Go to Computer Management -> System Tools -> Shared Folders -> Open Files to find out who has a document locked. If the user can’t be contacted to disconnect themselves, you can forcefully do so by right clicking the locked file and selecting Close Open File (warning: the user might lose their changes).
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How do you unlock an Excel spreadsheet locked by another user?
To do so, follow these steps:
- Save all your work, and then quit all programs.
- Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE to open the Windows Security dialog box.
- Click Task Manager, and then click the Processes tab.
- Click Winword.exe, and then click End Process.
- In the Task Manager Warning dialog box, click Yes.
Why does excel say its locked by another user?
If just one person uses a version of Excel that doesn’t support co-authoring, then everyone else will get the “locked” error — even if everyone else is using a version of Excel that does support co-authoring.
To fix this issue:
- Temporarily turn on hidden files and folders.
- Navigate to the folder on the shared drive where the file is locked.
- You will now see a file with the same name that has a tilde (~) character in front of the file name.
- Check the date on the file.
- If unsure, right click on the file.
How do I kick someone out of Excel?
Select someone from the list of active users and click Remove User to remove a specific user. Click OK to close the window after removing as many users as you want.
Try going to computer management on the server where the files are actually stored and then go to shared folders -> open files. You should be able to force close the file if someone has it open (and see which computer had an open pipe to the file).
How do I remove a locked Excel file?
How to remove a password to unencrypt an Excel spreadsheet
- Open your encrypted Excel spreadsheet, type in the password, and click “OK.”
- Click on the “File” tab, then click on “Info.”
- Click on the box labeled “Protect Workbook” to open a drop-down menu.
- Delete the password that appears, so that the field is blank.
How do I force close a file open by another user?
To disconnect multiple open files or folders, press the CTRL key while clicking the file or folder names, right-click any one of the selected files or folders, and then click Close Open File. This closes the selected files or folders.
In the left pane of the new SharePoint admin center, under Policies, select Access control. Select Idle session sign-out. Select when you want to sign out users and how much notice you want to give them before signing them out. Select Save.
Can’t be deleted because the file is open in another program?
This is the most successful method to fix the “file is open in another program” error. Click Ctrl + Shift + ESC to open the Task Manager. Alternatively, you can right-click the Taskbar or click Ctrl + Alt + Del anywhere in Windows and select Task Manager.This will close all instances of the program.
How can I solve The file is locked for shared use by… error?
- Wait a few hours.
- Try out a different cloud storage provider: Sync.com.
- Check that the file isn’t already open.
- Turn Off the Require Check Out option.
- Adjust the Permissions Level Settings.
Go to the Document Library Settings and click on “Manage files which have no checked in version”. You can manage the checked out files here to force check out it to yourself, then check it in.
Some things that can be tested, to force the file’s lock to be released are:
- Logout from MetaShare/SharePoint and login again.
- Open the document in the Online app and rename the file from there.
- Check if “Upload Center” has locked this document.
Access ‘Manage Service Applications’. Access ‘User Profile Service application’. Locate the ‘My Site Cleanup Job’ task and access it (I normally find this on page 2), then manually run the task by clicking ‘Run Now’. Once done you should notice disabled AD users being removed from SharePoint.
How do you fix the action Cannot be completed because the file is open in another program?
How to fix The action cannot be completed because the file is open in another program error?
- Use Disk Cleanup and repair HDD.
- Empty the Recycle Bin.
- End Windows Explorer process and restart it.
- Edit your group policy.
- Disable the Preview panel.
- Disable thumbnails.
- Modify your registry.
- Delete the TEMP folders.
How do you find a file that is open in another program?
Use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Look for the file in the Processes tab which shows you all the applications that are currently being used, whether with or without your knowledge.
How do you find out a file’s format?
Viewing the file extension of a single file
- Right-click the file.
- Select the Properties option.
- In the Properties window, similar to what is shown below, see the Type of file entry, which is the file type and extension. In the example below, the file is a TXT file with a . txt file extension.
Use the “Open in Word” option and not “Open in Word Online” or “Open in SharePoint.” Once you have it open in Word, follow “File> Information> Manage document”, click on Check out and Check In and then save it.
How do I unlock an Excel file in OneDrive?
No, it is not possible for OneDrive to unlock the file because OneDrive is not locking it. The file is being locked by Excel because someone already has the file open. This is normal behavior. Your only option is to save a new copy or wait until the other person has closed the file.
How do I unlock Excel Online?
Unprotect Excel from any device: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.
- Upload your Excel files to unlock.
- Enter the protection password.
- Press the “UNLOCK” button.
- Download the unlocked files instantly or send a download link to email.