Intermittent permissions error in Word 365 for Mac

I primarily get the permissions error when I try to save a file with a different name.  I open a patient's record, update it, then save it with, for example, a different date.  I get a permissions error, and I am unable to save the file until I force quit Word, re-open the file and save with the new date attached in the file name.  For example, I open the file:

Doe John 20190621 19661221

I make the necessary updates, then try to save it as:

Doe John 20190624 19661221

At least a dozen times a day, about at every 7 to 10 file saves, I get the permissions error that will not let me save the file.

I occasionally get the permissions error when opening a file, but the ratio is about 10 to 1.  

I have never installed any third party fonts.  I use only Word native fonts, primarily Trebuchet MS.

Cheers

this is also not my issue. None of my machines have any third party font managers installed. Ive seen this solution in other places, but it is not applicable.

This is not the issue. I read that before posting here. I tried everything applicable that is font related.

I'm having the same issue with Excel. Mojave 10.14.5 and Office 365 16.26. Auto-save disabled.

Yes yes yes to this. Same here. 

I've implimented the following on 2 machines with several I'm awaiting access to to see if it is a robust workflow.

So far so good after a couple of weeks of use on the first machines.

All that are still having problems have with fully patched Mojave and fully patched MSO 365 suite apps (patched as of 2019-Jun-01, at least). 

All that said, what APPEARS in limited testing to work, in my environment (with links to original source):

1. Update the apps (if needed) & Sign out of the Suite once updated.
2. Clear out the Containers as mentioned in this link:

      >> https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/scriptcenter/Automation-of-the-Steps-in-bd36f4c0

     ( >> referenced from: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3025946/unknown-error-or-clock-error-when-you-activate-outlook-2016-for-mac ) 

     && the activation licence files noted in this link: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/how-to-remove-office-license-files-on-a-mac-b032c0f6-a431-4dad-83a9-6b727c03b193

     && the "Privliged Helper Tools" folder in this link: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/what-to-try-if-you-can-t-install-or-activate-office-for-mac-5efba2b4-b1e6-4e5f-bf3c-6ab945d03dea

This link documents the full list of support files for MS Office v2016. Not sure what, if any, differences v2019 has. I did clear all the items listed here (though most were pulled in the steps above) just in case & ran Finder searhces for anything else I could link to any Microsoft saoftware (Skype.app excluded) and deleted those support files just in case. I doubt that had any value but some of my users have been migrating to new Mac's since MS office "vX" (but some people having problems, never even had v2011, thus my feleing that effort wasn't helpful): https://gist.github.com/pirafrank/18d62c062e2806c1d183

3. Clear 'Microsoft' out the Keychain as mentioned in this link:

    >> https://www.zdnet.com/article/fixing-an-unfixable-mac-office-credentials-error-kids-dont-try-this-at-home/

4. Clear the font caches (hey, why not once we're gotten this deep into the weeds):

     >> https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8250288 or via app https://www.northernsoftworks.com/mojavecachecleaner.html (this app is MacOS 10.4 to 10.14)

5. Reboot immediately & Relaunch an MSOffice app - log back in and activate (if it doesn't activate automatically - as sometimes happens and doesn't seem to be a clue to who on my team are having issues and who are not).

As an asside, the font cache seems to be most useful in cases when one of my OpenType or PostScript fonts cause printing errors in MSOffice files due to MacOS also having a less complete version of the family installed as a SIP-protected (eg. required) font. Since some support threads suggest MS Office can sometimne have file access problems related to fonts, I throw the cache reset in into the more global troubleshooting steps. It's still not a reliable fix when that happens. We largely try to avoid "professional" fonts in MS Office given the years of headaches the app has dealing with fonts outside it's own little stash.

For whatever it's worth to know:

* my apps are all in /Applications, not the ~/Applications folder. I don't expect it matters.

* I often use a custom autosave location set in Microsoft Word.app preferences. After years of problems with autosave saving autosave info to network volumes I prefer to declare where MS Word saves it's autosave files (~/documents/Microsoft Office/autosave

• a preference which, as per typical since forever, various verisons of MS Word.app will ignore.)

I've started mixing this up a bit to hunt for a clue about why some users have problems and others don't. This effort started when iCloud and, later, Google Drive directories that were in sync with one of those 2 services "saving" files without the users changes being included. And some failurs to save on the 'can't save the document, the originalmust have moved' error (sigh).

I used to use ~/documents/microsoft user data/autosave religiously, but have started using ~/library/favorites/AutoSave, ensuring that the file is User Writeable since this folder doesn't sync in our Google Drive setup, whereas paths in ~/Documents do.

I do suspect that the bastardized autosave Microsoft uses is a part of the file save/open problems. It's been an on-again-off-again problem since office since at least v2004. Seeing that MS Word *still* frequently ignores the custom autosave file path makes problems that could be triggered by where, exactly, that "~" file exists in the file structure difficult to tease out /=

Anyhow - the autosave system is, since forever, horrible. If it's not a part of the file permissions & save problems I'll be plesently shocked. All I want for Christmas is a Microsoft Office for Mac suite *that can reliably save a file* - it doesn't seem like to much to ask for the $$ we ship to Redmond. -J.