macros disappearing - Word 2019 for Mac

Anonymous
2019-08-21T18:34:26+00:00

When I create macros in the 2019 version of Word for Mac as a way of opening frequently used files, the macros work immediately after I create them, but then anywhere from a few minutes to a day later I get the following error message: "Sorry, we can't find your file.  Was it moved renamed or deleted."  I didn't have this problem with the previous version of Word for Mac or any of the earlier versions of Word I used from back to about the late 1980s, tho those were for Windows-based PCs.

Does anyone have any idea what's causing this problem and how to fix it?

FYI, I'm creating the macros the way I always did, clicking on Tools, then Macros, then Record Macro, then entering in the Keyboard Shortcut box the keys I want to use, then opening the file I want to create access to, then going back to Tools and clicking Macros and End Recording.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Jim G 134.1K Reputation points MVP
    2019-09-29T15:05:34+00:00

    If you have Time Machine running you can restore a previous build of just Microsoft Word.app

    Before doing that, go to Word > Help (or any Office app Help) and choose Check for Updates to launch AutoUpdate. Set AutoUpdate to manual so it doesn't try to bring you back up to date as soon as you restore an old build.

    If you don't have a Time Machine backup, you can download individual installers from this page:

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-10-23T22:37:21+00:00

    Jim, Thanks again for your continued efforts.  I just got around to the macro problem again and tried to get an earlier version of Word from the Time Machine, but discovered that, for some mysterious reason, despite being set for automatic backup, my Time machine hadn't been backing up since March, and as I purchased the version of Word on my iMac in May, I didn't have an earlier version of it.  

    So I replaced my version of word with an updated one from the link you provided, https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac.  However, when I tried to create a macro, I again got that error message I was getting when I wrote to you about the problem: "Microsoft Visual Basic. System Error &."  

    I then checked the Applications folder in finder and it showed the Word app as being installed today and didn't show an earlier version.  So it's looking like stalemate on macros.  Do you have anything else to suggest?

    **** Greene

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  3. Anonymous
    2019-10-24T09:24:06+00:00

    Dear Richard_1931,

    About this issue, if you have sent the feedback to our related team, I suggest you keep eyes on the emails for the latest updates.

    Best Regards,

    Cliff

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  4. Jim G 134.1K Reputation points MVP
    2019-10-24T18:30:22+00:00

    Hi

    I just re-read your Sept 27 reply and it dawned on me that the macros may not be written to accommodate multiple windows being open simultaneously.

    For example, the code may think you have a particular worksheet as the active worksheet, but perhaps you clicked into a different worksheet or the code activated a different worksheet from what the command is currently expecting. It's risky to write code using ActiveWorksheet. Your code should specify exactly which worksheet it wants to perform operations on.

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  5. Anonymous
    2019-11-19T03:04:46+00:00

    It's been about a month now since I sent my feedback and I've received no response of any kind.  This isn't the first time I've experienced this.  I called the problem you've been trying to help me with to the attention of various offices of the company at various times beginning over a year a go.  I very rarely received any response and the problem still hadn't been dealt with last time I checked.

    Microsoft's unresponsiveness is disturbing.  I'm gradually phasing out of Office Suite and eventually plan on no longer using it, or any other Microsoft product.  The company seems to have been able to get away with its customers be damned attitude so far, but eventually, I hope, it will pay a price, perhaps as a result of the growing disillusionment of the public and politicians with the monopolistic positions of the tech giants.

    Thank you for your efforts.  They've been an oasis in the desert of Microsoft's unresponsiveness.  However, the problem still remains, or at least did last time I checked, which was a few weeks ago.

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