Excel Won't Let Me Save? Fix It With 5 Easy Ways

If you have been facing Excel won't let me save error, this article has got some amazing yet simple fixes for you. Here, you will get the top 5 fixes to get rid of this error quickly, and one of the best fixes is to use document repair tool.

 Free Download

Trustpilot Rating 4.7

 Free Download

Secure Download

Table of Contents

While working on a laptop, MS Excel saves your files automatically, which is why your file possesses a temporary file name and is located in the identical folder as the real version. Moreover, when you think of saving a workbook manually, the original file is ruled out, and the temporary one becomes the real one as it acquires the file name.

If the entire procedure gets disrupted, the probability is higher that the Microsoft Excel document won't be saved appropriately. So, the "Excel won't let me save" error may pop up anytime if you hit save on a workbook on Microsoft Excel.

1. Repair Excel Won't Save With Document Repair Software

Before you try the practical solutions for repairing Excel won't error, installing document repair software is recommended to fix this issue. As your Excel app might be experiencing some errors, an automatic one-stop solution is to install professional repair software, such as EaseUS Fixo Document Repair.

 Free Download

Trustpilot Rating 4.7

 Free Download

Secure Download

This Microsoft repair software is precise and effective in different scenarios; it comes in handy when other fixes fail. This software helps rid the damage in your tables, charts, filters, and formulas quickly. Lastly, it allows you to preview the files before saving them. The main features of this software are shown below:

  • 👍Mend corrupted Excel files with different degrees of corruption, including files that do not open, blank files, unreadable content, unidentifiable format, and changed file layout.
  • 🪄Safely and quickly repair several .xlsx files in a single procedure and perfectly handle the following cases: Excel file greyed out, Excel open but not visible, and runtime error in Excel.

Here is what you should do to repair corrupted Excel files with this file repair software:

Step 1. Download and launch Fixo on your PC or laptop. Choose "File Repair" to repair corrupted Office documents, including Word, Excel, PDF, and others. Click "Add Files" to select corrupted documents.

add files to repair documents with Fixo

Step 2. To repair multiple files at once, click the "Repair All" button. If you want to repair a single document, move your pointer to the target file and choose "Repair". You can also preview the documents by clicking the eye icon.

select documents to repair

Step 3. Click "Save" to save a selected document. Select "Save All" to save all the repaired files. Choose "View Repaired" to locate the repaired folder.

save repaired documents in Fixo

Download this professional document repair tool today! If you like this passage, kindly share it with your friends on social media.

 

2. Change the File Name and Save Again to Fix Excel Not Saving

If your Excel is not saving changes when you already have a file saved on your PC with a name similar to the one you're trying to name for the current file. Hence, one of the best solutions in such instances is saving the file using another name. The steps to change the file name and save again are shown below:

Step 1. Launch the "File" menu and select "save as" from the options shown.

hit save as to rename the file

Step 2.  Rename it utilizing another file name, and hit "Save."

If the method doesn't solve the problem, it's time to move on to the next solution.

3. Check the Permission to Solve Excel Won't Save

While trying to save the Excel file to a location where you don't have permission, the error text will pop up. Administrators can access drivers and files with permissions. A single user or the chief administrator can only access specific system categories, though.

If it's the reason for the error text's emergence, you have to alter the access permission to resolve the "Excel won't let me save" error. These are the steps below to check the permission:

Step 1. Hit the "Window + E" keys simultaneously. Now, locate the folder on the tab that appears and right-click on it.

Step 2. Opt for the "Properties" tab to move further. Hit the "Properties" tab and then the "Security" tab, which will give you an "advanced" option to click on.

Step 3. Hit the "change" button to proceed, and finally, the "find now" to modify permissions.

click find now

This method also works when Excel cannot open the file because the file extension is invalid.

4. Fix Excel Won't Let Me Save by Launching Excel in Safe Mode

One of the best solutions to solve this issue is launching MS Excel in safe mode, which may fix the issue as its plugins are complete, and the app will launch with a basic editor. These are the steps to follow:

Step 1. Hit the "Windows + R" to launch the "Run" box. When it appears, enter excel.exe/safe in the dialog box. 

type command

Step 2. Now, Excel will be opened in safe mode, and you may try to save the file again.

Share this post to forums like Reddit and social media like Twitter to help more users in need:

 

5. Delete Excel Add-Ins to Troubleshoot Excel Not Saving Data

The issue might arise because of the add-ins on your Excel drive. These are the reasons why the disc is overloaded while trying to save the file. However, the steps to delete Excel add-ins are the following:

Step 1. Launch "MS Excel," and hit the file.

Step 2. Select "manage" and hit "add-ins" to continue.

Step 3. Turn the add-ins off.

delete excel add ins

FAQs on Excel Won't Let Me Save

These are the FAQs to consider in case Excel won't let you save:

1. Why doesn't Excel allow me to save?

If the disk is loaded, your Excel might not allow you to save files. Frequently, technical errors occur in the disk you're saving to. In some instances, the disk gets separated from the PC unexpectedly. In such a case, it will exhibit an error text while trying to save. The drive you would like to save your file to doesn't have adequate storage space. Hence, inadequate storage space leads to this error. 

2. How do I fix Excel not saving?

You may think of safely launching MS Excel to fix this issue. All you need to do is hit the "Windows + R" key to launch the "Run" dialog box and enter the "excel.exe/safe" command in the dialog box.

3. How do I enable Excel to save?

Hit "File"> "Options," and select "Save" in the Excel options dialog box. Be sure to save "AutoRecover" information under "Save workbooks."

Final Words

MS Excel often demonstrates an array of problems that usually annoy users. Nevertheless, Excel won't let me save errors, and it has become pretty challenging to resolve the issues and organize your files in your desired folder. If you're bored of fixing this issue in some unreliable ways, the strategies above are the best to try. Even though they don't work, installing EaseUS Fixo Document Repair software will always be beneficial.

 Free Download

Trustpilot Rating 4.7

 Free Download

Secure Download

Was This Page Helpful?

About the Author

author Finley

Finley

Finley is interested in reading and writing articles about technical knowledge. Her articles mainly focus on file repair and data recovery.

Read full bio