MacOS – “The document could not be saved” – Preview error

errormacmacospreview

I have the issue on macOS Sierra(10.12.1) and still have it on High Sierra(10.13.3).

I get this error message(not all the time) a lot after editing an image, and trying to save it.gif I can't quit Preview either, so the only way to close Preview for me when this happens is to force quit Preview.

Clicking on duplicate doesn't work because my edits made to the original document don't carry over and Preview still doesn't quit.

Best Answer

I realised this is a bug in the Mask tool. Remove the mask and the image saves without any problem. Avoid this tool until Apple addresses the issue. Checked on High Sierra 10.13.4.

The Mask tool in Preview

A solution to this is to take a screenshot of the image preview before saving it(solution from @gpbl).