How do I solve this problem - "The save failed due to out of memory or disk space."

Stephens, Robert 10 Reputation points
2026-07-30T14:56:28.68+00:00

When I attempt to save a document, I get the following message: "The save failed due to out of memory or disk space." How do I resolve this? I am using Word version 16.110

Moderator note: Locking this thread which has had little activity since July. Anyone who is still seeing the issue, feel free to start a new thread. You can link to this thread if appropriate. This will be more important if the workarounds presented in the thread do not work.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For education | MacOS

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  1. Warwick Terry 0 Reputation points
    2026-09-01T08:56:43.0966667+00:00

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

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  2. PAT NGAMDACHAKIJ 0 Reputation points
    2026-07-31T16:09:12.6533333+00:00

    I tried this "Create a new user profile and sign into that new profile. After that, try saving a new Word document there to see if it works." and it works but then when I switch back to my current profile the issue still persists.

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  3. Hendrix-C 19,985 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-07-30T18:56:23.18+00:00

    Hi Robert,

    For your concern, this error message usually relates to Word for Mac's save process rather than actual memory/storage limitations and it's quite a generic error which may be triggered by several causes. Therefore, please follow this guidance to narrow down the issue step by step:

    1/ Fully restart your Mac and reopen Word again to test

    2/ Copy to a new document

    This will exclude the situation that your current document may be corrupted:

    • Press Cmd + A to select all the contents > Cmd + C to copy
    • Open a new blank Word document and paste the contents there. You can use Edit > Paste and Match Formatting if available
    • Try saving the new file locally to see if it works

    3/ Grant Word Full Disk Access

    • Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access
    • Enable Microsoft Word app > restart Word and test again

    4/ Test in a new MacOS profile

    • Still in System Settings, go to Users & Groups > Add User...
    • Create a new user profile and sign into that new profile. After that, try saving a new Word document there to see if it works.

    You can give it a try and let me know whether it works. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post and I'm happy to further support you.    

    Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I'm looking forward to your reply.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it.

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