Cannot "Save As" on Mac

Question

I recently bought a MacStudio with Sonoma 14.2.1. I can open, edit and save existing documents on my Mac, but when I create a new Excel file, Save As results in "Microsoft Excel not responding". I had the same issue with Word, but strangely enough, that sometimes works until I restart Word and it doesn't work anymore.

I tried all the solutions I could found, removed the com.microsoft.Excel to the desktop, but it still doesn't work.

Answer 1

Dear Peter,

Thanks for writing back and updating us.

I agree with the inconvenience caused because of the experimenting the troubleshooting steps but I am sorry to convey that the root cause of the problem can be determined with the help of the logs while reproducing the problem. However, the moderators in this community are limited with the resources to collect the logs and investigate it further, where you need to connect with the Microsoft Phone support team to find the root cause of the problem. Reference: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn

However, as you mentioned the problem doesn’t happen in the Safe Mode, here is the reference article where it explains what Safe Mode do: Use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

So, you can try to restart your Mac device in the normal mode and see whether the same problem happens. If no problem happens, then the cause of the issue is resolved by the action performed by Safe Mode:

Appreciate your patience with us and have a great day!!

Best Regards,

Sophia

Answer 2

Hi Sophia,

Thanks for the advice, the apps were up to date (I re-installed them yesterday) and starting in Safe mode did the job.

I have work to do now, so I can't keep experimenting, but can you indicate what could haven been the problem? And will it return as soon as I start the Mac the normal way?

For myself, I got the impression it had something to do with my Microsoft account. This morning I started the Mac, tried if I could save a Word document. I could.

Then I attended a Teams-meeting. After that meeting I couldn't.

I have (already longer) the impression that my company has some security in place which influences my personal computer. Is that even possible with Microsoft accounts?

Anyway, for now I can use Safe start.

You're great!!

Answer 3

Dear Peter,

Good day!!

Apologies for the inconvenience caused and please don’t worry, let’s work together on your concern and move towards a resolution path.

I understand your concern and would like to let you know that I have tested the behavior in the latest version of the Office apps on the Mac, where I am able to use the Save As feature without any issue.

In this situation, I would like to suggest you check whether the Office apps are up to date i.e., Version 16.80 (23121017):

Open any Office apps such as Word> Click on the Help in the Menu bar> Check for the updates.

If the Office apps are up to date, I would like to suggest you open the Mac in the Safe Mode and check the outcome. Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support (IN)

If still the same, can you please try again to remove the Office apps cache folder and check the outcome:

Quit all Office apps> Open the Finder> Click Command + Shift + G> Enter ~/Library/Containers> Scroll down to Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel folders and move it to the different location> Restart your Mac> Open the Word or Excel app and check the outcome.

If still the same problem even after clearing cache, please create new user account on the problematic Mac and check whether the same problem happens in the new user account (where this step will help us to narrow down the problem further). Reference: Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

Appreciate your patience and understanding. Have a great day!!

Best Regards,

Sophia

Answer 4

Dear PeterStroo

Good day!

Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community. We are glad to assist. We are looking into your situation and we will update the thread shortly.

Appreciate your patience and understanding and thank for your time and cooperation.

Sincerely,

Tin