Office for Mac Issues

How to Fix Word for Mac Temporary .sb Folders on SMB Shares

Steven Parker Oct 23, 2026 868 views

Question details

Users need a way to stop Microsoft Word for Mac from leaving behind temporary folders ending in .sb when saving documents to a network SMB share.

How to Fix Word for Mac Temporary .sb Folders on SMB Shares

Product: Microsoft Word for Mac
Device & OS: macOS Ventura
Scenario: Saving large Word documents to a Windows-hosted SMB file share over a network.
Observed behavior: Word fails to clean up temporary .sb folders after saving, often causing large files to fail to save entirely or causing the Word application to stop responding.

Before you start

Ensure you have administrative access to the Windows file server hosting the SMB share, and verify that your Mac is connected to a stable network before making configuration changes.

Solution 1Recommended

Update macOS and Microsoft Office

Installing the latest system and application updates is the most effective way to resolve sandboxing bugs related to network saving.

This bug was particularly prevalent in early versions of macOS Ventura. Apple and Microsoft released fixes in subsequent updates. Testing confirms that updating to macOS 13.3 or later, alongside the latest Office version, generally resolves the failure to clean up .sb folders.

Update macOS

Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, select 'System Settings', go to 'General', and click 'Software Update'. Download and install any available updates (specifically macOS 13.3 or newer).

Update Microsoft Word

Open Microsoft Word on your Mac. In the top menu bar, click 'Help' and select 'Check for Updates'. Follow the prompts in the Microsoft AutoUpdate tool to install the latest versions.

Restart and Test

Restart your Mac, reconnect to the SMB network share, and attempt to save a large Word document to verify that the .sb temporary folder is properly deleted after saving.

System Compatibility: Keeping both macOS and Office updated ensures maximum compatibility and prevents most sandbox-related permission glitches.

Solution 2

Adjust Top-Level Permissions on the Windows File Server

Granting Full Control to Domain Users on the top-level shared folder prevents Word from being blocked when attempting to delete its own temporary files.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Try WPS Office for Reliable Network Document Editing

If Microsoft Word continues to freeze or generate temporary .sb folder errors on your Mac network shares, consider switching to WPS Office. It offers a lightweight, highly compatible alternative for creating, editing, and saving your documents without native macOS sandboxing conflicts on SMB shares.

1. Download WPS Office for Mac: Visit the official WPS website and download the macOS version of the WPS Office suite.
2. Install and Open: Run the installer, drag the WPS application to your Applications folder, and launch WPS Writer.
3. Save to Your SMB Share: Open your existing Word documents, edit them, and save them directly to your SMB network drive effortlessly.

Seamlessly compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formatsLightweight architecture ensures fast saving and editing on macOSBypasses common network share bugs found in other softwareFree to download and use with a highly familiar user interface

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word for Mac create .sb folders on my network drive?

These .sb folders are temporary directories created by macOS's sandboxing feature when an app like Word saves a file. Under normal circumstances, the operating system and the app should automatically delete them once the save process is complete.

Did this temporary folder bug exist on macOS Monterey?

Based on widespread user reports, this specific SMB saving issue and the persistence of .sb folders became highly prevalent starting with macOS Ventura. Users on macOS Monterey generally did not experience this behavior.

Is it safe to grant 'Full Control' to users on the SMB share?

Granting Full Control allows users to delete files, change permissions, and take ownership. While it resolves the Word saving bug, you should restrict this permission to the appropriate groups (like Domain Users) on specific project folders rather than opening up the entire server root.

Can I use third-party Mac utilities to fix these share permissions?

Yes. Some users have reported success using third-party utilities like TinkerTool on macOS to manually force advanced permission configurations for saving, modifying, and deleting files on problematic SMB shares.

Office App Problems