4. Now, you can just wait for a while as Word would install the update and restart in the end to a stable version.

6. Create another User Account on Mac

Although it might sound surprising, there could be some issue with your user account on Mac as well. For instance, the account you are accessing might be blocked to use certain applications or there could be a clash with some commands. To avoid this problem and fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac, simply create another account on your system instead.

  1. To start things, go to the Apple icon from the desktop and visit System Preferences.
  2. Click on the 'Users & Groups' sections from here. Once its dedicated window will open, click on the lock icon at the bottom to make some changes in it.
  3. You need to enter your administrator password to proceed. Afterward, click on the '+' icon to add a new account.
  4. Simply enter basic details for the new account (like its type, name, and so on) and click on the 'Create User' button in the end.
  5. If you want, you can create a different password for the new account and link it with the same iCloud account as well.

In the end, you can sign-out from the present account and log-in to the new account instead. Now, try to open MS Word and see if it resolves the problem or not.

7. Boot Mac in Safe Mode

Just like Windows, you can also boot your Mac system in a safe mode as well. The safe mode is mostly used for troubleshooting and it automatically turns on various secondary processes. In this way, you can check if there is a problem with the MS Word application itself or your Mac system. Here's how you can boot your Mac in safe mode and fix Microsoft Word crashing on Mac.

  1. Simply turn on your Mac by pressing the power button. If you are already using it, then restart it instead.
  2. As soon as you would hear the startup chime (or see Apple's logo), press the Shift key on the keyword.
  3. Keep pressing it for the new few seconds as Mac would be restarted in the safe mode.
  4. You can see 'Safe Mode' written at the top right corner of the screen now. Just log-in to any account and try accessing the MS Word application on it.

8. Run Disk Utility to Repair Crashed Word

If none of the above-listed techniques would fix MS Word crashing on Mac, then you can consider repairing the entire disk. Although it would take a lot of time, it will make sure that your Mac's disk would stay secure and in a healthy condition. To repair your Mac's disk and fix Word keeps crashing on Mac, follow these quick steps:

  1. Look for the 'Disk Utility' option from the Spotlight and open it. Alternatively, from the main menu on Mac, click on Go > Utilities and launch the Disk Utility window.
  2. From the left panel, you can select the primary disk on your system. In most of the cases, it is Macintosh HD. Now, click on the 'First Aid' option from its toolbar and confirm your choice.
  3. As Mac would start repairing the disk, you can just wait for a while for the process to be completed.
  4. Once it is done, restart your Mac and check if Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac or not.

Part 3: How to Recover Crashed Word Documents on Mac?

When an application crashes on Mac, we often end up losing its data. Similarly, if MS Word has been crashed while you were working on a document, then you might end up losing it forever. To avoid such an unwanted scenario, consider using Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac. It is one of the best data recovery tools for Mac that is used by leading experts. Developed by Wondershare, it provides a fast, easy, and highly secure way to get your data back. The application has a high data recovery rate and supports all the leading Word document extensions.

  • With the help of Recoverit Data Recovery, you can get back your lost, deleted, or inaccessible Word files in a jiffy.
  • The application supports all kinds of other data types too like photos, videos, PDFs, Excel sheets, emails, compressed files, and so much more.
  • No matter what the situation is, Recoverit will help you in every possible data loss scenario like accidental deletion, corrupt storage, lost partition, etc.
  • It follows different scanning modes, letting users save their time and get the expected results as well.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Keeps Crashing on a Mac?

How to Recover Word Document on Mac

To learn how to recover Word document after a crashed Mac, the following steps can be taken.

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  1. Select a target location

Simply launch Recoverit Data Recovery on your Mac and select a location where you wish to perform the scan. This would be the primary Macintosh HD in this case. Though, if you want, you can perform data recovery on an external device as well.

  1. Scan for the lost files

As you would mark a source location and start the process, Recoverit will carefully scan the location. You are recommended to wait for a while so that the process can be completed without any trouble.

