'Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable.' What is the simplest way to resolve this please!

Anonymous
2012-01-11T10:55:22+00:00

When I open Word I get this message every time: 'Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable.' Word then crashes very often without autosaving. 

I've found many people asking this question but I utterly do not understand the answers people have given them! Is there a simple way to resolve this - I know literally nothing about computers! Please help with the easiest solution possible.

Many thanks!

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Doug Robbins - MVP - Office Apps and Services 323.6K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2012-01-11T20:35:19+00:00

When I open Word I get this message every time: 'Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable.' Word then crashes very often without autosaving. 

I've found many people asking this question but I utterly do not understand the answers people have given them! Is there a simple way to resolve this - I know literally nothing about computers! Please help with the easiest solution possible.

Many thanks!

The error message "Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable". Can be caused by incorrect registry values in the key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\User Shell Folders.

Click Start and in the start search field, type

Regedit

and press enter.

In the registry editor, browse to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Explorer\User Shell Folders

On the right hand pane, check the value data for Cache.

It has to be %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files.

If it is different, double click on Cache and type:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

under value data and click ok. Close the registry and  restart the computer and check if it works.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-05-25T12:31:26+00:00

    None of this helps my problem.  I am getting the "Word could not create the work file.  Check the temp environment variable" when I open an existing Word document for editing.  What happens is that I can open the document in Read Only version.  So I can't edit it.  Ooops! Somehow the directory the file was in had been changed to Read Only!  All I had to do was right click on the Directory, Open Properties, and click on the Blue box next to Read Only, then Apply, then OK.

    I wonder how the directory got set to Read Only?

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-05-26T06:08:09+00:00

    Hi Mr. Robbins,

    I tried and followed your solution/ instruction and found out that my value date for Cache has the correct information. If I still have the error message for MS Word, what should I do?

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-06-02T18:23:59+00:00

    You haven't solved the problem yet, Doug.  Here's the thing.  All I have to do is access an Internet site and open a saved Word document, intending to copy and paste its contents.  The file opens Read Only.  Moreover, every Word file on my C drive can now only be opened Read Only. 

    The only two work arounds I have found is to right click the highest directory, click Properties, take off the Read Only marker.  Hit Enter and wait several minutes while everything is reset.  This does not always work.

    Alternatively, I can go to C:\Users\computername\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates and rename Normal (e.g. as Normal1) and then reboot.

    Neither of these get at the root of the problem, which will return the next time I try to upload a Word document.  This is a new problem.  Word (in my case Word 2007, Windows7, Explorer 9) did not act like this prior to two or three months ago.  I suspect some Microsoft patch is behind the problem.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-06-17T10:01:02+00:00

    Thank you all for your input. 

    I have this same problem as you Bob, only there doesn't appear to be a workaround. I cannot even open some files in a read-only. Document preview and downloading and opening Office files from Outlook does not work, either. So this is a problem that cuts across the Office suite. I do not use any job search websites or applications.

    The registry is correct (it was correct before I opened it up). I don't fully understand why this should be a permissions issue, either, as I am not only the admin but the only user account on the computer. The one thing I cannot provide is that I can't recall when this problem began, ie, what I might have done to cause this. There were no problems until recently. I am running Office 2010 on a Windows 7 machine.

    Kindly let me know if you have any thoughts on how to proceed.

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