All excel files are locked

Are you unable to edit your Excel workbook due to an error message “The document is locked for editing by another user”?

If you also want to solve this Excel file locked by another user how to unlock mystery then you are on the right page. As today through this post, I am gonna share some easy fixes to resolve this Excel file is locked for editing by another user error.

Before that let’s find out why “The document is locked for editing by another user” error is appearing while trying to edit the Excel spreadsheet.

How Word And Excel Files Become Non-Editable?

This error is not limited to the Excel file, MS Word users are also facing File is locked for editing by another user error message.

There are lots of causes that can trigger this type of error and prevent the user from editing Excel or word file.

If you haven’t quit the Excel file properly then the Excel application becomes unable to delete the owner file and hence when the user tries to open/edit the Excel file then they get “The document is locked for editing by another user” error message.

If the Excel file a Word file saved on the server then it is possible that the same file is getting used by another person at the same time.

Microsoft’s office creates a temporary ownership file for their Excel and Word, this file is present in the location of the document, having “~$” followed by the name of the file. For Example: The filename of “myfile.doc” will have an ownership file name “~$myfile.doc”, both the files are created on newmisserverpublic.

The file also contains the name of the owner who is currently editing the document. You can see the file on newmisserverpublic from a computer, but on a Mac, you can’t see this file.

There are various causes that can trigger this type of Excel File Locked For Editing issues. Some of the common reasons for “The document is locked for editing by another user” error are as follows:

• Microsoft Excel isn’t closed properly and, therefore, didn’t erase the owner file.
• The second request of the Excel file is active in the background with the doc already open.
• The Excel doc is shared over a network, and used by any other user.

Sometimes you may also get the error message saying that:

File in Use – {filename] is locked for editing by {username}. Open Read-Only” or click “Notify to receive a notification when the document is no longer in use.

Screenshot of the error:

How To Fix Microsoft Excel File Locked For Editing?

In order to solve Excel file in use issue, we will disconnect the user from the file, and allow another user to get the complete accessibility. So follow all the below-given solutions.

Method 1# Disconnect User From The Opened Excel File And Unlock It

1: First you have to note down the path to the file, and the file name.

2: Open the run dialogue box, press the Windows Key + R from your keyboard to open up the Run dialog box.

3: In the run dialogue box, type “mmc” and then hit the Enter key to open up the “Microsoft Management Console“.

4: Choose the “File” > “Add/Remove Snap-in“.

5: From the list of “Available snap-ins”, choose the “Shared Folders” and then choose “Add” to add it to the “Selected snap-ins” list.

6: Another box will appear asking you to “Select the computer you want the snap-in to manage“. In case you are logged in on the server where the contaminated Excel file is present, then select “Local computer”. But if you are using a different system, then select the “Another computer”, then type the server where the Excel file stored.

7: Now, in the view section, choose the “Open Files“.

8: Choose the “OK“

9: Click on the “Open Files” to expand it.

10: You can sort the entire list according to your need and then search the file in the list. After it, right-click the file and, select “Close Open File”

Method 2# Quit All The Instances Of Excel

Follow the below-mentioned steps to terminate your PC from all the opened instances of Excel. This ultimately works in resolving Excel file in use error.

• Try to save your ongoing work, after that exit from all programs.
• Press the CTRL+ALT+DELETE button from your keyboard. This will open up the dialog box of Windows Security.
• Hit the Task Manager and then go to the Processes tab.
• Click Excel.exe, and then click End Process.

• In the Task Manager Warning dialog box, click Yes.
• If you are receiving locked for editing by another user or your program is not responding then click End Now.

• On the File menu, tap to the Exit Task Manager.

Method 3# Same File Is Editing By Another User

If any other user is also working on the same excel file at the same time then you have the two options to perform. The first one is, either you can wait till that person releases the file. And the second one is to make a copy of your Excel file and make all the changes in this copied document.

 Or you can also switch to such an app that allows multiple authors to work on the file concurrently.

Note: If you are working on the same Excel file with multiple users, then ensure that all the users must be using the same version of Excel which has well support for co-authoring.

Method 4# Office App Already Executing In Background

If you are very much sure that your excel file is not shared on the network nor it is been edited by any other user. In that case, chances are high that instances of the Office app along with the opened file are already executing in the background.

