To download a Word document to your Mac, use the download option wherever the file lives. In Word for the web, choose File > Create a Copy > Download a copy. In OneDrive, select the file and choose Download. For an email attachment, save it from Mail or Outlook. In most cases the .docx file lands in your Downloads folder.
These steps are for getting a document file onto your Mac. If you want the Word app itself, see how to download and install Microsoft Word.
Download a document open in Word for the web
Use this when the document opens in a browser tab, for example from a shared link or Microsoft365.com.
- Open the document in Word for the web.
- Select File.
- Select Create a Copy. On some older layouts, this option appears as Save As.
- Select Download a copy. Your browser saves the .docx file to the Downloads folder.
Microsoft’s guide to downloading a copy of a Word for the web document shows the same option.
Download a Word file from OneDrive
- Go to OneDrive in your browser and sign in.
- Hover over the document you want and select Show more actions for this item (the three dots).
- Select Download.
- Check your Downloads folder for the file.
If you select several files at once, OneDrive downloads them together as a .zip file. Safari usually unzips it for you. In other browsers, double-click the .zip file in Finder to open it.
If you use the OneDrive app on your Mac, your synced files are already on the computer. Open them from the OneDrive folder in Finder instead.
Save a Word attachment from email
In Apple Mail
- Open the message with the Word attachment.
- Choose File > Save Attachments.
- Pick a folder and select Save.
You can also drag the attachment from the message onto your desktop. Mail sends attachments to the Downloads folder by default. To pick another folder, go to Mail > Settings > General.
In Outlook for Mac
- Open the message or view it in the reading pane.
- Select the drop-down arrow next to the attachment.
- Choose Download, or Download All if there are several files.
- Choose where to save the file in the window that opens, then confirm.
In Gmail, Outlook.com, or other webmail, look for a download arrow on the attachment. The browser then saves the file like any other download.
Download a Word file from a web page in Safari
- Click the download link for the document.
- If Safari opens the file in the tab instead, go back, Control-click the link, and choose Download Linked File.
- Select the Show Downloads button near the top-right of the Safari window to see the file.
- Double-click the file in that list to open it, or select the magnifying glass to show it in Finder.
Find the file after you download it
- Click the Downloads stack in the Dock.
- In Finder, choose Go > Downloads, or press Option-Command-L.
- Still missing? Search for part of the file name with Spotlight (Command-Space).
To make Safari save somewhere else, choose Safari > Settings > General and change File download location. Chrome and Firefox have similar settings.
Looking for a file Word saved on its own rather than one you downloaded? See where Word keeps AutoSaved and AutoRecovered documents.
Save a copy from Word on your Mac
If you already have Word for Mac and the document is stored in OneDrive, you don’t need to download it. Open it in Word, choose File > Save As, and pick a folder on your Mac. If Word shows cloud locations first, select On My Mac to see local folders.
Open a downloaded Word document without Word
You can still read and edit a .docx file if Word isn’t installed:
- Pages, Apple’s free word processor, opens Word files. Control-click the file and choose Open With > Pages. Complex layouts may shift a little.
- TextEdit can open simple .docx files, but it drops much of the formatting.
- Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. Upload the file to OneDrive and open it in your browser.
- Quick Look lets you preview the file without opening an app. Select it in Finder and press the Space bar.
If the document won’t download
- It keeps opening in the browser. The file is opening in Word for the web. Use File > Create a Copy > Download a copy.
- There is no download option. The owner may have shared a view-only link that blocks downloads. Ask them to send the file or change the link settings.
- The download stops or fails. Check your internet connection and free space on your Mac, then try again.
- The file won’t open. Confirm that the name ends in .docx or .doc. If Word reports a problem with the file, see how to repair a damaged Word document.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com