Troubleshoot why Excel doesn't save changes

  • Article
  • 12 minutes to read
  • Applies to:
    Excel for Role 365, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Excel 2010, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2003

Note

Function 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this modify, read this blog postal service.

Every bit you work in a workbook, Microsoft Excel saves the file automatically. It gives the file a temporary file name, and puts the file into the same binder as the original version. When you manually save the workbook, the original file is deleted, and the temporary file is assigned the original file proper name.

If this procedure is interrupted, the workbook might not salve correctly. You might also find i or more temporary files in the folder where you tried to salvage your file. Additionally, yous may receive 1 of several alerts or error messages.

The following information can aid you identify possible causes of this problem, and proposes solutions to help you lot solve the problem.

Possible reasons why documents don't salve

Select the tab that applies to yous, or go to the "Quick resolution" section.

  • third-party add-ins
  • Permissions
  • Document not saved
  • Disk infinite
  • Antivirus software
  • File sharing
  • File naming

If you lot cannot relieve a workbook when you run Microsoft Excel in Windows Safe mode, the problem may be caused by a tertiary-party add-in or past a file from one of the Excel startup locations. By default, startup files are loaded when you start Excel.

Some add-ins from third-political party software vendors piece of work together with existing Excel features by design, and some are intended to enable a seamless transition when yous utilize a third-party product. Typically, these third-political party add-ins practise not interfere with Excel functionality. However, some functions, such as saving a file tin be affected.

To test for and eliminate the possibility that a tertiary-party Excel add together-in or file is causing a "save" problem in Excel, effort to save the file in Prophylactic mode. To practice this, follow these steps:

  1. Exit Excel.

  2. Select Start, and signal to Programs.

  3. As Excel starts, printing and hold Ctrl until yous receive a message that resembles the following:

    Excel has detected that you are holding down the Ctrl primal. Do you desire to start Excel in safe mode?

  4. Select Yes.

  5. Open a new Excel workbook, and try to relieve information technology. If that works, attempt once more to save the problem file.

If the file now saves correctly, a custom add-in or a file that is located in an Excel startup location is most probable the cause. You must locate and remove the add-in or the file to eliminate the trouble. After you lot make up one's mind which add-in or file caused the problem, contact the vendor for additional information or an update that resolves the problem.

For more than information well-nigh Microsoft Excel safe fashion, press F1 in Excel to open the Help menu, type safe fashion in the Search box, and and then select Search to view the topic.

For more information virtually how to make up one's mind the folders that Excel uses during startup, and additional options to disable this functionality, meet the post-obit manufactures:

  • Employ startup folders in Excel
  • How to forestall files from opening automatically in Excel

Quick resolution

If none of the causes that are listed in this article apply to your state of affairs, or you lot even so can't save workbooks, try the following options to save your Excel files. To see more than details nearly the steps, select the chevron image to the left or the option heading.

Save the workbook by using a new file proper name

  1. On the File bill of fare, select Salve As.
  2. Save the Excel workbook by using a unique file name.

Movement the original worksheets to a new workbook

  1. Add together a filler worksheet to your workbook. To do this, press Shift+F11.
  2. Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the first canvass, concord the Shift key, and then select the final sheet.
  3. Right-select the grouped sheets, and and then select Motion or copy.
  4. In the To Volume list, select (New Book).
  5. Select OK.

Save the file as a different Excel file blazon

  1. On the File card, select Save Every bit.
  2. In the Save as Type listing, select a file format other than the current file format. If you are using Microsoft Excel 2007 or a later version, save the file as .xlsx or .xlsm instead of every bit .xls.

Try to salvage the workbook to another location

Try saving your notebook to another location, such equally a local hard deejay, a network drive, or removable drive.

Try to salve a new workbook to the original location

  1. Create an Excel workbook.

  2. On the File menu, select Save As.

  3. In the Relieve As dialog box, follow these steps:

    1. In the Save in box, select the location in which the original workbook was saved.
    2. In the File name box, type a proper name for the new file.
    3. Select Salve.

Endeavour to save the workbook in safe mode

Restart Windows in prophylactic manner, so try to save the workbook to your local hard disk.