Method 5# Check Your Excel Version Support Co-Authoring Or Not

To work on the Excel file which is used by multiple users at the same time, make sure all the users are using Excel version which supports co-authoring.

If your excel version support co-authoring than more than one person can easily open and work on the file at the same time.  Apart from this, they can also view other user’s changes in just a few seconds.

Following Excel application Versions well support this co-authoring feature:

• Excel Mobile
• Excel for the web
• Excel for Android
• Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac*
• Excel for iOS
• Excel for Microsoft 365*

Note: Excel 2019 version doesn’t support this co-authoring feature.

This locked for editing by another user error also encounters also when a single user from the multiple users’ group is using the Excel version which doesn’t support this co-authoring.

If you are not sure about which Excel version they are using then encourage all to use Excel Online. This will facilities you with this co-authoring feature in the web browser only.

Method 6# Stick With These Excel File Formats

For Windows:

In spite of using the co-authoring feature in your Excel application if still you are getting the same locked for editing by another user error. At that time, keenly check the file format in which this specific Excel file is been saved.

Make sure that your excel file must be in the following .xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb format.

If it’s not then, go to the File > Save As > Browse > Save as type option. After that select any one of the .xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb formats.

For Mac user:

Go to the File > Save As… Option and then choose any one of the .xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb format.

Method 7# Remove Unsupported Features From The File

If still, you are getting this Excel file in use error then the reason can be the unsupported Excel feature that doesn’t work with co-authoring.

So for this, you just need to ask one of your Excel file users to perform the following task.

The first option is to turn off the shared Excel workbook feature. If a snapshot is opened from SharePoint then it will open your workbook automatically.

If these two solutions fail to work then try the following solutions.

Windows:

• If it’s possible then remove the password or restricted file access settings. For this just follow this path: File > Info > Protect Workbook option. After that, you have to remove restricted access settings and passwords if it is applied.

• Disable Refresh data when opening file setting present within the pivot table and tables of the file. Choose the PivotTable or table, after that follow this path: Table Tools Design > Refresh > Connection Properties. Now uncheck the Refresh data when opening file option.

• Inactivate the excel add-in which causes this lock file issue. Choose the File > Options > Add-Ins > Excel Add-ins > Go option. Uncheck the add-in checkbox.

Conclusion

Now you must have got the perfect answer to your query Excel file locked by another user how to unlock.

If you successfully fixed this issue with the help of the above-given steps then it’s good. But if you are still unable to fix this issue or unable to follow the below-given steps due to lack of knowledge then you can go with the automatic solution to repair MS Excel errors. 

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You can also press Ctrl+Shift+F or Ctrl+1. In the Format Cells popup, in the Protection tab, uncheck the Locked box and then click OK. This unlocks all the cells on the worksheet when you protect the worksheet.

How do I unlock an Excel file that is locked for editing?

How to Unlock Excel File Locked for Editing – 5 Ways

1. Quit All Instance of Excel.
2. Use Windows Management Console.
3. File Is Editing by Another User.
4. Remove Unsupported Features.
5. Check Your File Format.

How do you unlock an Excel spreadsheet without the password?

Just follow any of these steps: Open the protected spreadsheet, and switch to the ‘Review’ tab and click the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ icon in the Changes group. You can access the same above option by right-clicking the protected spreadsheet tab, then select the ‘Unprotect Sheet’ option from the context menu.

How do I unlock a locked XLSX file?

How to unprotect a password protected .XLSX file

1. Change the file extension from . XLSX to .
2. Extract the file to a folder with your favorite unzipper (7-Zip is what I used)
3. Go to the xlworksheet sub-folder that you just extracted.
4. There should be one or more files named like: sheet1.
5. Re-zip the files back up.
6. Rename from .

How do I unlock a locked document for editing?

Unlock a protected document

1. On the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Restrict Editing.
2. In the Restrict Formatting and Editing task pane, click Stop Protection.
3. If you are prompted to provide a password, type the password.

How do you unlock cells in Excel?

Here’s how to lock or unlock cells in Microsoft Excel 2016 and 2013.

1. Select the cells you wish to modify.
2. Choose the “Home” tab.
3. In the “Cells” area, select “Format” > “Format Cells“.
4. Select the “Protection” tab.
5. Uncheck the box for “Locked” to unlock the cells. Check the box to lock them. Select “OK“.

How do I unlock Excel Online?

