Troubleshoot why Excel doesn't save changes

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

Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog mail service.

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

If this process is interrupted, the workbook might not salvage correctly. Y'all might also find one or more than temporary files in the binder where you lot tried to save your file. Additionally, you may receive one of several alerts or error messages.

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

Possible reasons why documents don't relieve

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

  • 3rd-political party add-ins
  • Permissions
  • Document not saved
  • Disk space
  • Antivirus software
  • File sharing
  • File naming

If you cannot save a workbook when yous run Microsoft Excel in Windows Safe mode, the problem may be caused by a third-party add together-in or by a file from one of the Excel startup locations. By default, startup files are loaded when y'all commencement Excel.

Some add together-ins from tertiary-party software vendors piece of work together with existing Excel features by design, and some are intended to enable a seamless transition when you use a third-party product. Typically, these third-party add-ins do not interfere with Excel functionality. Even so, some functions, such as saving a file tin exist affected.

To test for and eliminate the possibility that a third-party Excel add-in or file is causing a "salvage" problem in Excel, try to save the file in Condom manner. To practise this, follow these steps:

  1. Go out Excel.

  2. Select Start, and point to Programs.

  3. As Excel starts, press and hold Ctrl until you lot receive a bulletin that resembles the following:

    Excel has detected that yous are property down the Ctrl key. Do y'all want to first Excel in safe style?

  4. Select Yes.

  5. Open a new Excel workbook, and try to salve it. If that works, try again to save the trouble 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 problem. After you determine which add-in or file caused the trouble, contact the vendor for additional data or an update that resolves the trouble.

For more than information about Microsoft Excel safe mode, press F1 in Excel to open the Help menu, blazon safe mode in the Search box, and then select Search to view the topic.

For more information nearly how to determine the folders that Excel uses during startup, and additional options to disable this functionality, run across the post-obit articles:

  • Use startup folders in Excel
  • How to prevent files from opening automatically in Excel

Quick resolution

If none of the causes that are listed in this article apply to your situation, or you lot still tin can't relieve workbooks, endeavor the following options to salve your Excel files. To see more details nigh the steps, select the chevron prototype to the left or the selection heading.

Save the workbook by using a new file name

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

Motility the original worksheets to a new workbook

  1. Add 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 start sheet, hold the Shift key, and then select the last sheet.
  3. Right-select the grouped sheets, and then select Move or copy.
  4. In the To Book list, select (New Volume).
  5. Select OK.

Save the file as a different Excel file type

  1. On the File menu, select Save As.
  2. In the Save equally Type list, select a file format other than the current file format. If yous are using Microsoft Excel 2007 or a later version, salvage the file every bit .xlsx or .xlsm instead of as .xls.

Try to relieve the workbook to another location

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

Try to save a new workbook to the original location

  1. Create an Excel workbook.

  2. On the File menu, select Save Every bit.

  3. In the Salvage 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 name for the new file.
    3. Select Salvage.

Attempt to salvage the workbook in rubber mode

Restart Windows in safe mode, and then try to save the workbook to your local difficult disk.

Additional resources

To avoid problems that prevent files from beingness saved correctly, we recommend that you activate AutoSave. For more data, see What is Autosave.

If you experience specific problems when you employ Excel, go to the following website to search for more than data near your programme version:

Microsoft Excel Product Solution Center: Excel

Detailed view of the options

The following section provides more than detailed descriptions of these options.

You may have problems when you try to salve a Microsoft Excel workbook if one or more of the following weather are true:

  • Yous salvage an Excel workbook to a network drive on which you have restricted permissions.
  • You lot save an Excel workbook to a location that does not have sufficient storage space.
  • The connexion to the Excel workbook is lost.
  • There is a disharmonize with an antivirus software programme.
  • You save an Excel workbook that is shared.
  • The 218-grapheme path limitation is exceeded when you save an Excel workbook.

Workarounds to salve Excel workbooks

To work effectually this trouble and try to salve your work before you troubleshoot, use the following methods. Depending on the cause of the problem, you lot may be unable to recover the current file as-is. However, the following methods are typically successful. These methods are listed in club of format retention when y'all are trying to go on the original file formatting.

Note

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

Option 1: Salve the workbook by using a new file name

  1. On the File card, select Save As.
  2. Relieve the Excel workbook by using a unique file proper noun.

Choice 2: Move the original worksheets to a new workbook

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

    Note

    This sheet is required because there must be at least one remaining canvas in a workbook after y'all move all relevant data sheets.

  2. Group all the worksheets (except the filler). To do this, select the first data sail, hold the Shift central, and then select the last data sheet.

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

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

  5. Select OK.

    Annotation

    These steps should motility the active (grouped) worksheets to a new workbook.

If your workbook contains VBA macros, re-create the modules from the old workbook to the new workbook.

Option 3: Salvage the file as a dissimilar Excel file blazon

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

Selection iv: Attempt to salve the workbook to some other location

Try to save the workbook to another location, such as a local hard disk drive, a network drive, or a removable drive. If y'all are successful, the post-obit are possible causes of the problem:

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

Option 5: Endeavour 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 As.

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

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

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

  • File name length
  • File sharing disharmonize

If yous can't save a new workbook to the original location, the post-obit is a possible cause of the problem:

  • Bereft drive space

If you accept sufficient drive space, endeavour Pick 3.

Option half dozen: Try to save the workbook in prophylactic mode

Restart Windows in condom manner, and then try to save the workbook to your local hard disk.

Notes

  • If you employ a network location to save your workbook, try to restart Windows in safety way with network support, and then effort to relieve.
  • Windows safe mode cannot be used to troubleshoot problems in Microsoft Excel 2010 or after versions.

For more information well-nigh how to start Windows in rubber fashion, see Avant-garde startup options (including rubber mode).

If the workbook saves after you restart Windows in safe mode, endeavour once more to save the file. To practice this, select Salvage on the File menu.

If the workbook doesn't salvage subsequently you restart Windows in prophylactic mode, the following are possible causes:

  • 3rd-party add-ins
  • Antivirus software conflict
  • Restricted permissions
  • File name length

More information

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