Forum Discussion
Can't save MS Word files anymore on my Mac
Hi all,
I have a macbook air 2020 version with an Intel chip.
I'm using OS Sequioa 15.7.4
Microsoft Word version 16.107.1
Since this week I'm having issues with saving Microsoft Word files on my Mac.
When I'm trying to save a file I'm getting the following message (translated from Dutch):
"saving has failed because of insufficient memory or space on the hard disk"
My hard disk is using 133 GB out of 500 GB. So that can't be the issue.
I've tried already the following things:
- Reinstall MacOS (via cmnd R)
- Reinstall Word
- Log off out of word, restart, and log on into word.
- Reset Office 365 on mac via Office-Reset.com
- Saving the file in another folder / external disk
- Transfering all my files to a new Mac with OS Tahoe 26.3.1 and start working from there
On both Macs I'm investigating deeper what goes wrong and this is what I've noticed so far
I can open a new word file, typ in it and save that file. But the moment that I start pasting things from certain (a lot but not all) other files the problems start.
- I can't undo previous actions anymore
- I can't save the file I'm working on anymore (USB / Mac / onedrive)
These issues occur on both MacOS.
These issues occur often when I'm pasting pictures or formulas from those certain word-files.
Does anyone has any idea how to fix this?
Many thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
Stephan
4 Replies
By referring to the error message “insufficient memory or disk space” that typically does not reflect actual storage or RAM limitations. Instead, it is often triggered by problematic or corrupted content within a document say embedded images, formulas, or other objects. May consider mitigating it by keeping Office applications up to date, clearing temporary files, and using Word’s repair functionality to restore affected documents.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/5766557/office-for-mac-insufficient-memory-bug
Thanks for the reply Kidd_Ip
The link you've shared shows exactly the same problem.
Unfortunately no solution in sight yet.
I've already tried all the options listed by you and the ones in the shared link.
You're spot on with
it is often triggered by problematic or corrupted content within a document say embedded images, formulas, or other objects.
I'm using the files distributed by my publisher. Those files have a lot of mathematical formulas and graphs in them. The error message arises when I'm trying to copy those formulas or graphs.
A colleague of mine experiences a similar issue now that he has updated to word 16.107.1
He had no issues before when using word 16.106.3
And I have been using those files for five years on a Mac without any issues too.
So I believe the problem is deeply rooted in an updated Word version.
WorkaroundI'm now opening the publisher's word-file in pages.
From there I can copy the things I need directly into a new word file.
When I copy/paste in this manner. No memory bugs occur.
But I prefer there comes a fix for this issue.
Thanks for anyone who offers the magical solution
Two of my colleagues are having the same issues on their Macs.
One colleague said that everything worked fine while he was having Word 16.106.3.
But after updating to Word 16.107.1 he started to experience similar issues.
Can anyone look at this issue and fix it with a new Word update for Mac?Having it on two additional machines :-(
Seems like it's a problematic patch by Microsoft.
