Error: The file may be a read only, or another user has it open.

Report · Dec 07, 2017

After my computer did the adobe update on monday, it stopped letting me save. I get the error message, " The file may be a read only, or another user has it open. Please save the document with a different name or in a different location." It is not read only no one else has it open, and I tried all of the above. It also gives me an error, "The document could not be saved. This file could not be found." I have been using these same files, and they worked fine until the new adobe update. I have tried disabling the detail pane and preview pane under file explorer with no resolution. Everything else on my computer works, its just when I am trying to save an adobe file, and I did not have this issue until the new adobe update on monday. I also tried to install the patch for the nov update, and that did not help either. I have also went under properties - general - and made sure that anything that said could storage was disabled. I have tried everything in the adobe forums and anything I could find on the internet and still can not save like I could, before the adobe update. I just now tried Edit>Preferences>Documents - uncheck "Save As optimizes for Fast Web View", and that did not help either. I have also tried Tried Edit/Preferences/Security(Enhanced) unchecked Enable Enhanced Security. I am not using Details View.

In Response To hemanth.majji · Nov 23, 2018

Hi hemanth.majji,

Thank you for sharing your findings with us. It will surely help other users facing the similar issue.

Shivam

View solution in original post

Report · Jan 16, 2018

Hi Jessicaf,

Sorry for the delay in response.

As you have mentioned that you get an error while saving the file, it is an issue with all the files?

The file that you open in the application, is it saved on your system or on a server?

What is the dot version of the application you are using on your system? Take help of the steps mentioned here Identify the product and its version for Acrobat and Reader DC to check that.

Also, share the exact steps you do that results in the error message.

Please share the information asked above.

Let us know if you have any question.

Regards,

Meenakshi

In Response To Meenakshi Negi · Jul 15, 2021

Hi Shivam ,

This is only a work around that you're providing and not a solution

Please provide a solution, disabling preview pane is not suitable for most of our users

Report · Jan 17, 2018

jessicaf60018425 wrote
After my computer did the adobe update on monday, it stopped letting me save. I get the error message, " The file may be a read only, or another user has it open. Please save the document with a different name or in a different location." It is not read only no one else has it open, and I tried all of the above. It also gives me an error, "The document could not be saved. This file could not be found." I have been using these same files, and they worked fine until the new adobe update. I have tried disabling the detail pane and preview pane under file explorer with no resolution. Everything else on my computer works, its just when I am trying to save an adobe file, and I did not have this issue until the new adobe update on monday. I also tried to install the patch for the nov update, and that did not help either. I have also went under properties - general - and made sure that anything that said could storage was disabled. I have tried everything in the adobe forums and anything I could find on the internet and still can not save like I could, before the adobe update. I just now tried Edit>Preferences>Documents - uncheck "Save As optimizes for Fast Web View", and that did not help either. I have also tried Tried Edit/Preferences/Security(Enhanced) unchecked Enable Enhanced Security. I am not using Details View.

I have this exact same problem. Except that, after I exited out of the error message, my whole document was deleted, and I have lost close to 20 hours of work. I am devastated and so very angry. This file had been saving just fine until I tried to save it today (1/17/18). The file no longer exists. I have a MacBook Air and I am operating on Sierra 10.12.6. I had been saving onto Microsoft One Drive. And of course, as soon as Adobe lost my document, that damn cloud began to sync with my computer, and voila, now the document doesn't exist in my cloud either. Absolutely gone. I have three more open documents on Adobe. I tried to save them also, and I also got the error message for each of them, "The file may be a read only, or another user has it open. Please save the document with a different name or in a different location." After I exited this message, my entire document went blank, all the text gone with only the yellow highlight remaining. To reiterate I had just a blank document with lines of yellow in the areas where the text used to be. I clicked revert and was able to "fix" the documents (although I am still unable to save them). But the one large file, the one I lost, when I tried to click revert on that one (seeing as it was able to restore the other documents) is when it completely disappeared. My OneDrive has all these documents, but all the comments and highlight (the actual work invested in them) are gone and they have all been reverted to the day I first downloaded them (even though reverting is supposed to revert to the last save point). The last three remaining documents are still open on my computer, but I am unable to save them and my One Drive doesn't have them saved. So for me, any and all pdf files open in Adobe refuse to save. I have the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC 2017 Release Version: 2017.012.20098. Sorry for hijacking this question. I have never used the forums before and I don't know how to make my own post. I am just encountering the exact same problem.

Report · Apr 23, 2018

I work for an academy and I'm having the same issue with one user, the user is on a brand new HP windows 10 pro laptop and was setup and working until the beginning of last week when outlook started to stop sending attachments without corrupting them, the solution was to disable Adobe send and track, but at the same time adobe DC pro wouldn't let the user save the document with the same error as these posts read only or open by another user.

I looked online and one solution was to check folder permissions where the file is located and where you want it saved and this user has full permissions to that folder so this isn't the solution for us.

Next I completely removed Adobe DC Pro via control panel and reinstalled the latest version on Friday 20th April 2018 and still the same issue has happened.

the user is accessing the PDF on a network drive so my next step is to eliminate this as a cause but would really appreciate a solution from Adobe asap!

thanks

Michael

In Response To mik_se18 · Apr 23, 2018

The error seems to be isolated to the network, if I move the document to the local computer the user can edit it and save it without issue.

