Cannot Save Documents in InDesign CC 2018—Error When Working from Server

[karinh11446705]

Hello everyone,

I've upgrade to Indesign CC 2018 (13.1.0.76) from CC 2017 and now everytime I want to save a document (new or existing)  the same error message appears.
"Cannot save the document. It may be opened by other aplications. Close applications and try again. You may also use Save As to save it into a new document."

The Save As option works fine, but for my worklow this is unacceptable. When I work localy, the problem doesn't present itself only when I want to work from a company server. I have permission to read and write on the server. I have no idea what the problem is.

Before updating everything worked fine in the 2017 version.

I know there already exist a topic about the same issue, but it was never solved and its already a few years old.

So i thought I open up a new one.

Does anyone have a solution??


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[Abhishek Rao]

Hi @Kristen32431722aq5x,

Thank you for sharing the details and screenshot. I completely understand how disruptive this issue can be, especially when saving frequently is part of your workflow.

From what you’ve described, it sounds like the issue may be linked to how InDesign is interacting with the network server where your files are stored. To narrow down the cause, try the below:

1. As a first step, could you try saving the same file locally on your machine instead of the network server? This will help confirm if the issue is specific to the server connection. If saving locally works without issues, it points toward a network-related cause.

2. Since files are stored on a network server, there’s a possibility another user or application might be accessing the same file simultaneously. InDesign might interpret this as a conflict and prevent saving. You may want to confirm with your team if others are working on the same files at the same time.

3. Files stored on network servers have to pass through multiple hops between your machine and the server. If there’s any delay, packet loss, or temporary disconnection at any level (e.g., network switches or server performance), it can interrupt InDesign’s ability to save.

 - I’d recommend reaching out to your local IT team to check for any recent server or network changes that might be contributing to this behavior.

4. InDesign works best with network servers running SMB 3.0 or later. If the server uses an older version of SMB (like 2.0), you may experience intermittent saving issues. Please ask your IT team to verify this.

5. Ensure you have proper read/write and delete permissions in the network folder. Also, old temporary lock files (.idlk) can sometimes linger and block saving. Your IT team can check and clear these out.

Please try saving the file locally as a test and let us know how it goes. If it works, we can continue to narrow down network-related factors with your IT team.

Looking forward to your feedback, and we’ll do our best to get this resolved for you!

Best,

Abhishek Rao