Inspiring

Answered

"Could not save (file name) because the file is already in use or left open."

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
February 1, 2009
49 replies
141707 views

Hello,
When I tried save as a file, I get an error msg:
"Could not save (file name) because the file is already in use or left open."

The file is not open anywhere accept Photoshop.

Mac Pro, OSX 10.5.6
Photoshop CS4.

I searched the forum but could not find anything even though i'm sure someone already asked it.

would love to get a solution for that.
thank you,
shlomit

This topic has been closed for replies.

Correct answer Chris Cox

If Photoshop says the file is open - then some external process has left the file open. It has nothing to do with it being open in Photoshop, or even in Bridge. This has happened sometimes when Spotlight had bugs (which have come up more than once, and been fixed in OS dot releases).

The external process could be another application, or an OS service like Spotlight.

Show previous replies

A

Anonymous

Try this:

http://www.hamsoftengineering.com/products/wkm/wkm.html

Ief_DR wrote:
Please Adobe fix this problem...

Are you unable to read and process the previous posts in this thread and the other thread in which you participated? You are asking the wrong company to fix this.

I

Ief_DR

Participating Frequently

Hi Marian,

Today, several times photoshop gave me the error-message. I tried the app you provided (http://www.hamsoftengineering.com/products/wkm/wkm.html). Screenshot included here: there was no app doing something with the.psd-file. I can read, this is indeed a giant photoshop-bug. It has nothing to to with timemachine or a virus-scanner.

A

Anonymous

Your issue is different than what is happening in this thread.

Your issue is that something modified the file since you opened it with Photoshop. Photoshop can still save.

The issue of this thread is that something is locking the file and Photoshop cannot save. That is what my link was intended to address. I'm sorry that I did not well distinguish the content in my last post.

I

Ief_DR

Participating Frequently

Recently a new, but very similar, problem has arisen: "The disk copy of "name_document.psd" was changed since you last opened or saved it. Do you want to save anyway?" (see image below)

Again, I had no other apps that opened the file. This is a giant photoshop bug. Photoshop mistakenly thinks the .psd-file is opened/edited by another app.

Please Adobe fix this problem...

A

Anonymous

Just to make sure, you guys aren't leaving the preview in the Finder column view showing, are you? Sometimes with Photoshop, but always with Illustrator, if I have the preview showing in the Finder I cannot save over the document. If I close the preview (either by turning the triangle, or by clicking off of the file) I can immediately save again.

This was not an issue before Snow Leopard.

p_taz

Inspiring

I have had it while the preview is being drawn, if it strikes while preview is being created it will linger afterwards. If I wait or turn off preview it does not happen. This report is a bit out of date as I discovered it last year and it has not been happening lately either due to my workaround or something else I don't know... It was never consistent, but definitely was connected to the preview issue for me. I had some large files that took a long time to process into previews on my low spec system.

Currently 10.5.8 Imac 24.

C

creative dept

Participant

I'm also having this problem in Indesign CS4 and Photoshop/Snow Leopard -- didn't have this problem in CS3 or Leopard. CS4 and Snow Leopard seem to fighting one another. Indesign does not let me rewrite PDFs with the same name, I get the "in use/don't have permission" error message. Photoshop gives the "In use/left open" error message. No other applications open (when it started I assumed that Preview had opened the file but that isn't the case). I've also noticed that if I have a mail message that contains an attachment of the same name I get the message.

The only work around (Indesign PDF) that I have found is deleting the PDf file before I try to rewrite it. Photoshop: I save as another name and immediately have to go and delete the other file I was trying to rewrite so I don't have the links screwed up on my final documents. What a pain...

I really don't care if it's Adobe or Apple -- just fix it already.

R

rembrandtgos

Participant

I struggled with this same issue for a long time but may have figured it out. In your Photoshop Preferences menu, turn on Version Cue. (or off if it's already on) Worked for me and since this is an Adobe issue, I guess I'm not surprised. Hope it works for you too!

A

Anonymous

Well well! I had been searching on this topic since October 2009, when I got a new hard drive and Snow Leopard.

Our I.T. guy thinks it's an Apple problem (yes, I too download every new version/fix). For me, I think it's the Windows server we use here that's fighting with Snow Leopard. I can save all the live-long day to my own hard drive, but only the first time (of the day on a particular file) on the network drive, then I have to go to a Save As, or save it to my HD and copy it back to the network, overwriting the original file.

But! Today I noticed that suddenly I CAN save to the network. I'll ask the I.T. if he did anything new/different, but I looked and saw that there was a OSX software update to 10.6.3 Build 10D573 on March 31, 2010. Given that I was used to working off my hard drive to get around the problem, I guess I didn't notice the difference. Upon finding this thread, however, I tested saving with Adobe and non-Adobe programs on the network, and the problem has mysteriously disappeared. Hmmm.

B

bluerosez

Known Participant

I called Apple and was told that if I updated to 10.6.3 it might fix the bug. I just did this. So far so good. I think Apple might have fixed the bug. I was able to save the file I normally get the error message with. I hope every does the same and are happy with the results. Good luck!

A

Anonymous

The bug comes and goes so you never know when it will show up.

I hope 10.6.3 works but I think it's to early to tell. A few weeks of

usage will give us all a better sense.

B

bluerosez

Known Participant

UGGG ...........Marc you are so correct. I spoke to soon. The bug just showed up. This is so frustrating, it seems to happen more often when i save to an external drive. What is odd is when I first restarted everything and tested it, it saved with no problem, then a few minutes later I saved again and

it showed up.

I

Ief_DR

Participating Frequently

Please help!!

Chris Cox

Legend

Read the previous posts.

You've got to wait, or figure out what other application you have that file open in (could be part of the OS, like Spotlight, CoverFlow, etc.).

P

Prenderghast

Participant

This problem is new to me with CS4 since Snow Leopard - Sometimes I cannot even Save As - if so

I think the best thing is to flatten then Select All then Copy to a new file

OR if you need layers Copy the Background layer, then drag the other layers to the new file while holding down the shift key.Rename then Save

M

maplegrovebob

Participating Frequently

Actually, the best work around until it is fixed is to drag the saved file to the trash, then save to the same location.

A

Anonymous

That's a good one.

My best,

Marc

A

Anonymous

I haven't seen this with Photoshop, but it happens to me all the time with Illustrator files. I've found that if I have the file selected in the Finder, I'm viewing in column mode and the preview column is active, that's enough for AI to think the file is in use. If I make sure the preview column is not active (i.e "close" the triangle -- sorry, don't know the proper terminology here) then AI will let me save over the file as expected.

I guess when the preview column is active the Finder is actually using the Preview app to render that...

M

maplegrovebob

Participating Frequently

Chris is an employee of Adobe, so I believe him that Apple has been informed.

The problem isn't consistant with me either, but it keeps coming back.

B

bluerosez

Known Participant

Thanks maplegrovebob!!

Chris, have you heard anything from apple as to how long it might take them to fix it?

370H55V

Inspiring

I had this happen yesterday. Lo and behold, I had forgotten to close Preview before I opened the file in PS. Outside of the occasional "brainfart" when I do that, I've never seen this error. I must be just lucky.

I've never run CS4 with anything but Snow Leopard, and I only had Leopard on this MacBook for 24 hours before the upgrade. (I bought it the day Apple released 10.6, but didn't get the disc till the next morning)

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