Document not saved error in Microsoft Excel

It is noticed that some of the users of Windows 11 gets the error message of “Document not saved” while saving an Excel workbook. The display of this error message can obstruct the process of saving changes to the Excel workbook and delete any recent updates. Therefore, let us check how to solve the document not saved error in Microsoft Excel.

Document not saved error in Microsoft Excel

Various reasons may be responsible for the occurrence of the mentioned error. Some of them includes-

• Corrupted Plugin
• Not having necessary folder permissions
• Ongoing problematic processes
• Network issue
• Incompatible file format
• Disk space issues

Now, let us further see the fixes in detail for solving the problem.

Fix 1: Closing the disrupting program

The existence of a disrupting program or process during saving the file can be one of the causes of the mentioned issue. Thus, for closing such workbooks, follow these steps-

Step 1- Open Task Manager.

Step 2- Next, check the running processes and if any unwanted process is found, end it with End Task button. See if the problem is solved and if not continue with the below fixes.

Fix 2: Checking Network Connection

Network interruptions while saving the workbook to a network drive can also cause the issue. Therefore, check if the network is stable and the network connection properties does not have any visible error. This should help in fixing the issue.

Fix 3: Moving the original workbook to a new workbook

One more fix for solving the problem is moving the content of the disrupting workbook to a new workbook. For doing the same, follow the instructions below-

Step 1- At first press Ctrl + A and Ctrl + C. This will copy all the contents of the workbook.

Step 2- Now, create a new workbook and paste the copied content. Then, save the new workbook.

Fix 4: Opening Excel in Safe Mode

Opening the Excel workbook in safe mode can too help in saving the workbook. Let us check how to do that.

Step 1- At first, press Win + R and open Run dialog box.

Step 2- Next, copy and paste the prompt below and press Enter. This will open Excel in safe mode.

excel /safe

Step 3- At last. save the workbook. This should fix the error.

Fix 5: Saving the Excel workbook with a new name

Another fix which the users can try is saving the Excel workbook with a new name. Follow the steps to do that-

Step 1- Go to File menu > Save as.

Step 2- Now, type a new name for the file and save the workbook. Check if the error is solved.

Additionally, the users can also save the workbook at a separate location and save it with a separate extension for fixing the issue if still persisting.

Fix 6: Checking folder permissions

If there still exists issues in saving the document in Microsoft Excel, then the users can also try checking the folder permissions. As restraints in some permissions can too be a cause of the issue. Now, let us check how to do that.

Step 1- At first, open File Explorer. Then, open the directory which has the target folder.

Step 2- Next, right-click the folder and select Properties.

Step 3- Now, go to Security > Advanced > Change.

Step 4- Again, in the opened dialog box, click Advanced > Find Now. Thereafter, in the search results, click the user account and click OK.

 

Step 5- Press OK and select Replace owner on sub containers and objects.

Step 6- Click Apply. Further, in Security, select Advanced.

Step 7- Select Add > Select a principal. Now, copy Step 4.

Step 8- Enable all the folder permissions for the respective user account and click OK.

Step 9- Lastly, select Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object and press Apply.

Fix 7: Checking Hardware Elements

If the above fixes do not work, then the users should check the disk drives and even the external drives (if saving the Excel workbook to an external drive). Corrupted drives may also cause the issue. For, checking the hard disks, follow the steps given below-

Step 1- Right-click the drive where the workbook is to be saved.

Step 2- Press Properties > Tools > Check. Thereafter, follow the on-screen prompts for scanning and fixing the file system errors.

Wishing that all these fixes will help in solving the issue!