"The document...could not be autosaved. The file has been changed by another application"

I have an open ticket with Apple Support. The issue has not been solved yet but they are aware of it. I had worked with them over the course of four days but I have not heard back for 10 days now. In my case, the file server is backed up with Time Machine and when I pause it, files that I open on a client M1 MacBook Pro do autosave again. When I turn on Time Machine on the server, the client fails to autosave again. So the M1 somehow thinks that the file on the server is being "written to" by Time Machine When I open the same file from an Intel Macbook, the autosave works even with Time Machine running on the server.

It seems like giving full disk access to google drive fixed my issue. I have a M1 Pro machine and was having the exact same problem.

 > System Preferences > Security & Privacy, then select the Privacy tab. In the privacy tab add Google Drive for Full Disk Access.

I have the exact same problem with iWork documents. That odd "save anyway" dialogue comes up even WHILE I am dragging an object or typing something, which severely interrupts my workflow. In addition, I have a much less severe but possibly related issue with photos saved from Safari to the remote SMB volume. This creates an empty folder with the same name as the photo file that is also created. This does not happen when saving to the local volume.

I have a home office with the following setup:

• Intel Mac mini file server running Mojave 10.14.6. This is my only 32-bit machine needed for conversion of old video codecs.
• Intel Mac mini client running Monterey 12.1.
• M1 MacBook Pro running Monterey 12.1.
• I am the only user of both client machines and I often work on the same document on either one of the client machines (of course, they are closed first on one machine before opening them on the other).
• The only other application touching my file on the file server is Time Machine.

The Intel Mac has no problems saving remote iWork documents (or Safari pictures) but the M1 MacBook Pro has. Therefore I suspect that the issue could be related to the new M1 architecture.

To make matters more complex: The Intel Mac mini used to have the same file-saving issues while on an OS prior to Monterey (Big Sur and Catalina). The workaround was to turn off Power Nap. Monterey does not mention Power Nap in the System Preferences (under Battery) but it has "Wake for network access". When I turn this one off, however, the issue does not go away.

So there is hope that Apple could fix this by a software update.

I've been getting this since I setup my M1 MacMini last April.

Only happens with files stored on my Synology NAS drive.

Don't have the issue with my iMac (2011 27") which isn't used mush now as I can't get the latest OS.

Tried to exclude these NAS folders from Time Machine but they don't seem to get recognised, but I still see hidden time machine files in these shared folders.

Hello jmpatricio! 

While there may not be anyone accessing the document at the same time, is it possible that another machine has the document opened at the same time? When you open the file on your Mac, does it also open the file on the machine that's serving the file? If so, is it opening two instances of the file when you open the file from your Mac - one on your Mac, and one on the serving machine?

If the issue persists, connect with Apple Support to look into this further: Get Support

Cheers!

I tried the full disc access changes as well, which didn't seem to make a difference. But then I tried something else, which does seem to be helping somewhat. Might be too early to tell, but thought I'd throw it out there.

With Big Sur, I believe Apple made changes to the support it gives to AFP protocols. I kept using AFP protocols, since it gave me a lot more extensive file naming capabilities on the remote server/external NAS. However, with the focus on SMB, I believe the permissions issue fell by the wayside. If you begin connecting via SMB instead of AFP, then you may be able to fix the issues that are arising.

Hello jmpatricio! Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities.

We understand that you’re accessing files that are stored on a remote computer to which you’re connected through an SMB, but you get a constant alert that says those files could not be autosaved. We'd like to look into this with you to see how we can help. 

It’s possible that another user is accessing the same file at the same time you are, and that’s why you’re seeing the alert. With Numbers and Pages, you have the option of collaborating, which allows multiple users to work on the same document at the same time, as seen here: About collaboration for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote

Make it a great day!

Same situation, MacBook Air M1 with numbers 11.2 and qnap NAS. Numbers files opened from a NAS share (smb) throw the error above "The document...could not be autosaved. The file has been changed by another application". Tried all of the solution jmpatricio has tried except installing monterey. Would be great if apple could fix that

Seems this is a common problem. Like others here, I KNOW that no other device has the file open and yet, I get the error "the document... could not be autosaved". Multiple Macs running Big Sur accessing a Mac mini running Catalina and sharing via SMB only.

Add me to the list of people having this problem. I have an M1 Mac Mini which shares files to my Mac laptop. Used to have an Intel MacBook Pro. No trouble whatever. I bought an M1 Max MacBook Pro running Monterey, and now I get the dreaded message that it couldn't be auto saved. No other computer is connected to the Mini. No apps are running on the Mini. Both Macs are running the latest versions of the Monterey MacOS.

Has there been a fix for this issue? I used Google Workspace at my private practice and Google Education at the university where I teach. This error message pops up every time I work on a document in Apple Pages or Numbers and it is saved in Google Drive.

Same problem. Mac M1. Monterey. Numbers file saved on google drive which now streams files to the desktop. Constant popup requiring me to "save anyway". This does not "just work".

Same issues as everyone but I am on a 13" macbook pro M1 on Monterey.