Unprotect Excel from any device: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

1. Upload your Excel files to unlock.
2. Enter the protection password.
3. Press the “UNLOCK” button.
4. Download the unlocked files instantly or send a download link to email.

How do I unlock data validation in Excel?

Select the cell(s) with data validation. On the Data tab, click the Data Validation button. On the Settings tab, click the Clear All button, and then click OK.

How do I unlock cells in Excel 2010?

Select the cells you want to unlock. These are the cells you want to allow users to edit when the worksheet is protected. Press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog box and click the Protection tab. Use the Protection tab in the Format Cells dialog box to unlock cells.

How do I unlock cells in Excel 2019?

Once you’ve selected the cells that you want to unlock, navigate to ‘Format’ on the ‘Home’ tab and click. Your drop-down menu should appear and you should click ‘Format Cells. ‘ Make sure you’re on the ‘Protection’ tab and click the little box next to ‘Locked’ to unlock the highlighted cells.

Why is Data Validation greyed out Excel?

The reason Data Validation is Greyed Out is due to the characteristics of your spreadsheet. If you spreadsheet is “Protected” or being “Shared” with another file, the Data validation tool is turned off in Excel.The other option is to copy the data set into a new worksheet that is not shared.

How do you unfreeze a drop down in Excel?

Right click on them and select Format Cells in the right-clicking menu. See screenshot: 3. In the Format Cells dialog box, go to the Protection tab, uncheck Locked box, and then click the OK button.

What is Pivot in Excel?

A pivot table in Excel is an extraction or resumé of your original table with source data. A pivot table can provide quick answers to questions about your table that can otherwise only be answered by complicated formulas.

How do you lock or unlock cells based on values in another cell in Excel?

Method: Lock and Unlock Cells Based on Another Cell Value Via VBA Code

1. Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
2. If Range(“A1”) = “Pass” Then.
3. Range(“B2:B6”). Locked = False.
4. ElseIf Range(“A1”) = “Fail” Then.
5. Range(“B2:B6”). Locked = True.
6. End If.
7. End Sub.

What is F4 in Excel?

When you are typing your formula, after you type a cell reference – press the F4 key. Excel automatically makes the cell reference absolute! By continuing to press F4, Excel will cycle through all of the absolute reference possibilities.

What are locked cells in Excel?

By default, when you protect cells in a sheet or workbook, all of the cells will be locked. This means they can’t be reformatted or deleted, and the content in them can’t be edited. By default, the locked cells can be selected, but you can change that in the protection options. 1.

How do I enable data validation tab in Excel?

Add data validation to a cell or a range

1. Select one or more cells to validate.
2. On the Data tab, in the Data Tools group, click Data Validation.
3. On the Settings tab, in the Allow box, select List.
4. In the Source box, type your list values, separated by commas.
5. Make sure that the In-cell dropdown check box is selected.

How do I fix data validation in Excel?

Fix: Change Data Validation Source

1. Select the data validation cells.
2. On the Excel Ribbon’s Data tab, click Data Validation.
3. On the Settings tab, change the range address* in the Source box, to include the new items.
4. Click OK, to complete the change.

How do I unprotect an Excel worksheet?

Just do any of the following:

1. Right-click the sheet tab, and select Unprotect Sheet… from the context menu.
2. On the Review tab, in the Changes group, click Unprotect Sheet.
3. On the Home tab, in the Cells group, click Format, and select Unprotect Sheet from the drop-down menu.

I’ve been using Excel since 2010 and like everyone else, I faced frustrating and annoying problem of not being able to edit my.doc or.xlsx files while working. At times, it keeps on showing the error message saying “The document is locked for editing by another user”. Several questions arise in mind like “How do I unlock an excel file for editing” or “Is there any solution to unlock an excel file for editing without a password”?

This is the question we often see from Excel Community, after many years, there’s still many friends ask the same question. Well, nothing to worry about at all. Passwiper for Excel got your back! Here lists several useful and easy solutions that can help you unlock shared excel file locked for editing. Let’s get started!