Additional resource

To avoid bug that prevent files from being saved correctly, we recommend that yous activate AutoSave. For more than data, see What is Autosave.

If you experience specific problems when you use Excel, get to the following website to search for more than information about your programme version:

Microsoft Excel Product Solution Center: Excel

Detailed view of the options

The following section provides more detailed descriptions of these options.

You may take problems when you try to salvage a Microsoft Excel workbook if ane or more of the following conditions are truthful:

  • You salvage an Excel workbook to a network bulldoze on which you accept restricted permissions.
  • Y'all salve an Excel workbook to a location that does not take sufficient storage infinite.
  • The connection to the Excel workbook is lost.
  • At that place is a disharmonize with an antivirus software program.
  • You save an Excel workbook that is shared.
  • The 218-grapheme path limitation is exceeded when yous save an Excel workbook.

Workarounds to relieve Excel workbooks

To piece of work around this problem and endeavour to save your work earlier y'all troubleshoot, use the post-obit methods. Depending on the crusade of the problem, you may be unable to recover the current file as-is. However, the post-obit methods are typically successful. These methods are listed in club of format retention when you lot are trying to keep the original file formatting.

Note

The following methods may not relieve all the latest changes, formatting, and feature sets of the workbook that are specific to the version of Excel that you are using. The post-obit methods are intended to let yous obtain a usable, saved version of the file. These methods require y'all to save the file to your local difficult disk by using a unique file proper noun.

Option i: Salvage the workbook by using a new file name

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. Save the Excel workbook by using a unique file name.

Choice 2: Move the original worksheets to a new workbook

  1. Add a filler worksheet to your workbook. To practise this, press Shift+F11.

    Note

    This sheet is required because in that location must be at least i remaining sheet in a workbook after you move all relevant information sheets.

  2. Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the outset data sail, hold the Shift key, and then select the final data sheet.

  3. Right-select the grouped sheets, and then select Move or copy.

  4. In the To Volume list, select (New Book).

  5. Select OK.

    Notation

    These steps should move the agile (grouped) worksheets to a new workbook.

If your workbook contains VBA macros, copy the modules from the old workbook to the new workbook.

Pick 3: Save the file as a different Excel file type

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. In the Salve as Blazon list, select a file format other than the current file format. If you are using Microsoft Excel 2007 or a later version, save the file equally .xlsx or .xlsm instead of as .xls.

Option 4: Attempt to save the workbook to some other location

Effort to relieve the workbook to some other location, such as a local hard disk, a network drive, or a removable drive. If you lot are successful, the following are possible causes of the problem:

  • Antivirus software disharmonize
  • Restricted permissions
  • File name length
  • File sharing conflict

Option five: Try to save a new workbook to the original location

To save a new Excel file to the original location, follow these steps:

  1. Create an Excel workbook.

  2. On the File menu, select Save Equally.

  3. In the Save As dialog box, follow these steps:

    1. In the Salve in box, select the location in which the original workbook is saved.
    2. In the File name box, type a proper noun for the new file.
    3. Select Save.

If you can save a new workbook to the original location, the following are possible causes of the problem:

  • File name length
  • File sharing disharmonize

If you can't save a new workbook to the original location, the following is a possible crusade of the trouble:

  • Insufficient drive space

If you have sufficient bulldoze space, attempt Option three.

Option 6: Endeavour to save the workbook in safe manner

Restart Windows in prophylactic mode, and then try to salve the workbook to your local hd.

Notes

  • If y'all utilize a network location to save your workbook, endeavour to restart Windows in safety manner with network support, and then attempt to save.
  • Windows safe mode cannot be used to troubleshoot problems in Microsoft Excel 2010 or later versions.

For more than information near how to first Windows in safe mode, run into Avant-garde startup options (including safe fashion).

If the workbook saves afterwards you restart Windows in safe way, attempt again to save the file. To exercise this, select Save on the File menu.

If the workbook doesn't save after y'all restart Windows in safety mode, the following are possible causes:

  • Third-party add-ins
  • Antivirus software conflict
  • Restricted permissions
  • File name length

More information

Still need assistance? Go to Microsoft Community.