Office Apps Crashing

How to Fix Excel 2016 64-Bit Crashing When Saving to a Network Share

Bushra Parveen Oct 14, 2026 871 views

Question details

Users experience an application crash with exception code 0xc0000005 when attempting to save files to a domain network location using Excel 2016 64-bit.

Fix Excel 2016 64-Bit Crashing When Saving to a Network Share

Product: Microsoft Excel 2016 (64-bit)
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Saving an active spreadsheet directly to a domain network shared folder.
Observed behavior: Excel 2016 64-bit crashes unexpectedly with an access violation error (0xc0000005). The 32-bit version of Office does not experience this issue when saving the same files to the same network location.

Before you start

Before attempting to troubleshoot network configurations or software profiles, ensure you save a local copy of your Excel workbook to your desktop to prevent any unexpected data loss.

Solution 1Recommended

Use Local Save Workaround and Update Network Drivers

Since the crash specifically targets network saves on the 64-bit version, saving files locally first and ensuring network drivers are fully updated can prevent the crash.

This is the most immediate way to bypass the 0xc0000005 exception code. By keeping the save operation local, you bypass the memory access conflict triggered by the network transfer in the 64-bit architecture.

Save the file locally

In Excel, click 'File' > 'Save As' and choose a local directory such as your Desktop or Documents folder.

Transfer the file manually

Open Windows File Explorer, locate your saved file, and manually copy or move it to your intended domain network share.

Update network drivers

Right-click the Start menu, select 'Device Manager', expand 'Network adapters', right-click your active connection, and choose 'Update driver'.

Install Office updates

Open Excel, go to 'File' > 'Account' > 'Update Options', and select 'Update Now' to ensure you have the latest patches from Microsoft.

Use Local Save Workaround and Update Network Drivers

Temporary Workaround: This local-save method is a temporary workaround. For a permanent enterprise fix, network and log analysis is required.

Solution 2

Collect Event Logs and Isolate the Office Profile

IT administrators should gather specific crash logs from Event Viewer and test Excel in a clean state to isolate the root cause.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Stable Network File Management

If Excel 2016 continues to crash on your enterprise network share, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible, and stable environment for handling large spreadsheets without the memory allocation bugs sometimes found in older 64-bit Office versions.

1. Download and Install: Download the free WPS Office suite from the official website and follow the lightweight installation wizard.
2. Open Your Spreadsheet: Launch WPS Spreadsheet and open your existing .xlsx file.
3. Save to Network Share: Click 'Save As' and select your domain network location. WPS handles network writing processes securely, avoiding legacy 64-bit access violations.

Seamlessly compatible with Microsoft Excel (.xlsx, .xls, .csv) formats.Highly stable performance when saving directly to local, network, or cloud drives.Lightweight installation that avoids heavy system resource consumption.Familiar user interface requiring zero learning curve for existing Office users.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Excel 2016 64-bit crash when the 32-bit version works fine?

The 64-bit architecture handles memory allocation and interacts with network drivers differently than the 32-bit version. The crash is often caused by a bug in how the 64-bit application attempts to access memory during a network transfer, an issue not present in the 32-bit architecture.

What does exception code 0xc0000005 mean in Excel?

Exception code 0xc0000005 indicates an Access Violation Error. It means Excel attempted to read or write to a memory location it does not have permission to access, which forces Windows to terminate the application to prevent system instability.

How can I check if my Excel installation is 32-bit or 64-bit?

Open Excel, click on 'File', and select 'Account'. Under the 'Product Information' section, click the 'About Excel' button. The first line of text in the dialog box will display your full version number and indicate whether it is 32-bit or 64-bit.

Can domain network permissions cause this exact Excel crash?

Standard network permission issues usually result in an 'Access Denied' prompt rather than an application crash. However, aggressive security policies, corrupted network credentials, or outdated server-side configurations can sometimes trigger this access violation crash in specific Office builds.

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