File.xls is locked for editing by me but I am not using the file .

[rmtaylor]

Hi
I have an Excel spreadsheet that I share with another local office. When I try and open it, it says that it is locked for editing by me when I know this is not the case.
Excel will not allow me to open the sheet unless its in read-only mode. The last time this occurred I solved it by saving the file under a new name, consequently I had to reset shortcuts for the six others who impute data onto the sheet.
Any assistance to help me to solve this would be appreciated.

Thanks & regards
Robert

 

[jenshay]

My group has an excel file that is shared between PC and MACs and I use a PC. When one of my MAC users has the file open, I too, receive the "locked by editing by my name" read-only dialog box. Don't know if this will help anyone with this thread or if anyone knows how we can change the message I receive to show the name of the actual person using the file. I do receive the correct user's name for other PC users editing the file.

 

[E_Tyler]

I was hoping to find a quick solution to this, but it looks like everyone is still in the same boat as me. For the record I have found a work-around that seems to work every time but it's cumbersome. It's somewhat similar to the solution posted previously. 1) Open the file (even if forced to do so as read-only). 2) "Save as" and rename the file with a different name (I usually use the same file name with a "-new" at the end). 3) Find the file using Windows Explorer and either delete the old version or right-click on it and rename it with "-old" at the end of the file name. 4) Rename the most recent file you just created and remove the "-new" from the file name. That way it will have the same file name as it did before and any links to the file with that original name will still work.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

 

[Bob Longmire]

I'm in XP and my file is on a shared drive. This solution worked for me: Right-Click on My Computer and select Manage. Then right-click on Computer Management in the Left Panel and click "Connect to another Computer ..." and then select the server your locked file is on. (Skip that if it's on your local drive.) Then expand System Tools and Shared Folders, and click on Open Files. I found my locked file in that list. You can right-click on the file name and select "Close Open File" if you have system permissions to do that. If you don't, you have to ask an admin to do it for you.

It worked for me after our admin showed me how.

Bob L
Chicago

 

[mk1]

Worked perfectly, Bob. Thanks -- I never knew about this!

 

[vbamahi]

Hi-

If it is a normal system, restart your computer, wait for sometime then open the file.

If it is a citrix systems, terminate the citrix and restart your system and conne ct it to different server. Also don't open first application which you opened in the previous session then open the excel it won't show.

 

[rubenr]

Ok,
I've had this problem for a while and decided to invest some time on it.... it's so frustrating since there was no apparent reason for the file to be locked up .
This is for people having the file locked by themselves (the error message tells you that you are the one locking it), you see no excel.exe open even if you check task manager.
After checking the DLL's and Handles with files on them, the result was cidaemon.exe having a lock on each of the excel files, this executable is resposible for indexing files in a Microsoft Windows environment.
I particularly don't require of this CPU consuming service so I went ahead and removed all catalogs from its configuration panel and turned it off.
You can find these options thru

Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Computer Management (I'm using Windows XP, you can search in other Windows flavors to get to the same place).

From there, go to Services and Applications > Indexing Service
Right click Indexing Service and select STOP

Here you can enjoy lock free excel files

To disable indexing I went ahead and deleted the so called Catalogs from that panel (System, Visio, etc).

As I mentioned earlier, this is a particular case and your's could be something else depending on your environment (i.e. Another user actually having the file open, you Antivirus refusing to let go, etc), but you can check this out as it doesn't hurt disabling Indexing for a moment.... If you particularly need indexing services, look for a way to avoid the location of these files in the configuration of the Catalog.

Hope it helps someone... as mentioned in previous posts.. there is not much help around... so many possibilities ...

 

[IJ.SLO]

Hi
I had that problem too. I tried many solution ideas.T
hen I opened Task manager and kill process EXCEL32.EXE.
For now the file is still ublocked, that is about 10 days.
Try my way.


Maybe MS launch Office servicepack which solve that problem.

Hope you will succed.

Ivan

Hi
I have an Excel spreadsheet that I share with another local office. When I try and open it, it says that it is locked for editing by me when I know this is not the case.
Excel will not allow me to open the sheet unless its in read-only mode. The last time this occurred I solved it by saving the file under a new name, consequently I had to reset shortcuts for the six others who impute data onto the sheet.
Any assistance to help me to solve this would be appreciated.

Thanks & regards
Robert

 

[rmtaylor]

Hi
I had that problem too. I tried many solution ideas.T
hen I opened Task manager and kill process EXCEL32.EXE.
For now the file is still ublocked, that is about 10 days.
Try my way.


Maybe MS launch Office servicepack which solve that problem.

Hope you will succed.

Ivan

I have office 2010 and there appears to be no issues. Thanks for the reply Ivan

 

[daverunt]

I haven't tried it on a shared file but certainly on local files where applications such as Anti-virus/ Explorer don't release the file this tool is very useful.
It's just accessed in the context menu.

Unlocker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[richiet]

I get this problem quite a bit. I generally find that Excel has just got the user wrong. So when it says it's locked by me - it is actually in use but by someone else. I then have to ask around everyone who might be using it to see if they have it open. More often than not someone has left it open, locked their machine and gone home for the day.