Microsoft Word, "Save As" Issue,

Question

After create a new document using the regular template "Blank document", if I try to use the "Save as" option using the regular Menu File -> Save As , the application is like frozen and i'm not able to go back or activate other option, hence I lost everything I wrote.

Any suggestions? thanks in advance

Word Version: Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2603 Build 16.0.19822.20086) 64-bit

Answer 1

Hi, do as suggested by Q&A Assist. See same here: Repair an Office application But this is also a good lesson on using>Save, or Control S to save on a very regular basis. Also, you would be better creating new documents in the folder where it will be saved. Then you will not need to use>Save as. The document will be saved where it was created.

Answer 2

The behavior described is consistent with Word or its templates being damaged. Use the following steps to repair the environment and recover work more reliably:

1. Repair the Office installation
   • Close all Office apps.
   • Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
   • Find Microsoft Office in the list, select the three dots, choose Modify.
   • Select Online Repair, then Repair.
   • When the repair completes, restart Windows and test File > Save As again.
2. Reset the Normal template (in case it is corrupted)
   • Close Word.
   • Open File Explorer and in the address bar enter: %appdata%\Microsoft\Templates
   • Locate Normal.dotm, right‑click it and choose Rename.
   • Rename it to Normal.old.dotm.
   • Start Word again; a fresh Normal.dotm will be created automatically.
   • Create a new blank document and try File > Save As.
3. If a specific document shows strange behavior
   • Open the document.
   • Use File > Save As and choose Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
   • Close the file, then reopen the .rtf file in Word.
   • Use File > Save As again and choose Word Document (.docx) with a new name.
   • Test whether Save As now works normally on that new file.
4. To reduce data loss risk while troubleshooting
   • Save early using Ctrl+S before using Save As.
   • Consider saving to a different location (for example, OneDrive or another local folder) via File > Save As > More save options.

If the issue persists after Online Repair and resetting Normal.dotm, completely uninstall Office, restart the PC, and reinstall Office from the Microsoft account where the subscription is registered.

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References:

• The Save As dialog box appears two times when you try to save a file in Word
• How to troubleshoot damaged documents in Word
• Save, back up, and recover a file in Microsoft Office
• we are sorry, but word has run into an error that is preventing it from working correctly. Word will need to be closed as a result. Would you like us to repair now? - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix MS Word has run into an error that is preventing from working properly. Word will need to be closed as a result. - Microsoft Q&A