Downloading Word documents to PC

C. Neller 0 Reputation points
2026-08-07T02:33:43.5066667+00:00

Just recently, I am having problems downloading Word documents to my computer. The document only is saved to One Drive, so I am unable to email my Word docx document to anyone. This has never been a problem until the other day. How do I fix this issue?

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | For home | Windows
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  1. GsN5034 - IA 78,870 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-08-07T03:31:08.8966667+00:00

    Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

    1. Could you please let me know the exact error message you see when downloading Word documents from OneDrive?
    2. Are you having trouble downloading online-only Word files from your OneDrive desktop folder, or does the same issue occur when using OneDrive online?
    1. Open an incognito tab on any web browser.
    2. Sign in with your Microsoft account here: https://onedrive.live.com/
    3. Go to the My Files section and open the 'Documents' folder.
    4. Select the Word files you want to download,
    5. and click 'Download' in the menu bar.

    If you are running into any issues, share the error message here or what exactly happens when downloading the files from OneDrive.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-08-07T02:34:02.7066667+00:00

    Try these fixes in order:

    1. In Word for the web, download a local copy manually:
      • Open the document.
      • Go to File > Create a Copy > Download a copy.
      • The file is saved to the Downloads folder on the PC.
    2. If the file is already in OneDrive, download it directly from there:
      • Select the document in OneDrive.
      • Choose Download.
      • The copy is saved to the Downloads folder.
    3. If the problem is that Outlook cannot attach the file, the file may be online-only in OneDrive. In that case, attach the file from the local Documents folder or first download it to the PC, then attach that local copy.
    4. If uploads or downloads through OneDrive recently started failing, clear stale OneDrive sign-in data:
      • Press Windows key + R.
      • Enter %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\settings and select OK.
      • Delete PreSignInSettingsConfig.json.
      • Restart OneDrive.
    5. If the issue continues, uninstall and reinstall the OneDrive app. This does not remove files or data; files remain available by signing in to OneDrive online.
    6. If Word files are opening as local files without AutoSave or OneDrive behavior seems wrong, close all Office apps, including Outlook and OneNote, and open the file again.
    7. Check whether OneDrive storage is full. If storage is full, documents cannot be saved until usage is reduced below the storage limit.

    A practical workaround is to always download the .docx file to the PC first, then attach that downloaded copy to email.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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