Word on Mac not saving changes reliably when working with OneDrive files

Question

I’m using Microsoft Word on macOS to work on an assignment stored in OneDrive. While editing, everything looks fine, but after closing and reopening the document, some recent changes are missing, even though Word showed no save errors and AutoSave was turned on.

This seems to happen more often when switching between Wi-Fi networks or when the Mac goes to sleep. The file shows as “saved,” but the latest edits don’t always sync correctly.

Answer 1

Dear Nettleton

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

When your Mac goes to sleep or switches networks during an active session, OneDrive may not complete its automatic sync, which can lead to missing edits. To avoid this:

• Wait for the OneDrive icon to show “Up to date” or “Syncing” before putting your Mac to sleep or changing Wi‑Fi.
• When the network connection becomes unstable or before switching networks, please pause OneDrive syncing and turn AutoSave OFF in Word. Press Command + S to ensure the status bar updates to Saved, confirming that your edits are stored locally. This prevents incomplete or interrupted syncs. Once your connection is stable again, resume OneDrive syncing and turn AutoSave ON so your changes can be uploaded successfully. Pressing Command + S before your Mac goes to sleep also helps ensure that no data is lost.

For missing edits, sign in to OneDrive in a browser, locate the affected file, and check whether the changes appear there. If not, open the file in Word Online, go to File > Info > Version History, and review whether any version was uploaded but not synced back to the desktop app.

Additionally, check the OneDrive cloud icon in your Mac’s menu bar. If it shows “Processing,” click the icon, select the gear icon (Settings), choose Pause Syncing, wait five seconds, and then select Resume Syncing.

Please try these steps and let me know if the situation improves. If not, kindly provide:

• Your macOS version
• Your Office version
• The license type you are using
• Whether you have two OneDrive accounts signed in under the same macOS profile

Looking forward to your feedback.

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