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Error message when you try to save a document in Word 2007 or in Word 2003: "You are attempting to save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting"

Article ID: 945800 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to save a document in Microsoft Office Word 2007 or in Microsoft Office Word 2003, the document is not saved. Additionally, you receive the following error message:

You are attempting to save a file that is blocked by your registry policy setting.

If you recieve a similar error when try to open a file, see the following KB article:

922849

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922849/ )

You receive an error message when you try to open a file type that was blocked by your registry policy settings in Word 2007 or in Word 2003

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This issue may occur if an administrator restricts the types of files that you can open or save in Word 2007 or in Word 2003. An administrator can set a registry key to restrict this functionality.

Notes

For Word 2007, the registry key can be set by using the 2007 Office System Administrative Templates. For more information, see the "Word 2007" section.
For Word 2003, security update 934181 enables the administrator to block a user's ability to save or to open files in Word 2003. For more information, see the "Word 2003" section.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, follow one of these steps:

Save the document in a different file format.
Contact the system administrator to change the registry settings.

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MORE INFORMATION

Word 2007

To restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved in Word 2007, an administrator can use the 2007 Office System Administrative Templates. The administrator can use these templates to configure the registry on the client computer.

The following table contains the DWORD values that an administrator can add to the registry to restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved. The administrator can do this by using the

FileSaveBlock

subkey. Additionally, the table contains the corresponding file types that are restricted.

Collapse this tableExpand this table

DWORD value	File types that are restricted
OpenXmlFiles	.docx, .dotx, .docm, .dotm, .xml (Word Flat Open XML)
BinaryFiles	.doc, .dot
HtmlFiles	.htm, .html, .mht, .mhtml
XmlFiles	.xml (Word 2003)
RtfFiles	.rtf, .doc (Word 95), .doc (Word 97 original release version)
Converters	All file formats that are available by using a text converter
TextFiles	.txt

Notes

To download the 2007 Office System Administrative Templates, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=92d8519a-e143-4aee-8f7a-e4bbaeba13e7&DisplayLang=en
(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=92d8519a-e143-4aee-8f7a-e4bbaeba13e7&DisplayLang=en)
For more information about how to restrict a user's ability to open or to save certain file types in the 2007 Office programs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/873a5392-1b1a-47a1-a863-1f29ef116d0e1033.mspx
(http://technet2.microsoft.com/Office/en-us/library/873a5392-1b1a-47a1-a863-1f29ef116d0e1033.mspx)

Word 2003

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )

How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

An administrator can restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved in Word 2003. This functionality was not available in Microsoft Office 2003 when it was originally released. To restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved in Word 2003, install security update 934181. For more information about security update 934181, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

934181

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934181/ )

Description of the security update for Word 2003: May 8, 2007

To restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved in Word 2003, an administrator can use one of the following methods:

Use the updated Office 2003 Administrative Templates to configure the registry on the client computer.
Modify the registry by adding a registry key setting on the client computer.

To download the Office 2003 Service Pack 3 Administrative Template (ADM), OPAs, and the Explain Text Update, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=BA8BC720-EDC2-479B-B115-5ABB70B3F490&displaylang=en

(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=BA8BC720-EDC2-479B-B115-5ABB70B3F490&displaylang=en)

The following table contains the DWORD values that an administrator can add to the registry to restrict the types of files that can be opened or that can be saved. The administrator can do this by using the

FileSaveBlock

subkey. Additionally, the table contains the corresponding file types that are restricted.

Collapse this tableExpand this table

DWORD value	File types that are restricted
BinaryFiles	.doc, .dot
HtmlFiles	.htm, .html, .mht, .mhtml
XmlFiles	.xml (Word 2003)
RtfFiles	.rtf, .doc (Word 95), .doc (Word 97 original release version)
Converters	All file formats that are available by using a text converter (including the Office Compatibility Pack)
TextFiles	.txt

To enable the

FileSaveBlock

subkey settings, follow these steps:

Exit Word 2003.
Install security update 934181 if it is not installed.
Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
Locate and then click one of the following registry subkeys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Security\FileSaveBlock

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Word\Security\FileSaveBlock
Note If the
FileSaveBlock
subkey does not exist, create it. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click the Security subkey.
2. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key.
3. Type FileSaveBlock, and then press ENTER.
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
Type the DWORD value that you want to restrict, and then press ENTER. For example, type BinaryFiles to restrict a user's ability to save .doc files and .dot files.
Right-click the DWORD value that you typed in step 6, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
On the File menu, click Exit.