Unable to save files in Word 2016 for Mac on OS X El Cap

Anonymous
2016-02-18T19:08:46+00:00

Hi folks,

I'm running into a situation affecting some but not all Macs at our office. We recently updated to Office 2016 (via Offiec365), and are running into problems with Word in particular. 

What's happening is that after opening or creating a new document and making changes, typing ⌘-S to save does not do anything, and the Save and Save As options are grayed out in the menu. Closing the window or quitting Word will trigger the "Do you want to save..." dialog, which then appears to allow you to save the document, but the document that is actually saved is completely blank. 

Has anyone encountered this also? It's affecting a couple of iMacs and a MacBook Pro, but some iMacs and laptops are not experiencing the same problem.

Thanks,

Tom

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2017-02-13T23:50:13+00:00

I had this issue persistently last year but it seems fixed now with latest releases all round. I suggest running Microsoft Autoupdate, and doing manually every few days too. Also join the optional Office Insider program to get latest fixes.

My system:

Word for Mac 15.32 (170201)

MacBoook Pro (2016), 10.12.3

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  1. John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-02-14T00:38:53+00:00

    Good news, thanks for letting us know.

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  2. John Korchok 236.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2017-02-13T23:40:55+00:00

    Restarting your computer on a regular basis is a good idea to clear out the cobwebs. I restart at least once a week, daily if my work is busy.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-02-13T23:35:16+00:00

    I am having the exact same problem that Tom RuBane posted on February 28, 2016.

    I am using Word for Mac v-15.30. My Mac is a 27" iMac mid 2010 running Mac OS-X 10.11.6.

    I can make the problem go away for a while if I restart my Mac. I haven't paid attention to how long this works but it seems to be for several days or even weeks.

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  4. Jim G 134.1K Reputation points MVP
    2016-11-18T16:00:35+00:00

    15.27 isn't the current update. You can update to 15.28 by following these instructions:

    Make sure your Mac has a working internet connection before checking for updates. Install Mac OS X updates followed by Office updates.

    Mac OS X updates:

    To get Mac OS updates, go to the App store on your dock, and then click the Updates button to reveal available updates.

    Office Updates

    To get the update:

    1. Open any Office application:
    2. Make sure your Mac has a working internet connection
    3. Go to the Help menu and choose Check for Updates
    4. Let AutoUpdate check for and install updates
    5. Restart your Mac

    If updating to 15.28 fixes the problem, please reply.

    If updating to 15.28 does not fix the problem, please reply and I will suggest more troubleshooting steps.

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