How do you get Excel out of read only?
- Close the Excel wookbook.
- Right click on that specific Workbook.
- Select Properties.
- Uncheck Read only.
- Click OK.
Enable or disable Edit mode
Click File > Options > Advanced. , click Excel Options, and then click the Advanced category. Under Editing options, do one of the following: To enable Edit mode, select the Allow editing directly in cells check box.
Excel spreadsheets may be Read Only due to their location. If the spreadsheet is on a network folder and you do not have appropriate network permissions to make make changes in the folder, the spreadsheet is Read Only. A spreadsheet on a CD-ROM, DVD or locked USB stick is Read Only.
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- If possible, remove password encryption from the file. ...
- If possible, remove restricted access.
- Identify the protected document. ...
- Open or reopen the document in Word. ...
- Find the banner that indicates the document is from the internet. ...
- Click on the "enable editing" button. ...
- Open the document in Word. ...
- Select the tab labeled "Review" ...
- Click on the "Protect" button. ...
- Select "Stop Protection"
- Click the Microsoft Office Button. , and then click Save or Save As if you have previously saved the document.
- Click Tools.
- Click General Options.
- Clear the Read-only recommended check box.
- Click OK.
- Save the document. You might need to save it as another file name if you have already named the document.
Are the file properties set to read-only? You can check the file properties by right-clicking on the file and choosing Properties. If the Read-only attribute is checked, you can uncheck it and click OK.
- Go to File > Info.
- Select Protect document.
- Select Enable Editing.
To resolve this issue, first confirm that another user on the network does not have the document open. If the document is in use, open the document as read-only. If it is not in use, quit all instances of Word, and then remove the owner file.
The file might be locked because: The file is shared and another user is currently editing it. An instance of the Office app is running in the background with the file already opened.
How do I unlock a locked document for editing?
Unlock a protected document
On the Review tab, in the Protect group, click Protect Document, and then click Restrict Formatting and Editing. In the Restrict Formatting and Editing task pane, click Stop Protection.
A read-only file is any file with the read-only file attribute turned on. It can be opened and viewed like any other file, but writing to it (saving changes) won't be possible. In other words, the file can only be read from, not written to.

Read-only is a file attribute which only allows a user to view a file, restricting any writing to the file. Setting a file to “read-only” will still allow that file to be opened and read; however, changes such as deletions, overwrites, edits or name changes cannot be made.
- Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the file you want to edit.
- Right-click the file name and select "Properties."
- Select the "General" tab and clear the "Read-only" check box to remove the read-only attribute or select the check the box to set it. Click "OK" to save your changes.
Click on the General tab in the left sidebar if you aren't already there. Then on the right-hand side menu, scroll down and find the option that says Open e-mail attachments and other uneditable files in reading view. Untick the box for the option and click on OK to save the changes.
The reason you are not able to read or edit the file/folder could be that the file/folder was created using an administrator account and you are trying to access it using a guest account or any other.
To enable editing, go to Review > Restrict Editing and uncheck all boxes in the Restrict Editing pane. To restrict formatting changes, under Formatting Restrictions, select Settings.
An “F2” shortcut key can put the cell into editing mode.
- Open Excel program, Click the File tab.
- Click on 'Options'; the Options dialog box appears.
- Click Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings.
- In the Trust Center, click File Block Settings.
- Select Open selected file types in Protected View and allow editing.
Right-click a file (or click the ellipses (...)) to open the More Options menu. Click Unlock.
Why is my file locked for editing?
File in use or locked for editing error occurs when Excel fails to close properly, therefore, failing to save the file accordingly. The file could be opened by another user when open in a shared network. In this case, you can only open in Read-Only mode and receive a notification when the file is ready for editing.
The SAP System Table TRDIR has a field called EDTX which is basically the EDITOR lock filed. Edit Lock facility is given in the PROGRAM ATTRIBUTES. The EDITOR LOCK is a check box given in the PROGRAM ATTRIBUTES. If this field is SET then the program gets locked and if this is Unchecked the the program is unlocked.
When Microsoft Word crashes while you are editing a document, it leaves behind temporary files which may give the impression that you are still editing the document. Then, next time you try to open the document, you will receive an error message saying that it's already locked for editing by you.
- Open Excel program, Click the File tab.
- Click on 'Options'; the Options dialog box appears.
- Click Trust Center and then click Trust Center Settings.
- In the Trust Center, click File Block Settings.
- Select Open selected file types in Protected View and allow editing.
If a worksheet or presentation is locked for editing and can't be edited in the Windows desktop applications, it may be that the file is already being edited by someone else, or they have the file checked out.