Knowledge Base

WD6X: "Cannot Save or Create File" If Path Over 255 Characters

Article ID: 119287

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006

Microsoft Word 6.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft Word 6.01 for Macintosh

This article was previously published under Q119287

SYMPTOMS

The following error message may occur when you save a document in Word for the Macintosh:

Word cannot save or create this file. Make sure the disk is not write protected (<filename>).

CAUSE

The disk is actually write protected.

-or-
The full path to the document is more than 255 characters long.

By design, the path to a Word for the Macintosh document name can be no longer than 255 characters. -or-
The hard drive name has an apostrophe or other non alphanumeric characters in it.

RESOLUTION

If the disk is write protected, remove the write protection and save the document again.
Save document in a folder whose full path contains fewer than 256 characters.
Rename the hard drive, eliminating the apostrophe or other non alphanumeric characters.

NOTE: When renaming a hard drive, it is important to retype each and every character of the new name, and not simply delete the apostrophe.

MORE INFORMATION

When you save a document to a folder whose path is more than 255 characters long, Word displays the "cannot save or create file..." error message and creates a document named Word Work File in the first legal parent folder (a folder whose full path contains fewer than 256 characters). The name of the Word Work File may be truncated.

Keywords: kberrmsg kbprb KB119287