Top 6 Ways to Fix Can't Save Word Document on Mac in 2024

While editing a Word document on your MacBook, especially a large one, the last thing you'd want is for Word to crash without saving your changes. Unfortunately, many users have reported encountering this issue: Word won't save on Mac.

Having trouble with a Microsoft Word document not saving on your Mac can be a frustrating experience, potentially wiping out hours of hard work. Fortunately, in this article, we'll guide you through effectively resolving the Word not saving issue on your Mac and recovering unsaved Word documents with simple, easy-to-follow steps. Keep reading!

Why Can't I Save Word Documents on Mac?

Possible reasons that Word might not save on a Mac include:

Incompatible software version:

• You don't have the latest version of Microsoft Word, or you installed a pirated copy of Word from an unknown or unsafe source.
• Your macOS version is too old and causes instability with the Word app after updates. (Learn how to upgrade to macOS Sonoma.)

Interference from third-party software or a virus:

• A third-party add-on or plugin is preventing the app from running, so Word might be getting hijacked by another process.
• Your Mac operating system is infected with a virus or malware.

Power outage or human error:

• You accidentally lost power or abruptly closed Word without saving new edits to a document.
• You chose the "Don't Save" option when exiting a Word document on your Mac.

Upon knowing the possible reasons for the Word document not saving issue, the first thing to do is to perform recover unsaved Word document on Mac. Data recovery should be carried out immediately after data loss or deletion to maximize the chances of retrieving lost data without damage.

How to Recover an Unsaved Word Document on a Mac

If you clicked “Don't Save” while closing the Word window, your Word document might not have been saved on your Mac. Don't worry; you can retrieve unsaved Word documents with powerful data recovery software like tools Data Recovery Wizard for Mac.

Why choose Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro? Because it boasts powerful recovery capabilities, with a high success rate for retrieving your file whether you accidentally clicked “Don't Save” on a Word document in Mac or permanently deleted a Word file.

And, this Mac Word Recovery tool is so easy to use that even if you are not so tech-savvy, you can retrieve your lost data in 3 simple steps, just by following on-screen instructions.

Follow the steps below to recover an unsaved Word document on your Mac:

Note: You can click "Disk Backup" on the left to create a backup first. This way, you can restore your data from the backup image when the disk is damaged or unsaved documents on the disk are accidentally deleted or lost.

Step 1: Select a disk

Launch the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac, hover the mouse over the device where your unsaved files were lost, and click Search for Lost Files.

Step 2: Select the unsaved document.

After the scan is finished, click on “Category” and then expand “Unsaved Documents”. Click on the specific file type that you have lost – Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Pages, or Numbers.

Step 3: Preview and recover the unsaved files

Double-click to preview an unsaved file, choose the correct version, and then click “Recover” to save the file to a secure location on your Mac.

This article will outline effective methods to resolve issues with Word documents not autosaving on a Mac. Feel free to give it a read if needed.

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How to Fix the Issue of Word Not Saving on a Mac

After recovering unsaved Word documents on Mac, if such errors occur in the future and disrupt your workflow, we present six effective methods to resolve the issue of Word not saving on Mac. Let's explore them.

Solution 1: Check your internet connection

An unstable internet connection can also cause Word to freeze while saving when OneDrive is enabled. You can check your Mac's network settings to see if the connection is stable.

Fix 2: Close Word apps on other devices

When you open the same Word document on another device, Microsoft might lock the document on your Mac, preventing you from editing it and saving changes to the Word file. You need to close the identical Word document on the other device and then try using Word again on your Mac.

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Fix 3: Reduce the Size of Your Word Document File

If your Word document is taking up too much storage space, it might prevent you from saving it on your Mac. Microsoft offers a "Reduce File Size" option, and here's how to find it:

Step 1: Open the Word document that won't save on your Mac.

Step 2: Click “File” in the top menu, and then click “Reduce File Size.”

Step 3: Choose your video quality and other compression options from the resulting menu.

