Word Could Not Create the Work File. Check the Temp Environment Variable

While trying to save a Word document, you might get an error message which states - “Word could not create the work file. Check the Temp environment variable”. This error message prevents you from accessing the data stored in the Word file.

Reasons for Error – “Word Could Not Create the Work File”:

• When Temporary Internet Files folder for Internet Explorer is created in a location where you don’t have permission to create new temporary files, you get this error
• Incorrect registry values in the key may also result in this error message

Fix Error Word Could Not Create the Work File:

You can fix this issue by changing the location of Temporary Internet files or by modifying the computer’s registry key. But you must be careful while modifying your system’s registry value because even the smallest mistake could have serious consequences. Below are the two most effective solutions that can be used to fix error – ‘Word could not create the work file’.

Solution 1: Change Location of Temp Files

If this Word file error occurs due to Temp files, then resolve the issue by changing the location of Temporary Internet Files. Follow the instructions to change the location:

1. Launch Internet Explorer and go to Tools, then click on Internet Options

2. Click General icon in the Internet Options dialog box

3. In the Browsing history section, click Settings option

4. Under Temporary Internet Files and History Settings, click on Move Folder

5. In Browse for Folder dialog box, select this location: <Drive:>\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files

6. Click OK icon and restart the computer

Solution 2: Edit Registry Values

If the error is caused due to incorrect registry key value, then you need to edit the registry key with correct value. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Start and bring up Run command

2. In the Run dialog box, type regedit and click Enter

3. Find and click this registry subkey: HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft >Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > User Shell Folders

4. Double click the Cache registry entry and in the Value box enter this -%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files and click OK

Suppose these 2 methods have not helped to solve the issue, then you need to use a Word Repair tool to fix the problem. Here, Remo Repair Word software will fix the Word file that stopped working and make its contents accessible again. It allows you to repair corrupted or damaged Word documents, and also restore all its contents like formatting, hyperlinks, OLE objects, tables, charts, etc.