how to fix The save failed due to lack of memory or disk space. on mac

Question

how to fix The save failed due to lack of memory or disk space. on mac

Simon F 10

I keep getting "The save failed due to lack of memory or disk space." in word on a MacBook Pro. I have word updated, it fixes temporarily if I reboot the computer. I have deleted auto recover folder from word, I have deleted and reinstalled word, still happening.

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2 answers

Answer 1

Darren-Ng 12,770 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Simon F,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on your description, Word for Mac repeatedly shows the error "The save failed due to lack of memory or disk space" even though Word is updated, reinstalled, and the AutoRecovery folder has been cleared. The issue is temporarily resolved after restarting the Mac but returns after a few days.

Here are similar cases reported by another user that may be helpful for reference:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5827244/the-save-failed-due-to-lack-of-memory-or-disk-spac

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5102035/cannot-save-a-word-document-using-a-mac-get-an-out

The issue appears to be related to Word for Mac's save process rather than actual memory or storage limitations. Some troubleshooting steps in that thread include testing with a new document, saving locally, and clearing Word temporary files. Since you have already tried some of those steps, please let me know:

Does the issue occur with all Word documents or only specific files?
Are the affected documents stored locally, or in OneDrive?

In the meantime, here are some suggestions you can try:

Test Word in a new macOS user profile

Create a new local macOS user account.
Sign in to the new profile and test whether Word can save documents normally.

If the issue does not occur there, the problem may be related to the current user profile or permissions.

Grant Full Disk Access to Microsoft Word

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.
Ensure Microsoft Word is allowed and then restart Word

Check whether the issue occurs with all documents

Create a brand-new blank Word document and try saving it locally.
If only one document is affected, the document itself may be corrupted. In that case, copy the content into a new document and save it under a different name.

Test a different save location

Save the file to the local Desktop or Documents folder instead of OneDrive, iCloud Drive, a network share, or an external drive.

I hope information above can help you resolve the issue. Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Simon F 10 Reputation points

2026-07-17T06:15:51.4666667+00:00

I have tried nearly all of the suggested fixes but it still happened. As it is an intermittent issue I will wait until it recurs to try saving a new blank document.

FYI I am saving documents to my hard drive not the Cloud or One drive. They are mostly files shared with me via email, they come from trusted colleagues within my organisation.
Darren-Ng 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-17T17:37:52.87+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for the update.

I understand that the issue is intermittent, which can make troubleshooting more challenging.

Please let me know when the issue recurs and then testing whether a new blank document, as it may help determine whether the problem is related to a specific document or to Word itself.

Looking forward to your update.
Darren-Ng 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-23T06:28:03.62+00:00

Hello,

Just checking in to see if you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back. Warm thanks.
Simon F 10 Reputation points

2026-07-23T06:31:28.6233333+00:00

Still happening. fixed temporarily by rebooting but recurs.
Simon F 10 Reputation points

2026-07-23T06:58:27.9633333+00:00

Happens even with a new blank document. New template ....
Darren-Ng 12,770 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-24T03:25:02.1266667+00:00

Hello,

Thank you for the update. Since the problem also occurs with a new blank document, it appears not to be related to a specific file. Given that a reboot temporarily resolves the issue, I suspect a Word preference/cache issue or a macOS user-profile-related problem. Could you try testing in a new macOS user account and, if possible, reset Word's preferences? Also, please share your macOS version and Word version for further investigation.
Kai-Ex 1,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-31T01:17:28.43+00:00

Hi @Simon F,

I just wanted to follow up and check whether the information above was helpful for you. If you have any new updates, please feel free to share them. Thank you warmly.
Ben Manley 0 Reputation points

2026-08-11T03:08:42.5166667+00:00

Hello, I'm having the same issue. I've tried all of the steps in the other threads, as well as resetting Word preferences by deleting com.microsoft.Word.plist (as several tutorials suggest). Nothing has changed in my macOS user settings for a while and it's not my computer so I'd like to avoid making a new macOS user account.

I just recently updated all of Microsoft Office ~ two weeks ago, I purchased and downloaded Microsoft Office 2024 (NOT an Office subscription) because my old version of Word told me it wasn't supported anymore. This problem showed up about a week later.

At one point I tried to have it update again, and it sat all night in the update prompt and the next day it started working again so I thought it was resolved. But a couple days later it came back.

(We know it's not a problem with the computer itself - disk usage is low, there are GB of unused RAM, etc.) MacOS Sonoma 14.6
Kai-Ex 1,570 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-08-11T06:27:11.44+00:00

Hi @Ben,

For better support, could you please create a new thread with more detailed information? Also, please remember to change the tag to "For Home." This will help ensure that the appropriate support agent is assigned to assist you.

Answer 2

Warwick Terry 0

For me downgrading to v16.106.3 worked. Nothing else did.

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