[Fixed] Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable.

[Fixed] Word could not create the work file. Check the temp environment variable.

Word could not create the work file is common error in modern Microsoft Word versions. Microsoft Word is a wonderful application to develop documents. Documentation is the most important part in any project, process or strategy. Mostly it work without any problem but sometime it behave like idiot which make system admins crazy because nothing has changed, everything is fine still Microsoft word is giving error “Word could not create the work file”. What could have went wrong, what might have changed behind the scene? There can be many reasons for this error and many solutions of this issue. A couple of them worked for me on two systems.

word could not create work file

1. Delete Temp Files

Mostly its the Temp directory which creates these issues because it can pile up with lots of temporary files. No more files can be saved due to lack of space or number of files are greater than the allowed ones. Follow under given instructions to clear the temp directory.

Go to Run menu (Windows key + R)

enter the command %temp% and press enter

Select all and delete.

Now check if the issue is resolved. You need to restart the Microsoft Word to check the results of above process.

There is a registry fix available which is not recommended for non technical users because one wrong entry can make your system unstable.

2. Registry Fix

1. Go to start menu and go to run (Press Windows Key + R combination to open the run menu on desktop) type put Regedt32.exe in Run dialog box and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.

2. Navigate to the following location:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

word could not create work file

3. In the right pane of this location, look for the AppData named string and carefully observe its Value data. The Value data for this string, if it has been changed, it is enough capable to generate the issues regarding environment variable. So restore its default Value data to this:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming

Word-Could-Not-Create-Work-File-Check-The-Temp-Environment-Variable-3

Once done press the OK button to apply the changes.

you may need to restart your system to fully apply the changes. I hope this will work for most of the users and resolve this issue.

3. Deleting Temporary Internet Files

  1. Open Internet Explorer.
  2. Now, click on the Tools from the top right corner.
  3. Then click on the Internet Options from the contextual drop-down menu.
  4. Click on the Delete which is under your Browsing history
  5. Uncheck the Preserve Favorite website data.
  6. You only need to check the Temporary Internet Files, but just to be more accurate, check all the other options too.
  7. Click on the Delete option.
  8. Now close the Internet Explorer and restart your system.
  9. After reboot, I hope the problem will be solved.

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