Cannot save the word file with specific template

Dear Support Team,

I would like to report an issue we encountered with a Word (.docx) file that has been used by our client as a template. The file was originally created so that users could copy it and edit it as needed.

Everything worked fine until today. All users who use this file as a template are now facing a problem: they are unable to save their documents. Word enters an infinite saving loop, and the "Save As" function also fails — it keeps prompting users to enter a file name, but the saving process never completes.

The document has partial protection applied: the first page is protected and can only be edited with a password, while the rest of the document remains fully editable — as intended.

We also tried copying all the contents into a newly created Word document, and in that case, everything seems to work fine. However, this approach is not a viable solution for us, as there are already too many copies of the original template in use.

Opening the document in Word Safe Mode did not resolve the issue either.

We would appreciate your assistance in identifying the cause of this problem and suggesting a possible fix.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Best regards,

Danylo

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Answer
Answer

You have found the safest fix already: Copy in the content into a new, blank document. Set up the protection as desired and then save the file as a template (*.dotx).

Using a true template will reduce the risk of corruption / damaged structures (because you are forced to save a new *.docx based on the template).

Stefan Blom
MS 365 Word MVP since 2005
Volunteer Moderator
MS 365, Win 11 Pro
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Note that I do not work for Microsoft
https://mvp.microsoft.com/
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Please specify Word version & OS in your question

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Last updated March 15, 2025 Views 48 Applies to: