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Can’t Save Excel Files on Mac? Try These 3 Fixes

Quick Tips
  • Open your spreadsheet > click File > Save a Copy.
  • Open your spreadsheet > click File > Reduce File Size > Compress pictures to reduce file size.
  • Open your spreadsheet > click File > Browse Version History > Check the time beside your Excel file. Open a recent Excel file.

Basic Fixes

  • Check internet connectivity. If your Mac experiences internet issues, Microsoft Excel will remain stuck in the ‘Saving’ status.
  • Check if file name is too long or contains special characters: A few special characters are not supported by Microsoft Excel for saving file names.
  • Check OneDrive storage: If your account is running out of OneDrive storage, Microsoft Excel may have issues saving it.
  • Close Excel on other devices: When you open the same file on Excel for Mac and start making changes, the program may have issues saving the latest changes.
  • Update or reinstall Microsoft Excel: The latest version of the app should remove bugs and glitches.

Fix 1: Manually Save the Excel Sheet

Most Excel users prefer to sync the spreadsheet with online services like OneDrive, Box, or Dropbox. Excel won’t sync the latest changes when one of such services is facing an outage. You must save the Excel file offline on your Mac manually. Here’s what you must do.

Step 1: Open a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.

Step 2: Select File at the top > choose Save a Copy.

save a copy excel app mac

Step 3: Select a local folder on your Mac and hit Save.

Fix 2: Reduce File Size

The file may get abnormally large when you deal with large spreadsheets with many tables, graphs, and hundreds of rows and columns. In such cases, you must reduce the file size and try saving it again. Microsoft Excel comes with an option to reduce file size. Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Open any spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.

Step 2: Select File at the top left on the Menu bar and choose Reduce File Size.

Step 3: Compress pictures to reduce file size and choose Ok to confirm.

You can try saving the compressed Excel file again.

Fix 3: Browse Version History

When Microsoft Excel doesn’t save the latest changes on Mac, you wouldn’t want your efforts to go to waste. Luckily, you can browse the version history and restore the recent file. Here’s how.

Step 1: Open an Excel spreadsheet on Mac.

Step 2: Select File at the top left on the Menu bar and then click on Browse Version History.

Step 3: Check the time beside your Excel file. Open a recent Excel file.

Step 4: Try to save it to your OneDrive account or locally on the Mac.

Tip: Learn how to turn off Lock Screen in Excel on Mac.

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Last updated on 16 August, 2024

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