Error -54 in Illustrator CC 2017

[erinp87175303]

Hi,

I'm getting an error message when I start up Illustrator that says: "Can't open the illustration. The file is locked or in use."  ID:-54 (pictured below)

Someone please help! I've already uninstalled and reinstalled several times.

[bryce22801753v7h0]

FEB 2022. None of the rename, re dowload, move to hard drive options work and now instead of working on a project I'm spending hours trying to fix this. I love paying $800 to lose all the work I create. There is next to no help on this matter.

[lisas70109513]

Yes, this started up for me a couple of days ago too. It also does involve Dropbox, but the aforementioned fixes are not quite working either. A couple of times the setting them to Local has helped, but not always.

[bryce22801753v7h0]

Sorry to hear you are also in this situation Lisa, my original post was at peak frustration and I have since opened a after effects file with the vector I made in illustrator (that wont open) and then selected "show in finder" and I managed to get some form of the art work back but I still don't see this as acceptable in terms of supporting docs to fix this or in the error messaging (you cant even copy the error message to google as text selection on the pop up doesn't work)

Im using western digitals home cloud duo and I'm sure that has something to do with the issue but I'm not hardware savvy so I guess ill just save local and hate that I spent money on my own storage device just to have this problem.

[andy@kayakdesign.co.uk]

I had the same issue, I've just spent some time 'chatting' with Dropbox yet again. Got some sense this time.

( 10:54:41 ) Jackson: Check the smart sync aprt
( 10:54:49 ) Jackson: And it should have local and online only options
( 10:54:58 ) Jackson: *part
( 10:54:59 ) Visitor: I use the 'Copy dropbox link' a fair bit and it disappeared last week, then reappeared and then went again yesterday
( 10:55:26 ) Jackson: If the Dropbox Desktop App is not running, you will not see Dropbox related options on your right click menu
( 10:55:42 ) Jackson: So you need to make sure you can see it on the menu bar, close to the clock
( 10:58:09 ) Visitor: I can always tell which Illustrator file, and it only seems to be Illustrator, won't ope. The files that open show as a tiny thumbnail, if they display the black box with AI in they don't open!
( 10:58:56 ) Visitor: Whatever we have just done has corrected the file I could open yesterday, though were are many more.
( 10:59:20 ) Visitor: *couldn't open ..
( 10:59:45 ) Jackson: When you set a file as online only
( 10:59:50 ) Jackson: It replaces it with a placeholder
( 10:59:58 ) Jackson: For the file to be opened it needs to be downloaded first
( 11:00:34 ) Visitor: Downloaded? I just double click in DropBox!
( 11:00:48 ) Jackson: Yes when you do that, it automatically downloads the file and then opens it
( 11:01:07 ) Jackson: As an alternative you can right click and make it local
( 11:01:45 ) Visitor: So as and when and if I get the problem again what do I do?
( 11:02:26 ) Jackson: Right click and make the file local
( 11:02:29 ) Jackson: Just to be sure
( 11:02:37 ) Jackson: Right click -> smart sync -> local
( 11:03:02 ) Visitor: OK Thanks, so it was a DB problem, not Adobe?
( 11:04:10 ) Jackson: Yes
( 11:04:31 ) Visitor: Thanks for your help.

[Peter Suchecki]

Just had the same issue. I was on a PC, using a PC server. Just got a Mac and had an issue with the file not being able to open. I copied it to the HD from the PC server. There was an error message about how I could not copy file ... but it copied anyway???? So ... it opened, I made a change, saved to HD .... THEN copied it to server and opened it ... no problem.

[Peter Suchecki]

OK ... problem is when I save .ai file as .pdf THEN open .ai file later ITS LOCKED AGAIN!

[taylorc59414020 · Accepted solution]

I dragged the file from the saved folder to my desktop and opened it from there... for some reason, it worked. 

[安安25097886j5u4 · Accepted solution]

I solved this problem by changing mac's system preferences.

system preferences > security & privacy > privacy > full disk access > check adobe illustrator and photoshop

[christianr14605096]

You can dowload the file to your computer. After that you can open it normaly.