Is Microsoft Word getting stuck on saving documents on your computer?
Microsoft Word is one of the best and most popular word processing tools in the world. It has over a billion users and has been around since 1983. Despite its popularity, this doesn’t mean that Word is flawless.
Like many other applications from Microsoft, Word can suffer from downtimes and random errors.
If you are here, we can assume that Microsoft Word is stuck on saving your documents. This can be a serious problem since you are at risk of losing all your progress if your computer shutdown randomly.
Most of the time, this problem is caused by corrupted data and lack of system permissions. On the other hand, it can also be due to outdated software and incorrect configurations.
To help out, we’ve decided to make a guide for fixing Microsoft Word if it’s stuck on saving documents.
Let’s dive right in!
1. Restart Your Computer.
Whenever you encounter problems with Microsoft Word, the first thing you should do is restart your computer. This should reload your system resources and eliminate any temporary bugs and errors.
Here’s what you need to do:
- First, press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the Start Menu.
- After that, access the Power Options tab.
- Lastly, choose Restart and wait for your system to reboot.
Go back to Word afterward to check if the problem is solved.
2. Wait It Out.
If it’s taking longer than usual to save your document, it’s possible that you’ve inserted a large number of images on your file, explaining why it’s saving slower. In this case, we suggest waiting a bit more before doing anything.
This should give Microsoft Word enough time to save your document. If minutes have passed, proceed to the next step.
3. Save Your File Locally.
Microsoft Word can work with OneDrive so that all your files are stored on the cloud. However, this might pose problems if you have an unstable internet connection or there’s something wrong with One Drive.
To avoid issues, we suggest saving your file locally while editing it. Go to File > Save As and choose This PC as the location.
4. Check Your Internet Connection.
As we’ve mentioned some of your files could be stored on OneDrive, which explains why it is taking longer to save or update them. However, this could also indicate a problem with your internet connection.
To confirm this, perform a test using Fast.com to measure your network’s upload and download bandwidth.
If the result indicates a problem with your connection, restart your modem or router to re-establish the link with your ISP’s servers. Unplug your router from the outlet and wait for 5 to 10 seconds before reconnecting it.
Perform another test afterward to check if the problem is solved. If not, contact your provider and ask them to fix the issue.
5. Turn Off Microsoft Word Add-Ins.
Add-ins are third-party functions installed on Word, which provide additional features and functionality. While these can make your work easier, they can also cause issues if not used properly.
If Microsoft Word is stuck on saving your documents, we recommend turning off your add-ins. Here’s what you need to do:
- First, open Microsoft Word on your computer.
- After that, go to File > Options.
- Lastly, access the Add–Ins tab and turn off your add-ins.
Try saving your document to check if the problem is solved.
6. Reset Word Settings.
Microsoft Word opens a .DOTM file whenever you launch it, which contains all the configurations you’ve made. If this file gets corrupted, you’ll experience various issues with MS Word.
To fix this, you can simply rename the file or remove it to reset your settings. See the steps below to walk you through the process:
- On your computer, open the File Explorer and go to your C: drive.
- Next, navigate to Users > (UserName) > AppData > Roaming > Microsoft > Templates.
- Finally, locate the Normal.dotm file and rename it. On the other hand, you can also move it to another folder.
Relaunch Microsoft Word and see if you can now save your files.
7. Update Microsoft Word.
If none of the solutions above worked, the last thing you can do is update Microsoft Word. This should ensure that there are no problems with your app resources and the software is installed correctly.
See the steps below to update Word:
- First, go to File > Accounts.
- After that, click on Update Options.
- Lastly, choose Update Now and follow the prompts.
Go back to your document afterward and see if you can now save your progress.
That ends our guide for fixing Microsoft Word if it’s stuck on saving your documents. If you have questions, please voice them out in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to answer them.
If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂
