File Locked for Editing When Not Open

I am consistently running into an issue where I attempt to open an Excel files and I get the following popup:

"thisFile.xls is locked for editing by 'me'. Open Read Only or Notify"

The problem is, the file is on my C drive, so it's not shared by anyone, and I don't have it open. As a matter of fact, I just closed it.

The problem is only fixed when I either reboot my PC or open as read only and save a new copy under a new name.

Any ideas on what's making Excel think a closed file is still open?

This is a tough problem - A few things I would consider:

1. Look at your task manager and make sure no Excel files are erroneously open
2. Is Powerpoint open and is anything linked to the excel file in question?
3. Ensure it is not a shared workbook and that your C drice location is not shared.

I have had problems with this before but it was on a server and for some reason the server had the task still open without anyone viewing the file.

Originally Posted by royUK

Is there any code in the workbook,maybe also check if it is listed in the VB Editor when the workbook is assumed to be closed

Thanks for the quick replies guys.

I actually do have some VB code in the workbook. I'm not sure where I would start troubleshooting though, I can open the file and close it back it 20 times before it happens.

I have some code that executes on workbook close:

Private Sub Workbook_BeforeClose(Cancel As Boolean)

ActiveWorkbook.Protect passwordConstantPlaceHolder, Structure:=True, Windows:=False

End Sub

I tried looking in the VB editor to see if the file shows as open and it's not there when it's supposed to be closed.