  1. Preview and recover your Word files

When the data extraction process is completed, the application will let you preview the recovered content. Now, you can simply select the Word files you want back and save them to any secure place.

Part 4: Tips to prevent Word Keeps Crashing on Mac

If you don't want to suffer from an unexpected loss of data or MS Word crashing on Mac, then consider following these suggestions.

  • Always make sure that the MS Word application is updated on your system. You can turn on the automatic update to save your time.
  • Keep the real-time scanning of the firewall, so that the application would be safe from any malware attack.
  • Don't turn off your Mac when MS Word is still running in the background.
  • Try not to close any MS Word document in between or in an unexpected manner.
  • Install MS Word in the primary partition on your Mac hard drive (if you have multiple partitions).
  • Don't install MS Office from an unreliable source (or a pirated version). Buy it from Microsoft's official website to avoid any software-related issue.

Now when you know how to fix Microsoft Word keeps crashing on Mac, you would be able to resolve this issue like a pro. Apart from listing different fixes for Word crashing on Mac, we have also provided a quick solution to perform data recovery on Mac as well. With the help of Recoverit Data Recovery, you can easily get back any lost or deleted content in no time. Go ahead and download the Mac data recovery tool on Mac or share it with others to teach them how to recover crashed Word document on Mac.

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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

As you work in a workbook, Microsoft Excel saves the file automatically. It gives the file a temporary file name, and puts the file into the same folder as the original version. When you manually save the workbook, the original file is deleted, and the temporary file is assigned the original file name.

If this process is interrupted, the workbook might not save correctly. You might also find one or more temporary files in the folder where you tried to save your file. Additionally, you may receive one of several alerts or error messages.

The following information can help you identify possible causes of this problem, and proposes solutions to help you solve the problem.

Possible reasons why documents do not save

Microsoft Word Didn 27t Save My Changes Mac Os

Select the tab that applies to you, or go to the 'Quick resolution' section.

If you cannot save a workbook when you run Microsoft Excel in Windows Safe mode, the problem may be caused by a third-party add-in or by a file from one of the Excel startup locations. By default, startup files are loaded when you start Excel.

Some add-ins from third-party software vendors work together with existing Excel features by design, and some are intended to enable a seamless transition when you use a third-party product. Typically, these third-party add-ins do not interfere with Excel functionality. However, some functions, such as saving a file can be affected.

To test for and eliminate the possibility that a third-party Excel add-in or file is causing a 'save' problem in Excel, try to save the file in Safe mode. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Exit Excel.

  2. Select Start, and point to Programs.

  3. As Excel starts, press and hold Ctrl until you receive a message that resembles the following:

    Excel has detected that you are holding down the Ctrl key. Do you want to start Excel in safe mode?

  4. Select Yes.

  5. Open a new Excel workbook, and try to save it. If that works, try again to save the problem file.

If the file now saves correctly, a custom add-in or a file that is located in an Excel startup location is most likely the cause. You must locate and remove the add-in or the file to eliminate the problem. After you determine which add-in or file caused the problem, contact the vendor for additional information or an update that resolves the problem.

For more information about Microsoft Excel safe mode, press F1 in Excel to open the Help menu, type safe mode in the Search box, and then select Search to view the topic.

For more information about how to determine the folders that Excel uses during startup, and additional options to disable this functionality, see the following articles:

When you save an Excel file, you must have the following permissions to the folder in which you are saving the file:

  • Read permission
  • Write permission
  • Modify permission
  • Delete permission

Cannot access read-only document <file name>

This error message is displayed if you try to make changes to a file to which you have only read permissions. This is because the administrator or the owner of the file has not granted you permission to edit the file. If the file does not have the ”read-only” tag but this error message continues to appear while you try to save the file, either of the following reasons might be the cause:

  • You open an existing file, and then try to save it.
  • You save the file to an external or network drive, and the connection fails.

Note

If you do not have the listed permissions, the Excel 'save' process cannot be completed.

You see one of the following error messages:

  • Document not saved
  • Document not completely saved
  • Document not saved. Any previously saved copy has been deleted.
  • The document is not saved.

“Document not saved” or “Document not completely saved”

The process was interrupted while it tried to create a temporary file, possibly because of one of the following reasons:

  • The ESC key was pressed
  • Hardware failure
  • Software failure
  • A problem with media

The original file is still intact. Unless your computer or workstation failed, the version of the file that contains your current changes is still open in memory.

Try saving the file to an alternative drive.

Note

Any changes made in the last revision will be lost.

“Document not saved. Any previously saved copy has been deleted” or “The document is not saved”

The process was interrupted while it was deleting the original file or renaming the temporary file. This problem occurs for the same reasons that are described in the 'Document not saved’ or ‘Document not completely saved' section.

In this case, your original file is deleted (although the temporary file may be readable). If your computer or workstation failed, use the temporary file. If the interruption was caused by something else, the version of the file that contains your current changes is still open in memory. Save the file to an alternative drive.

When you save to any medium, such as a hard disk, an external storage drive, or a network drive, you must make sure that the disk has sufficient free space to enable the file to save. If the destination does not have sufficient space, Excel cannot complete the 'save' operation, and you receive the following error message:

Disk is Full.

For more information about this error message, see the following articles:

When antivirus software is installed or is running, you may receive an error message when you try to save an existing workbook, but not when you try to save a new file. You may receive the error message because some antivirus programs quickly scan any new files that appear on a computer. This scan can sometimes interrupt the Excel 'save' process and may stop Excel from saving the file correctly.

To check whether your antivirus software conflicts with Excel, temporarily deactivate the antivirus software, and then try to save the Excel file.

If you and a second user work concurrently on a shared workbook, you may receive an error message if you and the second user try to save the file at the same time. You receive an error message because Excel cannot save the file if another instance of Excel is saving the same file.

For more information about this error message, see Unlock a file that has been locked for editing.

If you try to save or open an Excel file, and the path of that file (including the file name) is more than 218 characters, you may receive the following error message:

Filename is not valid.

For more information, see Error message when you open or save a file in Microsoft Excel: 'Filename is not valid'.

Process to save a file

Excel follows these steps when it saves a file:

  1. Excel creates a randomly named temporary file (for example, Cedd4100 without a file name extension) in the destination folder that you specified in the Save As dialog box. The whole workbook is written to the temporary file.
  2. If changes are being saved to an existing file, Excel deletes the original file.
  3. Excel renames the temporary file. Excel gives the temporary file the file name that you specified (such as Book1.xls) in the Save As dialog box.

For more information, see Description of the way that Excel saves files.

Note

Other processes that occur on your computer can disrupt the Excel “save” process. These problems might occur if the Excel temporary file is accessed before the Excel “save” process is completed. For example, the local antivirus software locks the temporary file for scanning before the file can be renamed. Therefore, you should track all new software installations and updates. Information about such processes that were run before you experienced this problem can be helpful if this article does not fix your problem and you have to contact Microsoft Support.

Quick resolution

If none of the causes that are listed in this article apply to your situation, or you still can't save workbooks, try the following options to save your Excel files. To see more details about the steps, select the chevron image to the left or the option heading.

Save the workbook by using a new file name

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. Save the Excel workbook by using a unique file name.

Move the original worksheets to a new workbook

  1. Add a filler worksheet to your workbook. To do this, press Shift+F11.
  2. Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the first sheet, hold the Shift key, and then select the last sheet.
  3. Right-select the grouped sheets, and then select Move or copy.
  4. In the To Book list, select (New Book).
  5. Select OK.

Save the file as a different Excel file type

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. In the Save as Type list, select a file format other than the current file format. If you are using Microsoft Excel 2007 or a later version, save the file as .xlsx or .xlsm instead of as .xls.

Try to save the workbook to another location

Try saving your notebook to another location, such as a local hard disk, a network drive, or removable drive.