• 1. Unlock Excel File for Editing without Password
• 2. Disconnect User from the Opened Excel File and Unlock It
• 3. Quit All the Instances of Excel
• 4. Same File Is Editing by Another Users
• 5. Office App Already Executing in Background
• 6. Check Your Excel Version Support Co-Authoring or Not
• 7. Stick with these Excel File Formats
• 8. Remove Unsupported Features from the File

Way 1. Unlock Excel File for Editing without Password

Passwiper for Excel is an effective and professional Excel password remover that helps you unprotect Excel workbook and worksheet protection in just a few clicks. The following are the functionalities of Passwiper for Excel:

• Support the removal of worksheet protection permissions.
• Support the removal of permission to change the workbook structure and window.
• Supports the removal of documents with read-only permissions.
• All permissions are supported to be removed at the same time.

Document suffix format: xlsx, xls, xlsm, xlsb, csv, xltx, xltm, xlt, xml, xlam, xps, xla, ods. No risk of data damage, 100% success rate.

Passwiper for Excel ensures a 100% success rate to crack Excel VBA project password. You can recover VBA project passwords using this tool in the following way.

Step 1. Download and install PassWiper for Excel on your system.

Step 2. Run the program and select Remove Excel Password.

Step 3. Insert your VBA-encrypted document and click the Remove to continue.

That’s it. You’re done! Then you can share it with your friends without editing restrictions.

It supports removing excel restrictions under Windows system: Win7 and above (32 & 64bit), the latest Win 11 system. You can remove excel file in Microsoft Office 2003, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 365 (local), and it can be removed without depending on office environment. You can remove the restrictions without Office software.

Way 2. Disconnect User from the Opened Excel File and Unlock It

Disconnecting other users from the opened Excel file can prevent the file locked for editing. You disconnect the user from the file and allow another user to get access to the file by using Microsoft Management Console.

Way 3. Quit All the Instances of Excel

To resolve errors in editing Excel files, you need to quit all the open instances of Excel. You can do this by right-clicking the Excel icon in the Windows Taskbar. You can find it at the bottom of your screen.

Click the Close All Windows command to close all Excel files on your PC. You can also use Task Manager to end all the running processes.

Way 4. Same File Is Editing by Another Users

The easiest way to solve this issue is to copy all the data to another Excel file to edit it. You can make all the changes in the copied file accordingly.

Way 5. Office App Already Executing in Background

If none of the above is your problem, the reason that might be restricting you from editing the Excel file is the automatically running Office app in the background.

1. To stop that, open Settings.
2. Go to Privacy.
3. Select Background apps.
4. You will see the section”Choose which apps can run in the background.
5. Try turning off the background running apps.

Way 6. Check Your Excel Version Support Co-Authoring or Not

If the Excel file is shared on a network and several users are working on it simultaneously then make sure that everyone accessing the file is using the Excel version which supports co-authoring. It allows multiple users to work and edit Excel files at the same time.

Way 7. Stick with these Excel File Formats

File formats are important in saving and accessing Excel files for editing. You need to save your Excel file in formats that include .xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb.

Way 8. Remove Unsupported Features from the File

There’s a high chance that any unsupported feature or functionality is preventing the file from being opened for editing. Turning off such features can open Excel files for editing.

Bonus Tip: Why Can’t You Edit the File in Excel?

There are several reasons why the Excel file you’re working on could be locked. It’s quite common for frequent Excel users to face problems like this. Some of the most common reasons why you can’t edit the file in Excel are:

• When the file is running in the background and is already open, it becomes uneditable. If the Excel file is set for Read-Only then you can’t edit it as well. Also, restricted access to the file can prevent it from editing.
• You will be unable to edit an Excel file if excel file locked for editing by another user at the same time. Moreover, when the file has been marked as final already and no changes can be made. Excel files that are password protected are uneditable and you won’t be able to make changes to it unless you enter the password to unprotect it.
• An excel file can be made non-editable by adding a digital signature to a protected it. If the file is workbook structure protected, then you cannot make changes to it. The coded VBA project in Excel can also make the file unable to edit.

The above-mentioned reasons may stop you from editing files in Excel. However, there are several ways as well to unlock it easily.

This comprehensive guide can help you in unlocking excel file for editing.

Summary

Hope, now you get the answer to your question about how to unlock a file locked for editing in excel after going through several ways shared in this guide.

Use Passwiper for Excel to unlock Excel files with ease. So, PassWiper for Excel is an ultimate solution when the excel file locked out of editing, no matter it’s a mistake or by other user, this situation may happens and you can’t deal it and let the tool cut off your manual work while resolving all your Excel-related errors.