XL7: "This File Has Been Locked" Error Saving Shared Workbook

 Last reviewed: October 13, 1997
Article ID: Q130494
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you save a shared workbook, you may receive one of the following error messages 

   This file has been locked by <user name> for saving. Please try again
   later.
where <user name> is the name of another user who has the file open for editing. 

 -or-

   Document saved as '<numchar>'. Cannot rename to '<filename>'. You must
   close this document.
where <numchar> is a combination of numbers and characters such as 0ae06000 and <filename> is the name of the file you are saving, such as Book1.xls.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you save a shared workbook while another user is also saving the same file. This behavior occurs because the workbook is locked during the save process and cannot be saved by another user until the save process is complete. This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, wait a few minutes (depending on the size of the file) until the save process is complete, and then try saving the file again.

MORE INFORMATION

This error message may appear when you save a file immediately after another user saves the same file. When you save a Microsoft Excel workbook file, the following process occurs:

  • The original file (for example, Book1.xls) is locked.
  • The original file is saved to a temporary file (0ae06000).
  • The original file (Book1.xls) is unlocked.
  • The original file (Book1.xls) is deleted.
  • The temporary file (0ae06000) is renamed to the original file name (Book1.xls).

If you save a shared workbook while it is being saved by another user, you receive the error message in the "Symptoms" section in this article. This problem occurs when your save process begins AFTER the file is deleted and BEFORE it is renamed (by the first save process) or when the save process you initiated locks the file after it is unlocked (by the first save process). It is unlikely that you will receive the second error message; it appears only in the case when two save processes for one file begin almost at the same moment.

Additional reference words: 7.00
Keywords : xlwin kbnetwork
Version : 7.00
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: October 13, 1997
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