Cannot save my files used in excel for mac 16.78.3

Question

SInce today i cannot anymore save my excel and word files.

I use excel 16.78.3 for mac and have macos tahoe 26.3.1.

i purchased office for mac 2019 in may 2024

Answer 1

This is a duplication of your other posting of the same concern. Pleas don't submit the same question more than once. It gains nothing but can cause confusion & duplication of effort. Return to your other message for responses & continue the conversation there as necessary.

cannot save excel files in excel for mac

Answer 2

Try the following steps on macOS Tahoe with Office for Mac when Excel/Word suddenly stop allowing saves:

1. Confirm saving location and method
   • In Excel or Word, go to File > Save As instead of just Save.
   • Try saving:
     • Once On My Mac (local folder like Documents/Desktop), and
     • Once to an online location (OneDrive or SharePoint) via File > Save As > Online Locations.
   • If saving to an online service fails, switch to a local folder to confirm whether the issue is only with cloud locations.
2. Save to a different online folder (if using OneDrive/SharePoint)
   • In File > Save As, if you see a local folder, click Online Locations.
   • Choose a different OneDrive/SharePoint folder, or add the service again using the plus sign if needed.
   • Enter a new file name and select Save.
3. Check for Excel-specific licensing issues
   There is a known scenario on recent macOS versions where Excel loses access to the licensing helper and stops working correctly (including saving). In similar cases, the fix was:
   • Open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions.
   • Locate the Microsoft Office Licensing item and ensure it is enabled.
   • Log out of macOS and log back in (or restart) after changing this setting, then reopen Excel/Word and try saving again.
4. If apps are crashing or behaving erratically
   • Quit all Office apps.
   • If they are crashing with messages like "quit unexpectedly," a clean reinstall of Office for Mac has been used as a resolution:
     • Move the Office apps from Applications to Trash.
     • Remove related containers and group containers (for Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/OneNote) under ~/Library/Containers and ~/Library/Group Containers as described in the referenced guidance.
     • Then reinstall Office from the account page where the license is listed.
5. If Excel alone shows licensing errors (e.g., “No license found”)
   • Sign in to the Microsoft account used to purchase Office and verify the Office 2019 license is present under Services & subscriptions.
   • If needed, uninstall existing Office apps and reinstall them from that same page so the apps pick up the correct license.

If, after enabling Microsoft Office Licensing in Login Items and restarting, saving works again, no further action is needed.

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References:

• Save a file in Office for Mac
• Excel for Mac error: "The application Microsoft Excel quit unexpectedly"
• Excel is no longer registered and can't access some server so it won't let me save anything - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Office apps for Mac quit unexpectedly - Microsoft Q&A
• I just bought Office for Home and Business and now "No license found" - Microsoft Q&A
• Fixes or workarounds for recent Office installation or activation issues