How to Fix Microsoft Excel “Document Not Saved” Error

Plus what can cause this to happen

Microsoft Excel is an indispensable tool—if it’s working properly. If you encounter the document not saved error in Excel, you’re left in a situation where your important data is at risk.

The error itself is self-explanatory, but troubleshooting the cause behind it can be difficult. Thankfully, there are several solutions that can help you resolve this issue and protect your hard work.

What Causes a Document Not Saved Error in Microsoft Excel?

There are several factors that can contribute to the document not saved error when you’re using Microsoft Excel. Understanding these causes will help you better troubleshoot the issue and increase your chances of resolving it.

If you encounter this error, try some of the common fixes below to resolve it.

Restart Excel

Simply restarting Excel can sometimes resolve the document not saved error in Excel. Before you perform more complex troubleshooting methods, try giving Excel a quick restart by following these steps:

If Excel doesn’t close, you’ll need toopen Task Managerand force theexcel.exeapplication to terminate.

Close Other Open Applications

Having multiple applications running simultaneously can cause conflicts and lead to errors like the document not saved issue in Microsoft Excel. This can particularly occur when a file you’re trying to save in Excel is being accessed by another application (such as a third-party backup tool).

To do this, close any open applications via the taskbar at the bottom. You can also open Task Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selectingTask Manager, then terminating any open applications by force.

Remember that closing other applications can help free up system resources, so it’s always a good idea to keep unnecessary programs closed while working in Excel. Always make sure to save your work frequently to avoid data loss in case of software or hardware issues.

Resolve Permission Issues

Permission issues can be a common cause for the document not saved error in Microsoft Excel. To address these issues, follow the steps below:

Check Your Network Connection

If you’re saving to a network drive or another location that isn’t directly on your PC, you may encounter problems saving your file if the connection isn’t stable or you don’t have the necessary access to save the file.

First, confirm that your computer is connected to the network and has access to the same file location by visiting itvia File Explorer. If you can open the save location and interact with other files (such as renaming them or saving them), then your connection should be stable, and you should be able to continue.

If you don’t, however, you’ll need tocheck your connection is working properlyon your PC. Windows users may also need to considerrepairing their Windows installationto resolve any system issues, too.

Save the Excel File with a New Name and File Location

The document not saved error in Microsoft Excel can often be resolved by saving the open file with a new name and file location.

If this process fixes the document not saved error, you can continue to work on your workbook without any issues.

Start Excel in Safe Mode

Third-party Excel add-ins and configuration changes can sometimes cause problems to occur. If you want to rule this out, you’ll need torestart Excel in Safe Mode. Safe Mode helps you troubleshoot issues by disabling the potentially disruptive third-party add-ins before you load your file.

To start Excel in Safe Mode, follow these steps:

After launching Excel in Safe Mode, check if the document not saved error still persists. If it doesn’t, the issue might be related to a third-party add-in causing conflicts. You’ll need to disable or manage the add-ins to resolve the issue.

Repair or Reinstall Office

Unknown issues within your Office installation can cause problems with applications like Excel. To fix this, you can try repairing your Office installation or reinstalling it completely.

To repair your Office installation on Windows, follow these steps:

If repairing the Office suite doesn’t solve the issue, you may need to reinstall Office entirely. Here’s how:

After reinstalling Office, try opening and saving your Excel documents to see if the document not saved error is resolved. Remember that reinstalling Office might remove any custom settings changes you’ve previously made, so you’ll need to reconfigure them again afterward.

Fixing Document Errors in Microsoft Excel

If you’re seeing the document not saved error in Excel, one of the steps above should help you to resolve the situation. If you’re still having trouble (or if yourExcel file just won’t open), you might want to considerconverting the Excel file to Google Sheetsto retrieve your data.

Locked down your Excel file? If you want to edit it afterward, don’t forget tounprotect your Excel filenext.

Ben Stockton is a freelance technology writer based in the United Kingdom. In a past life, Ben was a college lecturer in the UK, training teens and adults. Since leaving the classroom, Ben has taken his teaching experience and applied it to writing tech how-to guides and tutorials, specialising in Linux, Windows, and Android. He has a degree in History and a postgraduate qualification in Computing.Read Ben’s Full Bio

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How to Fix Microsoft Excel “Document Not Saved” Error#

What Causes a Document Not Saved Error in Microsoft Excel?#

Restart Excel#

Close Other Open Applications#

Resolve Permission Issues#

Save the Excel File with a New Name and File Location#

Start Excel in Safe Mode#

Repair or Reinstall Office#

Fixing Document Errors in Microsoft Excel#

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