Note: It is recommended that you choose High Fidelity (maximum ppi) to avoid generating blurry, illegible images.

Step 4: Check the box for “Delete Cropped Areas of Pictures,” and click OK.

Step 5. Click “Save” to save the Word document to your Mac.

Fix 4: View version history

If you accidentally close an unsaved Word document, you can recover previous version of the Word document on Mac via the “Browse Version History” feature built into the Microsoft Word app. However, be aware that this may result in a small amount of lost changes.

Please follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the unsaved Word document on your Mac and click on “File.”

Step 2: Choose “Browse version history” to see earlier versions.

Step 3: Open a previous version using Time Machine or your operating system's equivalent. Find the correct version, which should be the last one saved before the edits.

Fix 5: Save a copy of your Word document

When you can't save a Word document on your Mac, try saving a copy of the Word document with these steps:

Step 1: Open the unsaved Word document on your Mac, and click “File.”

Step 2: Choose the “Save As” or “Save Copy Of” option.

Step 3: Rename the Word document copy and save it in a secure location on your Mac.

Fix 6: Update Word from the App Store

As we mentioned earlier, incompatible software versions can also cause Word to crash or fail to save documents on a Mac. So, open the App Store, find the Microsoft Word app, and update it to the latest version.

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Conclusions

This article presents six effective solutions to address the issue of Word not saving on a Mac, including checking the network connection, closing Word applications on other devices, reducing the size of the Word document, using the "Browse Version History" option, saving a copy of the Word document, and updating the Word app from the App Store.

Before fixing the issue that Word won't save, you can install a professional and trustworthy data recovery software tool on your Mac – Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro – to recover unsaved Word documents.

Frequently Asked Questions About Word Not Saving on Mac

Here are some questions people also ask when searching for how to fix Word not saving on Mac:

**1. How to fix the issue of Microsoft Word not saving on a Mac?** If you encounter problems with Microsoft Word not saving on your Mac, try the following steps to resolve the issue: 1. **Check for updates**: Ensure that your version of Word is up to date. Open Word, click "Help" > "About Microsoft Word," and see if any updates are available. 2. **Force quit and restart**: Right-click the Word icon in the Dock, select "Force Quit." Then reopen Word to see if the problem persists. 3. **Reset the Normal template**: The "Normal" template in Word can sometimes cause saving issues. In Finder, navigate to `~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.Office/User Content/Templates`, locate the "Normal.dotm" file, rename it, or move it elsewhere, and restart Word. 4. **Disable AutoRecover**: In Word, click "File" > "Options" (on Mac, it might be "Preferences") > "Save," uncheck "Enable AutoRecover information save" and click "OK." 5. **Check disk space**: Make sure your Mac has enough disk space to save files. If space is low, clean up unnecessary files or use the Optimize Storage feature. 6. **Open in Compatibility Mode**: Try opening a new document in Compatibility Mode to see if it saves correctly. Choose "File" > "New" > "From Template," then select "Blank Document." 7. **Repair Office applications**: Locate Microsoft Office in the "Applications" folder, right-click, and choose "Show Package Contents." Navigate to `Contents/Resources/Utilities`, and run `Microsoft Office Diagnostics`. Follow the prompts provided. 8. **Contact Microsoft Support**: If none of these steps work, you may need to contact Microsoft's official support for further assistance. Hopefully, one of these steps will help resolve the issue with Word not saving on your Mac.

Here are six effective ways to fix this error on your Mac:

Check your internet connection. Close any other Word apps on other devices. Reduce the file size of your Word document. Use the Browse Version History feature in Word. Save a copy of your Word document. Update the Word app from the App Store.

**2. Why does my Word document become unresponsive when saving on a Mac?**

A corrupted Word document can also cause Word to freeze when saving. Use the Data Recovery Wizard for Mac Pro tool to fix a corrupted Word file on Mac, or try running Word in Safe Mode on your Mac to see if that resolves the issue.