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Save File Dialogue Box will not appear for MS Apps.

Anonymous
2023-04-26T00:14:06+00:00

I continue to find myself unable to save files, as the Save File Dialogue Box will not appear for a small selection of software.

I do not know the exact time and cause of the error, but the only thing I could suggest, is that this resulted from an unexpected system shutdown which possibly occurred a few months back. Most of my software/apps function normally, so it likely went undetected for a while.

What I can NOT do:

  • Right-Click images from (any) Internet Browser, to save image. The Save File Dialogue Box will not appear.
  • Right-Click and Copy an image off an Internet Browser and Paste it into Microsoft Paint, to save it there, as clicking any menu and/or icon for file saving will directly result in a Red X, Critical Error Alert stating "Could not save".
  • Click Save File from my neither my free, nor purchased Microsoft Store Apps.

What I CAN do:

  • Drag and Drop image files from Internet Browser directly into any folder.
  • Click a "Download" button in an Internet Browser, if present on a website, as this downloads a file directly into my designated download folder destination.
  • Right-Click and Copy an image off an Internet Browser and Paste it into my non-Microsoft Image editing software, from where I can save it normally, as a new file.
  • Click Save File (any file type) from any and all non-Microsoft Apps. (as stated above)

What I have done:

What I have NOT done (and wish to avoid doing, as these steps tends to be needlessly obnoxious and stressful):

  • Full Windows Reset
  • System Restore
  • Microsoft Account recreation

One highlight, is the Critical Error message on e.g. Microsoft Paint, straight-out stating "Could not save", as it seems like a significant hint, compared to any other error instances where the dialogue box simply doesn't open and no other information is given.

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

Daniel

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Performance and system failures

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Ramesh 176.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-05-03T14:57:19+00:00

    Hi Daniel,

    Try the fixes below in the same order as mentioned. If the Fix #1 resolves the issue, skip the remaining steps.

    1. Download save_as_dialog_fix.reg and run it. Click Yes to confirm.

    (It's a plain-text file and its contents can be viewed by clicking on the above link).

    1. Apply the fixes here manually

    Save As Dialog Appear Empty or Grayed Out in Various Applications (Pls ignore the title)

    1. From admin Command Prompt, run SFC /SCANFILE=c:\windows\system32\comdlg32.dll

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  1. Ramesh 176.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-04-27T06:21:04+00:00

    The SFC entries look fine. No errors were noted. You may run a ProcMon trace and upload the zipped PML log. Instructions in a nutshell: Launch Process Monitor, reset the Filtering Options, and begin tracing all events. Reproduce the original issue by opening your browser (or any other app) and try to save something. After 10 seconds, switch to Process Monitor and stop tracing. Save "All events" to a PML log file. **Zip** the log file and upload it to your OneDrive.

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-04-26T13:26:42+00:00

    My apologies for being unclear. By "Did "all the things" in Windows PowerShell." I did mean running DISM, SFC, etc.; This is usually the first thing I do when I encounter issues of this nature and more than half of the time, the problem are resolved.

    While this did not find any integrity violations, CBS log tells a different story with an abundance of Warning: Overlap: Registry value collision / Overlap: Directory / HKCU violation

    I've included the log here:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ah2z_Je93XxpKCOiO1c0RKqLlWKEMeqP/view?usp=share_link

    Thank you for your time and response!

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  3. Ramesh 176.1K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2023-04-26T02:32:22+00:00

    Hi Daniel,

    Perhaps some module responsible for the common dialogs is missing. Please run DISM and SFC to repair the system files.

    Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files - Microsoft Support:

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

    And then, upload c:\windows\logs\cbs\cbs.log to WeTransfer.com or OneDrive and share the link here.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-04-26T00:57:15+00:00

    Hi Daniel,

    My name is Cindy. I am sorry you are having this problem. I know it is really frustrating. I will do my best to help you with this problem.

    Please note: This is a user-to-user community forum. We are users just like you who help others. We are not employees of Microsoft.

    Thank you for writing. It sounds like this could be a browser problem. Have you tried a different browser to see if this fixes the problem?

    Best Wishes,

    Cindy

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