Got this error, and they had the temerity to ask me if it was helpful. Pricks. Anyway. Could not save to new name. Could not save to external media. Could not save elsewhere on C:. In short, could not save.
One bit of advice I have read is to wait till Word does an autosave, then kill Word using task manager. Then when Word is restarted it will give an option to rescue the file. Sounds dangerous to me. Waited but save did not come.
Similar situation here, only in my case it is adding splits that disables the Save option in the File menu. If I try to trick it by closing the window and setting a name and location for the file when prompted, Quicktime goes through the progress bar as if it was saving, and in the end tells me that 'this operation could not be completed'. Among the results, there is this one that points to some OneDrive bug: Windows 10, cannot save a text file to the C: folder, access - Microsoft Community. But it's too much complex for me. Oh, BTW, I could save the test txt file to a folder named Textos (Texts), which is located at a second hard drive and is on the desktop a shortcut.
First thing I did was print to PDF with all track changes and everything visible so I would at least have a record of what the file looked like.
- May 04, 2019 If the file you opened is on a read-only medium like a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, you cannot make changes and save them to the original file. Solution Open the file and Save as to a new location on a writable medium such as your hard drive.
- Break Data Validation links. If you have data validation rules in your workbook – such as dropdown lists within cells – it’s possible that they relate to other workbooks. Unless you know exactly which cells have such rules you unfortunately have to search them.
Then created a new blank file. Tested that it could be saved. Yes. And in the same folder as the original file. (I knew that should be OK since I printed to PDF into the same folder).
Went to file I wanted to rescue, with track changes visible and all comments visible. Ctrl-A, Ctrl-C
Went to new empty doc and pasted. Got text and comments but not the track changes information. Well, that is still useful as a backup.
Save.
Now, it should be possible to make a copy with track changes information.
Another handy way to copy the text is to use the spike. Word users are so familiar with using the Clipboard to cut, copy, and paste information that we often forget about the spike. This is an area of Word that acts like a secondary Clipboard, with some significant differences. (You can learn more about the spike in other issues of WordTips or in Word’s online Help.) To use the spike to copy and paste text with Track Changes markings intact, follow these steps:
- In the source document, select the text you want to copy.
- Press Ctrl+F3. The text is cut from the document and placed on the spike. (If you wanted to copy, not cut, then immediately press Ctrl+Z to undo the cut. The selected text still remains on the spike.)
- In the target document, place the insertion point where you want the text inserted.
- Make sure that Track Changes is turned off in the target document.
- Press Shift+Ctrl+F3 to clear the spike and insert the spike’s text into your document.
So I went to source document ant hit Ctrl-A, then Ctrl-F3.
Opened blank with same template, track changes turned off (it is by default I think).
Shift-Ctrl-F3
But does not save! The problems have come with it!
So that does not help.
Now, if I turn off track changes and accept all changes, I can save the document – so it is a bug somewhere in Word’s track changes code.
If the problem occurs again, can try the spike method with the different aspects of track changes turned on and off, to narrow it down.
So no satisfactory solution discovered. I do not know what change I put in that caused the issue, and it has never occurred before. So… I dunno. The above ideas are just partial solutions.
-->Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Causes
Third-party add-ins
If the Excel file is not saved when you run Excel in Windows safe mode, the issue may be caused by a third-party add-in or by a file that is in one of the Excel startup locations. By default, these files are loaded when you start Excel.
Adobe Acrobat Won't Save File
Sometimes, third-party software vendors install custom add-ins to work with Excel. Some of these add-ins work with existing Excel features by design, and some are intended to enable a seamless transition when you are using a third-party product. Typically, these third-party add-ins do not interfere with normal Excel functionality. However, there are some exceptions. For example, Excel save conflicts have occurred because of an add-in.
To test for and eliminate the possibility that a third-party Excel add-in or file is causing an Excel save issue, start Excel in safe mode. To do this, follow these steps:
Exit Excel.
Select Start, and then point to Programs.
Press Ctrl when you start Excel, and hold it 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?
Select Yes.
Try to save a new Excel file, and then resave the same Excel file again.
If the file 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 the add-in or the file that caused the problem, contact the vendor that designed it. The vendor may have additional information about this issue and an update that does not cause the issue to occur.
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:
Restricted permissions
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
Note
If you do not have these permissions, the Excel save process cannot be completed.
Insufficient drive space
When you save to any medium, such as a hard drive, an external storage drive, or a network drive, you must make sure that the drive has sufficient free space to enable the file to save. If the destination drive 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:
Antivirus software conflict
When antivirus software is installed or is running, you may receive an error message when you try to save an existing workbook. You do not receive an error message if you try to save a new file. You may receive an error message because some antivirus programs quickly scan any new files that appear on a computer. This scan can sometimes disrupt the Excel save process. This interruption may stop Excel from saving the file correctly.
To check if your antivirus software conflicts with Excel, temporarily deactivate the antivirus software and then try to save the Excel file.
File sharing conflict
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.
File name length
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:
- 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.
- If changes are being saved to an existing file, Excel deletes the original file.
- 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 may disrupt the Excel save process. These issues may 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 must keep track of any new software installations or updates that are performed before you have problems when you try to save workbooks. This information will be helpful if this article does not fix your issue and you have to contact Microsoft Support.
Quick resolution
Try the following options to help recover your Word document. Select the image at the left or the option heading to see more detailed instructions about that option.
Save the workbook by using a new file name
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Move the original worksheets to a new workbook
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Save the file as a different Excel file type
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Try to save the workbook to another location Try saving your notebook to another location, such as a local hard drive, a network drive, or removable drive. |
Try to save a new workbook to the original location
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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
If you experience specific issues 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 drive 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
- On the File menu, select Save As.
- Save the Excel workbook by using a unique file name.
Option 2: Move the original worksheets to a new workbook
Add a filler worksheet to your workbook. To do this, press Shift + F11.
Note
This sheet is required because there has to be at least one remaining sheet in a workbook after you move all relevant data sheets.
Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the first sheet, hold the Shift key, and then select the last sheet.
Right-select the grouped sheets, and then select Move or copy.
In the To Book list, select (New Book).
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
- On the File menu, select Save As.
- 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.
Word Won't Save File Permission Error
Option 4: Try to save the workbook to another location
Try saving your notebook to another location, such as a local hard drive, a network drive, or 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
To save a new Excel file to the original location, follow these steps:Create an Excel workbook.
On the File menu, select Save As.
In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps:
- In the Save in box, select the location in which the original workbook is saved.
- In the File name box, type a name for the new file.
- 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:
If you have sufficient drive space, try Step 3.
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
Won 27t Save File Bankruptcy
- 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 issues in Microsoft Excel 2010 or later versions.
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 to save the file again. To do this, select Save on the File menu.
If the workbook does not save (or save again) after you restart Windows in safe mode, the following are possible causes:
More information
Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community.