The file may be locked for the following reasons: The file is shared and being edited by another user. An instance of the Office application is running in the background with the file already open. The file has been marked as complete and can no longer be updated.
Why are my documents locked for editing?
Files can be locked if the program (Word, Excel, etc.) is not properly terminated. You can restart (the panacea for almost all Windows problems) or press CTR+ALT+Del to open Task Manager. In Task Manager look for your program running as a background task, click on it and press End Task.
How can I unlock a file for editing?
Right-click the file. From the menu that appears, choose Lock File. To unlock, right-click the file and select Unlock File.
How can I unlock a locked Excel file so I can edit it?
Some things to try: Make sure the file preview is not active in Windows Explorer. Get Ccleaner (free version) and delete all temporary files. Reboot and try to open the file from Excel…
How to unlock a locked file in windows 10?
Enter the name of the locked file in the field and click the Search button. Select the file from the search result. From behind the search window in Process Explorer, right-click the locked file and select Close Handle to unlock it.