I have since tried changing all permissions on the network folder, I have also copied the folder to a new drive with new permissions but still getting the same message.

I have run out of options now as it only appears to be Adobe DC Pro that has issues editing the documents and saving them to the network I must conclude Adobe DC Pro is the problem accessing the network, other programs such word and excel have no issues editing and saving to the same location.

Can Adobe give me a solution after all we are paying for your solution to edit PDF's

thanks

Michael

In Response To mik_se18 · May 03, 2018

same problem here. Now, when i pick up a document and try to save it, all i can do is to give another name to the document, which is very annoying! Anibody here to help?

Thank you

Germano

In Response To germanop96209349 · Jul 25, 2018

Hi Germano,

As per the issue description mentioned above, you are facing issue when trying to save a pdf file in Acrobat, is that correct?

Try disabling preview pane using the steps given in the following thread and check if that resolves the issue:

Can't save after edits in Acrobat 10. "File may be read-only or another user may have it open&q...

If the file is on server drive , please move that to the local drive & then check.

If issue still persists, try disabling Protected mode using the steps given in the following help document and disabling preview pane again:

Refer to the following help document for more info: Protected View feature for PDFs (Windows), Adobe Reader

Let us know if you need any help.

Shivam

In Response To Adorobat · Feb 12, 2021

Here I am, three years later, with the same problem... And I lost a document and all the work I had done! The link to disable the preview pane does not work and may have expired. I share the desperation and frustration of the others above and also find it incredulous that I could be having the same problem as the others--three years later!

MacBook Pro 10.15.7

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC 2020.013.20074

In Response To CoachShep · Jan 23, 2023

That solved my EXACT issue. Thank you

In Response To Adorobat · May 25, 2021

That solved my EXACT issue. Thank you. Hmm.. I've been using preview pane for years and never had that issue, but it's good to know there's a solution.

Report · Sep 25, 2018

When you get this message "The file may be a read-only, or another user has it open. Please save the document with a different name or in a different location.", just close that window and do "Save as", the job is done.

In Response To hemanth.majji · Nov 23, 2018

Hi hemanth.majji,

Thank you for sharing your findings with us. It will surely help other users facing the similar issue.

Shivam

In Response To hemanth.majji · Jan 10, 2019

I have tried this numerous times but it still doesn't work.

In Response To hemanth.majji · Feb 12, 2021

Good suggestion, but it does not work. After selecting "Save As," Adobe doesn't provide a file window to save it elsewhere or with another name.

Report · Nov 30, 2018

Are you including full points in the file (PDF) name your saving with? I had this problem saving files ending with dates like this:-

Example document 30.11.2018

This worked:-

Example document 30-11-2018

This happened to me saving PDFs for the first time from the web. However, once I had saved them to my computer and opened them to save again, for filing else where, I found I could use 'full points' towards the end of the document name!!

To summarise, If I saved the same document (PDF) from the web for the first time (not tried other sources) without the full points, saves fine. The issue may be due the full points at the end of files/documents being intended to tell the operating system, Windows/Mac etc, that its the end of the user document name and the file extension type follows (this tells the computer what type of file it is and what program will open it). For example:-

.pdf .jpg .tiff .eps .gif

You may not see the file extension type abbreviation, as you need to change the "document view" settings as an option to see them. Not sure I have explained myself well, but this cured my problem. Hope this helps someone!

In Response To willd79222299 · Aug 18, 2023

its now August 2023 and this is the only thing that has worked.

Report · Apr 30, 2019

Here it is a year and half later and now I have this problem in Photoshop. I don't want work arounds, it needs to be fixed. It doesn't do it all the time. Some days it's all files, today its, only after I've eaten lunch 😉 None of it makes any sense, work arounds are not the answer.

In Response To dthomas815 · Apr 30, 2019

You should ask over at the Photoshop forums. This is an Acrobat forum.

Report · May 21, 2019

Hello,

Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Windows 10 users you may try this Helpx page: "The file may be read-only, or another user may have it open", error on saving PDF in Acrobat DC on ... and let us know if that helps you to fix the issue at your end.

-Tariq Dar

Report · Apr 11, 2020

Make sure that windows explorer isnt in preview mode before you eopn the file because that will break the ability to save the file save or rename. When windows explorer is set to preview mode, it locks the file & then you can't overwrite it or even rename the file.

In Response To theswitz · May 11, 2023

Awesome. Thanks for your help. Been looking for a fix for 3 weeks.

Report · May 20, 2021

There appears to be some glitch with Acrobat Adobe when saving files to a Windows 10 shared drive. This doesn't occur with Microsoft Office programs like Word or Excel. A work-around that I have found is before saving the Adobe (pdf) file follow these steps:

Go to the File Explorer where you want the Adobe (pdf) file saved
Click on the tab View
Unselect Preview pane
Proceed to save the Adobe (pdf) file

It looks like Windows or Adobe "thinks" there is a file already "open" in the preview pane and won't allow the user to save the same Adobe (pdf) file under the same name. Hope this helps.

Report · Jan 18, 2022

I have been having the same excat issue. Adobe Acrobat Pro will not let me rename a PDF, or make edits to it and resave, or even sometimes delet the file- it gives me the same message. No one else has the documents open, only me. I should be able to edit and save over the same file with no issues. This is happening with ALL files, and it is makin gmy job 10 times harder and slower! We need help!

Report · Feb 16, 2022

doesn't work either