XL: Temporary File Created When You Save a Document

ID: Q103329


The information in this article applies to:


SYMPTOMS

You may receive one of the following errors when attempting to save a document in Microsoft Excel:

Cannot access read-only document <filename>
-OR-
Disk is full
-OR-
Document not saved
-OR-
Document not completely saved
-OR-
Document not saved. Any previously saved copy has been deleted
The document is not saved.


CAUSE

The process that Microsoft Excel uses to save changes to an existing file is interrupted.


MORE INFORMATION

When you save a file that you changed in some way on a Windows-based computer, Microsoft Excel saves the file with a temporary file name and places this file in the same folder as the original file. This creates a new file. The original file is then deleted and the temporary file is renamed with the original file name.

If this process is somehow interrupted, your file may not be saved properly or you may find one or more temporary files in the folder where you tried to save your file. In addition, you may receive one of several alert or error messages.

When you use Microsoft Excel to save a file that you changed in some way on a Macintosh-based computer, and the program unexpectedly quits, Microsoft Excel saves the file with a temporary file name. Temporary files are placed in an invisible folder called Temporary Items in the root level of the hard disk. When Microsoft Excel unexpectedly quits, this folder becomes visible. When you restart the computer, this folder is moved to the Trash and placed in a folder called "Rescued Items from <hard disk name>." You can then drag the file back to the hard disk to recover it.

The following information lists some of the possible messages you may receive and explanations as to why you may receive them.

Additional query words: 4.00 tmp temp 4.00a 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0,


Keywords          : 
Version           : MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a; WINDOWS:3.0,4.x,5.x,7.0
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb 

Last Reviewed: April 6, 1999