How to open a document on my Mac with Office 365 Word

Question

Since switching to Office 365 on my Mac some Word documents will not open..get message when attempting to open a document that it was "deleted or not currently accessible". Suggestions please!

Answer 1

If you're having trouble opening Word documents on your Mac with Office 365 and receive a message indicating that the document was "deleted or not currently accessible," here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Verify Document Location: Make sure the document is still in the expected location. If it has been moved or deleted, you will need to find it again.
2. Check Permissions: Ensure you have the right permissions to access the document. You can do this by right-clicking the file, selecting "Get Info," and reviewing the permissions settings at the bottom.
3. Try Opening with Another Application: If the document doesn't open in Word, try right-clicking on the file, selecting "Open with," and choosing a different application to see if it opens there.
4. Repair Office Installation: If the issue continues, consider repairing your Office installation by uninstalling and then reinstalling the Office apps.
5. Update Office Applications: Make sure your Office 365 applications are updated to the latest version, as updates can fix bugs that may be causing the issue.
6. Use Open and Repair Feature: If you suspect the document might be corrupted, you can use the "Open and Repair" feature. Open Word, go to the File menu, select Open, find your document, select it, and choose "Open and Repair" from the dropdown options.

If these steps do not resolve the problem, you may want to reach out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

Answer 2

Hi Ray,

This usually happens when Word no longer has permission to access the file location, or the document is stored in a place that Office 365 on macOS cannot reach properly, such as iCloud Drive, an external disk, or a synced folder. The file itself is often still there, but Word cannot access it.

To fix this, first confirm the file actually exists by opening Finder and navigating to its location. If it’s in iCloud Drive, OneDrive, or an external drive, make sure the drive is connected and fully synced. Second, give Word Full Disk Access: go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access, and add Microsoft Word (and Microsoft Office if listed). Lastly, try opening Word first and then use File → Open → Browse to open the document, rather than double-clicking the file.