Word cannot open document: User does not have access privileges (Word for Mac)

Question

I see this problem has been biting people for quite awhile now. It hit me after installing the latest Word update and is preventing me from opening any Word files, regardless of whether I created them or not.

None of the fixes I've seen work for me. Details:

1. Word for Mac 16.74 & MacOS 12.6.6.
2. Not using a font manager.
3. File permissions shown below.
4. No ACLs -- see below.

.

Answer 1

Dear Dave,

Good day!! Thanks for posting your concern in this Microsoft Community.

Per the description shared, I understand your concern and I would like to suggest you to check whether Word app is having Full Grant Access permission on the System Preferences on the Mac.

Click on the Apple icon in the Menu bar> System Preferences> Security & Privacy> Privacy> See whether the Word is present and if it's not, please click on the + and add the Word app to see the outcome.

If it's added, please restart your Mac and check the outcome. If the problem persists, please launch your Mac in the Safe Mode and check the outcome. Reference: How to use a "clean startup" to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac - Microsoft Support

If the problem persists, I would like to confirm whether the problem is happened after updating the Office apps to the latest version.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely

Mia | Microsoft Moderator

Answer 2

There is no + button to add word.

Answer 3

Hi!

I had the same issue of not finding the + button. In the privacy tab, open "full disk access" and there you should see the +, then go to you applications and click on the word app, it will tell you that the app will re start itself and that should do the trick!

Hope that helps!

Answer 4

That was it! Word needs Full Disk Access -- not surprising.

I don't understand why it only became a problem for me when I installed the last update, or why Word didn't issue a clearer error message. Other programs I've installed that need special privileges have said so and opened Security Preferences automatically to make the needed change even clearer.

Thank you very much for your help. I haven't seen this fix elsewhere. I'm impressed that you zeroed in on my problem so quickly!

Answer 5

Word was working fine yesterday but it auto updated to Office 2025 this morning and now I can't open any files. It's telling me I don't have access privileges. I have tried allowing it full disk access through - System settings - Privacy and Security - full disk access - and I'm still having the issue.