How to Fix the “An error occurred while PowerPoint was saving the file” Error
Prevent yourself from losing hours of work
Do you see an “An error occurred while PowerPoint was saving the file” error message while trying to save a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation? There’s a good chancethe location you’re saving your file in is not accessible. Here are a few ways to get around this problem.
Other reasons your presentation doesn’t save include a corrupt presentation file, the PowerPoint app experiencing a problem, your Microsoft Office login session having an issue, and more.
Close Your Presentation if It’s Open in Another App
One reason you can’t save your presentation in PowerPoint is that your presentation is open in another app. That other app may be preventing further changes from being made to your file, causing PowerPoint to display an error message.
In this case, check all your open apps and ensure none are using your PowerPoint file. If an app is using the file,close the file in that appand then retry saving the file in PowerPoint. That should resolve your PowerPoint error.
Save the File in Another Location
You may get the “An error occurred while PowerPoint was saving the file” error if the location you’re saving your file is inaccessible. This usually happens with the external storage devices (hard drives or the cloud) that you use with your computer.
In this case, you canresolve the issueby saving your presentation in a folder on your local storage. Later, you can copy the file to your external storage device using File Explorer if you want.
If you fixed your issue using the above method, it’s worth running a disk checkup scan on your storage device to ensure it’s free from any errors.
Fix PowerPoint’s Save Issue by Using a Different File Format
When you face issues saving a presentation, it’s worth using an alternate file format to see if your file is saved. For example, use the PPT format if you have trouble saving your file in the PPTX format.
Repair Your PowerPoint Presentation
Your PowerPoint presentation may be corrupt, causing issues with the app’s save operation. Many reasons can cause your presentation file to get corrupted, including viruses and malicious apps.
To get around that, use PowerPoint’s built-in repair option. This optionrepairs your faulty presentationand then opens the file in the app.
Create a New PowerPoint Presentation From Your Existing Slides
One way to recover the slides and their changes from your current presentation is tomake a new presentationand paste all your current slides in it. This way, you’ll have a new presentation containing all the slides from your faulty one.
Resolve Your Save File Error by Signing Out and Back Into Your Office Account
YourOffice account’s login session may have an issue, causing your Office files not to save. You can refresh this session by logging out and back into your Office apps.
You’ll need your Office account login details, so keep those handy.
Repair Your Microsoft Office Installation
If your “An error occurred while PowerPoint was saving the file” error is still not resolved, PowerPoint’s core app files might be corrupt. You can’t fix these files yourself, so use Office’s built-in repair tool to fix any issues with your apps’ core files.
Reinstall Microsoft Office
If nothing else works, uninstall andreinstallthe entire MS Office suite on your computer. Doing so removes all your Office apps, including PowerPoint, and reinstalls all these apps. This helps fix any issues with these programs.
Resolve PowerPoint’s Save Issues on Your Computer
PowerPoint’s “An error occurred while PowerPoint was saving the file” error can make you lose all the changes you’ve made to your presentation. Luckily, this error is relatively easy to fix, and you can use the above methods to do just that.
Once you’ve gotten around the problem, use the usual save method, and PowerPoint will retain all your presentation changes.
Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio
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