My Office (at least Word and Excel) apps immediately go to "save" file, and then lock up from being able to exit app.

Michael A. Hoppe 20 Reputation points
2026-02-04T01:03:20.6566667+00:00

I have had a technician look at this problem for three days and many hours. When I open an excel or word saved document, sometimes I can enter data in a cell or start to "write" some text, or this happens immediately --- either app will then go to a message box to tell me to either save or cancel the save function. If I then choose either option, the box disappears for a second, then reappears and I am left with the same choice. You cannot close the app by "X-ing" out. You have to go to Task Mgr and close the app. Then if you re-enter the file, you get a box on the left asking which file do you want to save? This is maddening, and I cannot continue to use either app. At first I thought I may have a virus on my hard drive, but this happens to files saved direct to my computer. I apologize if this is not totally clear but if someone can talk to me, I may be able to explain better. I NEED some of the files on the hard drive now.

 Please excuse my evident "illiteracy", but this is the best I can explain the problem in my terms.

Thank you,

[PII Removed]

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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Answer accepted by question author
Alex-L 12,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-02-04T07:26:05.6033333+00:00

This is a public forum for users. Do not post any sensitive or private information here for your privacy and security.

Hi Michael A. Hoppe

Thanks for posting in the Microsoft Q&A Forum!

I’m really sorry you’ve been dealing with something this disruptive, especially after already spending days with a technician. The behavior you’re describing in Word and Excel, where you start typing and suddenly get stuck in a repeating Save/Don’t Save loop until you force‑quit, can feel frustrating.

A few things you can try, if you haven't already with your technician:

Open and Repair (Excel)

  1. Open Excel
  2. Go to File > Open
  3. Select the affected file
  4. Select the arrow next to Open, then choose Open and Repair
  5. Choose Repair or Extract Data

Switch Excel to Manual Calculation

This can stop Excel from immediately recalculating corrupted formulas that trigger freezes.

  1. Open a blank workbook
  2. Go to File > Options > Formulas
  3. Set Calculation to Manual
  4. Reopen the problematic file

Start Word or Excel in Safe Mode

Safe mode disables add‑ins, which are a common cause of looping behaviors.

  • Press Windows key + R
  • Type: excel /safe or winword /safe
  • Press Enter

If the issue disappears, disable COM add‑ins and Excel/Word add‑ins through File > Options > Add‑ins.

Make sure the app isn’t running in Administrator Mode

Running Office elevated can break proper file‑handling and saving behavior.

  • Right‑click the shortcut
  • Select Properties
  • Go to Compatibility
  • Make sure “Run this program as an administrator” is unchecked

Hope this helps. Feel free to update here if anything comes up!

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  1. Alex-L 12,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-02-08T14:57:32.14+00:00

    Hi Michael A. Hoppe

    Thank for the update!

    I’m really glad you shared the full story, and I completely understand the relief you felt when you discovered the cause. A stuck F12 key perfectly explains the nonstop Save As loop, and it’s the kind of hardware issue that almost no one thinks to check because it looks exactly like a software failure. Finding it by chance at the end of the day was incredibly lucky.

    I’m truly happy your Excel and Word are working normally again, and I appreciate your kind words. If anything else ever comes up, I’m always here to help.

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  2. Michael A. Hoppe 20 Reputation points
    2026-02-06T03:53:10.06+00:00

    Thank you for your suggestion. However, what follows is a somewhat long story to explain the easy solution to my problem.

    First, though, I appreciate your response offering help for what was a very serious problem for me. I am retired, and use (mainly) Excel but also Word in many of the things I do to keep accurate records, use spreadsheets help me remember and organize my records, etc. Without those two apps working properly, I am in a big bind.

    Back to your suggestions for a fix. After reading what you suggested, I had convinced myself to try and follow what you wrote. But not being that computer savvy, I was uneasy about trying what you suggested and convinced myself to start on your steps the next morning. However, after I shut down my desktop for the evening, I was straightening out the papers on my desk, and I picked up my wireless keyboard. By chance, I noticed that the F12 key was stuck "down". It was so "jammed" that I had to pry is "up" with a long hat pin. I have no idea what caused the key t be stuck.

    Then, out of curiosity, I logged back on, opened Edge and searched, "What does the F12 key do on a keyboard!" The reply struck me like a bolt of lightning! Paraphrasing, the answer was, "In Microsoft Word or Excel, the F12 key, when pressed while in a file, will open the "save as" message box." I actually laughed out loud and thought son of a *&%^&!

    Obviously, I wanted to "test" this fact, so I opened an Excel file, and unlike when I was encountering the problem, the file opened normally, and nothing else happened - no message box appeared! I then entered a bunch of data, pressed the F12 key, and the SAVE AS box came back!!!

    Others and I assumed the glitch was somehow software related, when in fact a simple hardware fix was all the was needed!

    I hope you can understand my relief that I did not have to try your suggestions, but please understand that I GREATLY appreciate your concern and suggestions,

    Sincerely yours,

    [PII Removed]

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