Intermittent permissions error in Word 365 for Mac

Anonymous
2019-04-24T18:11:45+00:00

I'm finding I'm getting an intermittent permissions error in Word 365 (16.24) on MacOS Mojave (10.14.4).

I'll generally be able to open and save documents for a couple of hours - then, I'll get an error telling me I don't have the required permissions to open the document(s) I'm trying to access. I can't save the current document I'm working on either. These are all documents that I have created - on the same Mac using Word 365 (usually within the last few days or weeks)

A restart helps with the issue - but only postpones it for another couple of hours. Plus I don't want to have to keep restarting!!

When I try to open a file I get the following popup:

After selecting to grant access I then get:

Then, after choosing the correct file and selecting 'grant access', I get:

Any help would be appreciated! I can obviously post more info if required.

Thank you.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-07-09T14:17:32+00:00

    I am also having this issue with both Word and Excel and it is completely inconsistent. I just had two files open, closed both and now can only open one. SO frustrating.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-07-09T03:18:44+00:00

    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

    Same problem, has been happening intermittently for weeks already.

    Have run into this problem with Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.

    Really frustrating as I constantly have to email myself files to back them up. I almost lost a file once--was saved due to my paranoid backuping.

    Since I started using cloud services, this is the first time I've had to worry about a file getting lost. MS and/or Apple really need to sort this out.

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-07-06T17:12:15+00:00

    Same issues - spent 45 minutes on phone with MS tech - she ran First Aid in Disk Utility which resolved it for that day. Said MS was working on a fix but wouldn't promise when available.  She said to expect that this would be a recurring problem.  Today, same issue reappeared and ran First Aid again today.

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  4. Anonymous
    2019-07-02T14:59:13+00:00

    No need to follow anything you see here Nancy, they remotely accessed my machine to carry out the above this morning and it solved nothing :(

    This is quickly becoming a thread of 'how not to solve this problem' - although I guess through a process of elimination we might one day get to a positive outcome. Switching to Google Docs for instance...

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  5. Anonymous
    2019-07-02T14:44:05+00:00

    i have the same problem and have spoken with a live agent 4 times in the last month. really frustrated. i was hopeful when i saw the recommendations here but had trouble to follow them.

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