Fix Word Grant File Access for Files in a Mac Folder

Click Finder in the Dock, press Shift + Command + G, paste the folder path, and press Enter.

Right-click the original folder and select Get Info.

In the Get Info window, expand Sharing & Permissions, click the lock icon, and enter your Mac administrator password.

Select your macOS account in the Name column, click the privilege next to it, choose Read & Write, then click the gear icon and select Apply to enclosed items.

Right-click the Word document, select Get Info, expand Sharing & Permissions, and confirm your account has Read & Write. Then reopen the document.

Click the Apple menu, select System Preferences, and then click Security & Privacy.

Click Privacy, then click the lock icon and enter your Mac administrator password.

Select Files and Folders in the left list. If Microsoft Word appears, enable its checkbox. If not, click the + button and add /Applications/Microsoft Word.app. On newer macOS versions, also add Word under Full Disk Access if the prompt continues.

Under Files and Folders, find the affected folder in Word's list and select it, or click + to add the original folder manually.

Quit Word completely, reopen it, and open the document from the original folder.

Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold Command + R until the Apple logo or startup screen appears.

From the macOS Utilities window, select Disk Utility and click Continue.

Select your startup disk in the sidebar, click First Aid, and then click Run to check and repair disk and permission issues.

Restart your Mac, open Finder to the original folder, and double-click the Word document to confirm the Grant File Access prompt no longer appears.