Word crashes on saving a document.

If Microsoft Word is crashing when you try to save a document, it could be due to several reasons. Here are some troubleshooting steps you can take:

1. Check for Corrupted Templates: Sometimes, a corrupted Normal.dotm template can cause issues. You can try renaming the Normal.dotm file to force Word to create a new one. To do this:
   • Open Finder and navigate to %userprofile%\appdata\roaming\microsoft\templates.
   • Rename the Normal.dotm file to Oldword.old.
   • Restart Word and try saving your document again.
2. Start Word with Default Settings: You can start Word using the /a switch to bypass any add-ins or custom templates that might be causing the issue. To do this:
   • Exit Word.
   • Open the Run dialog (press Command + Space, type "Terminal", and hit Enter).
   • Type open -a "Microsoft Word" --args /a and hit Enter.
   • Try to save your document again.
3. Check for Software Updates: Ensure that your version of Microsoft Word is up to date. Sometimes, updates include fixes for bugs that may be causing crashes.
4. Repair Disk Permissions: If you are on Mac OS, repairing disk permissions can sometimes resolve issues with applications crashing. You can do this through the Disk Utility.
5. Reinstall Word: If the problem persists, consider uninstalling and reinstalling Microsoft Word to ensure that you have a clean installation without any corrupted files.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, you may want to check for any specific error messages that appear when Word crashes, as these can provide more insight into the underlying problem.

Hi Dominic Rivkin,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Forum! Have a good day and I hope you're doing well!

I understand that Word crashing unexpectedly when saving files can be frustrating and disrupt your workflow. Let's work together step by step to resolve it as quickly as possible.

For more details, could you let me know where you're currently saving files: directly on the machine (like Desktop or Documents) or via the cloud like OneDrive/SharePoint/ the orther services? If AutoSave is currently enabled and saving directly to the cloud, try turning it off first. Then use ‘Save As…’ to save the file temporarily to your Desktop and check if that improves the issue.

Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling the Word application yet?

If it's convenient, I suggest some simple checks:

1. Create a new macOS user account and test saving there: Add a user or group on Mac

Note: Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

2. Additionally, update macOS and Word/Office to the latest version to get recent stability improvements and patches.

I hope this helps. Please share the results from the above steps with me, and I'll use that to suggest more suitable next steps. If I misunderstand or unclear, feel free to reach out.

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