Excel crash on MAC Tahoe 26.4

Question

Excel crash on MAC Tahoe 26.4

Jiayi Hu 5

My Excel version is the latest from App store. It crashes when SAVE US saved it as a different name. The app got completely stuck and must be quited by force quit.

I tried to degrade Excel but it doesn't work.

Jiayi Hu 5 Reputation points

2026-04-02T10:33:51.5933333+00:00

Both Excel and Word's Save as is broken

3 answers

Your answer

Jiayi Hu 5 Reputation points

2026-04-02T10:33:51.5933333+00:00

Both Excel and Word's Save as is broken

Answer 1

Bob Jones AKA CyberTaz MVP 435.6K

Don't rely on Mac Office desktop software updates from the Apple App Store. Use Help> Check for Updates in the main menu of either Office program. My understanding is that the App Store is primarily geared toward the versions provided for Apple's mobile devices.

Jiayi Hu 5 Reputation points

2026-04-02T10:33:10.9966667+00:00

My word's Save as is broken too.

Answer 2

Kai-H 18,005 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi, Jiayi Hu

This looks more like a macOS file-access or file-location problem, or possibly one damaged workbook, than a normal install issue. Mac file-access hangs, and the newer OneDrive path on macOS can affect AutoSave and file behavior.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

First, move the workbook to Desktop or Documents outside OneDrive/iCloud, then try Save As there. If the file is in OneDrive, open it from Finder > Library > Cloud Storage > OneDrive instead of Recents or an old shortcut.

If this only happens with one file, test with a brand-new workbook. If the new one saves fine, it is suggested that you move/copy the sheets into a fresh workbook, because the original file may be corrupted.

It is also recommended that you try the same step from a new macOS user account. If it works there, the issue is likely in the current Mac profile rather than Excel itself.

Also check System Settings > Privacy & Security and make sure Excel has access to files/folders, because file-access permission problems on Mac can make Office apps hang when opening or saving files.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you.

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Jiayi Hu 5 Reputation points

2026-04-01T09:36:17.8433333+00:00

Hi Kai,

It works fine with my Word, but not with Excel.
Kai-H 18,005 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-02T06:28:11.62+00:00

Hi, Jiayi Hu

When only Excel freezes on Save As, it is often tied to Excel-specific features like AutoSave, file formats, fonts, or workbook internals that Word does not use.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

It is recommended that you turn AutoSave off in Excel and retry Save As. Excel on macOS is much more sensitive to AutoSave than Word, especially on newer macOS versions.

Try saving as a different format first (for example .xlsb or .xlsm), then reopening and saving back to .xlsx. This can bypass a broken save routine.

It is suggested that you validate fonts using Font Book. Corrupt or duplicate fonts can crash Excel during Save As, while Word may continue working normally.

If the file contains tables, PivotTables, or external links, temporarily remove them and test saving again, as Excel processes these during Save As.
Jiayi Hu 5 Reputation points

2026-04-02T08:52:30.26+00:00

Hi Kai, I turned off autosave, but save as still cannot work.When I type the name of the file I want to save as, my keyboard froze.
Kai-H 18,005 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-02T14:04:54.88+00:00

Hi, Jiayi Hu

If the freeze happens the moment they type the new file name, this sounds less like AutoSave and more like Excel getting stuck in the Mac Save dialog itself. Save/Open dialog problems where the dialog freezes or the filename field behaves oddly.

You can try these options:

It is recommended that you clear the Excel cache/container only, not the whole Office install: quit Excel, go to ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Excel/, then remove the contents under Data/Library/Caches or move that Excel container aside and reopen Excel. This is one of the more relevant Excel-only alternatives for Mac save problems.

It is suggested that they temporarily turn off Finder > Show all filename extensions and test Save As again.

Also try the same action in a new macOS user account or in Safe Mode. You can use that to tell whether the freeze is tied to the current user profile or a background extension affecting the save panel.

At this point, the symptom looks more like an Excel save-dialog/cache issue than a normal workbook problem.
Kai-H 18,005 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-06T13:23:23.9833333+00:00

Hi, Jiayi Hu

Is there any update from you?

If yes, please feel free to let us know.

Answer 3

AI answer

The crash when saving under a different name is consistent with Excel for Mac issues caused by corrupted preferences or interference from background components. Use the following steps in order and test after each.

Quit Excel and all Office apps

On the Apple menu, select Force Quit.
Select Excel (and any other Office apps), then Force Quit.

Reset Excel/Office preferences For current Excel for Mac (similar to Excel 2016+ behavior):
Make sure all Office apps are closed.
In Finder, select Go > Library (hold OPTION while opening Go if Library is hidden).
Open Group Containers.
Find the folder whose name ends with .Office and open it.
Locate Com.microsoft.officeprefs.plist and drag it to the Trash.
Start Excel and test saving with Save As.
- If the crash continues, close Excel, go back to ~/Library/Group Containers, and drag the entire …Office folder to the Trash. This resets Office to first-run state and recreates the folder on next start.

If using an older Excel for Mac 2011-style install, also clear Excel-specific prefs:

Quit all Office apps.
Go > Home > Library > Preferences.
Drag com.microsoft.Excel.plist to the desktop and test Excel.
If still crashing, restore that file, then in Preferences > Microsoft drag com.microsoft.Excel.prefs.plist to the desktop and test again.
If the issue is resolved after moving a file, delete that file (or leave it in Trash).
Perform a clean startup of macOS Background tools (including PDF or other add-ins) can cause Excel to hang on save.

Follow the clean-start guidance in How to use a "clean startup" to determine whether background programs are interfering with Office for Mac and then test Excel’s Save As.

Repair disk permissions (if available on your macOS version)
Go > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select the primary hard disk.
On First Aid, choose Repair Disk Permissions.
After it completes, reopen Excel and test saving.
Completely reinstall Office If the crash persists:

Remove Office and its data containers as in the moderator steps (delete the Office apps from Applications, then remove the com.microsoft.* containers and UBF8T346G9.* group containers under ~/Library), then reinstall the latest Excel/Office from the App Store or from the Microsoft account portal.

If none of these steps change the behavior, collect crash logs from Console and contact Microsoft Support, as there may be a Tahoe 26.4–specific compatibility issue that requires a product fix.

References:

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Excel crash on MAC Tahoe 26.4

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