Try to save a new workbook to the original location

  1. Create an Excel workbook.

  2. On the File menu, select Save As.

  3. In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps:

    1. In the Save in box, select the location in which the original workbook was saved.
    2. In the File name box, type a name for the new file.
    3. Select Save.

Try to save the workbook in safe mode

Restart Windows in safe mode, and then try to save the workbook to your local hard disk.

Additional resources

To avoid problems that prevent files from being saved correctly, we recommend that you activate AutoSave. For more information, see What is Autosave?

If you experience specific problems when you use Excel, go to the following website to search for more information about your program version:

Detailed view of the options

The following section provides more detailed descriptions of these options.

You may have problems when you try to save a Microsoft Excel workbook if one or more of the following conditions are true:

  • You save an Excel workbook to a network drive on which you have restricted permissions.
  • You save an Excel workbook to a location that does not have sufficient storage space.
  • The connection to the Excel workbook is lost.
  • There is a conflict with an antivirus software program.
  • You save an Excel workbook that is shared.
  • The 218-character path limitation is exceeded when you save an Excel workbook.

Workarounds to save Excel workbooks

To work around this problem and try to save your work before you troubleshoot, use the following methods. Depending on the cause of the problem, you may be unable to recover the current file as-is. However, the following methods are typically successful. These methods are listed in order of format retention when you are trying to keep the original file formatting.

Note

The following methods may not save all the latest changes, formatting, and feature sets of the workbook that are specific to the version of Excel that you are using. The following methods are intended to let you obtain a usable, saved version of the file. These methods require you to save the file to your local hard disk by using a unique file name.

Option 1: Save the workbook by using a new file name

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. Save the Excel workbook by using a unique file name.

Option 2: Move the original worksheets to a new workbook

  1. Add a filler worksheet to your workbook. To do this, press Shift+F11.

    Note

    This sheet is required because there must be at least one remaining sheet in a workbook after you move all relevant data sheets.

  2. Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the first data sheet, hold the Shift key, and then select the last data sheet.

  3. Right-select the grouped sheets, and then select Move or copy.

  4. In the To Book list, select (New Book).

  5. Select OK.

    Note

    These steps should move the active (grouped) worksheets to a new workbook.

If your workbook contains VBA macros, copy the modules from the old workbook to the new workbook.

Option 3: Save the file as a different Excel file type

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. In the Save as Type list, select a file format other than the current file format. If you are using Microsoft Excel 2007 or a later version, save the file as .xlsx or .xlsm instead of as .xls.

Option 4: Try to save the workbook to another location

Try to save the workbook to another location, such as a local hard disk, a network drive, or a removable drive. If you are successful, the following are possible causes of the problem: - [Antivirus software conflict](#antivirus-software-conflict) - [Restricted permissions](#restricted-permissions) - [File name length](#file-name-length) - [File sharing conflict](#file-sharing-conflict)

Option 5: Try to save a new workbook to the original location

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To save a new Excel file to the original location, follow these steps:
  1. Create an Excel workbook.

  2. On the File menu, select Save As.

  3. In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps:

    1. In the Save in box, select the location in which the original workbook is saved.
    2. In the File name box, type a name for the new file.
    3. Select Save.

If you can save a new workbook to the original location, the following are possible causes of the problem:

If you cannot save a new workbook to the original location, the following is a possible cause of the problem:

Microsoft Word Didn 27t Save My Changes Macs

If you have sufficient drive space, try Option 3.

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Option 6: Try to save the workbook in safe mode

Restart Windows in safe mode, and then try to save the workbook to your local hard disk.

Notes

  • If you use a network location to save your workbook, try to restart Windows in safe mode with network support, and then try to save.
  • Windows safe mode cannot be used to troubleshoot problems in Microsoft Excel 2010 or later versions.

Microsoft Word Didn 27t Save My Changes Mac Word

For more information about how to start Windows in safe mode, see Advanced startup options (including safe mode).

If the workbook saves after you restart Windows in safe mode, try again to save the file. To do this, select Save on the File menu.

If the workbook does not save after you restart Windows in safe mode, the following are possible causes:

More information

Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community.