How do I fix saving changes to power point. Wont upload and I dont know how tom do it

Hi, Donald Wood

This usually means PowerPoint can still open the file, but the cloud save part is stuck, often because the Office cache is jammed or PowerPoint and OneDrive are no longer signed in the same way.

Here are some suggestions you can try:

In PowerPoint, go to File > Open > Files Needing Attention. If the presentation shows there, open it from that list and try saving it again. That’s the built-in place for cloud files that failed to save.

If it keeps coming back, go to File > Options > Save > Cache Settings > Delete cached files, then fully close PowerPoint and open it again. A bad Office document cache can block uploads until it’s cleared.

It is recommended that you check File > Account in PowerPoint and make sure the same Microsoft/OneDrive account is signed in there as in the OneDrive app. If needed, remove and re-add OneDrive under Connected Services.

If OneDrive itself shows a sync error, sign out and back in to OneDrive, then try the file again.

Thank you for your patience in reading, I hope this information has been helpful to you. 

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Follow these steps depending on what you see when PowerPoint says it “can’t upload” or “couldn’t save changes.”

1. If the message says the file is locked or upload failed This can happen if the file is on OneDrive/SharePoint or a server and is open by someone else, or is password‑protected. Do this:
   1. Save a local copy of the file:
      • Select File > Save As and save it to This PC (e.g., Desktop or Documents).
   2. Close the presentation.
   3. Make sure the original author (or any other person) closes the file if they still have it open.
   4. Reopen the original file from OneDrive/SharePoint/server.
   5. Manually merge your changes from the local copy into the server copy (copy/paste slides or content).
   This works around the issue where a password‑encrypted presentation created by another user is still open and blocks upload.
2. If the message says “Upload failed” or “Couldn’t save automatically” while editing online files This usually means the online copy was deleted or PowerPoint lost access to it. Do this:
   1. When prompted, choose to save a copy of the document so no work is lost.
   2. If the file was deleted by mistake from OneDrive or SharePoint, restore it:
      • From the OneDrive or SharePoint recycle bin using the guidance in:
        • restore the file from the recycle bin of the site
        • restore from the OneDrive
   3. After restoring, reopen the restored file and copy your latest changes from the saved copy into it.

If autosave or upload still fails after this, continue working in a local copy (File > Save As > This PC) to avoid losing changes, then later copy your changes into the online version once access is working again.

References:

• "Upload Failed This file is locked for editing by user_name" error message when you try to save some edits to a PowerPoint 2010 presentation that is located on a server
• I got an "Upload failed" or "Couldn't save automatically" error while editing an Office file