Someone else using this file....

Question

Hi

I have one excel file that is misbehaving. It opens okay on iphones and mac and pc. 

However on my ipad it only opens one in twenty attempts.

Today when it finally opened on the ipad it came up with the info that ‘it needed resaving as it was already open on another device’. NO it isnt!

Has anyone met either of these problems before? 

Problem 1.  Takes 20 or so attempts to open.

Problem 2. Tells you the file is already open on another device, when it isnt?

btw i save all files to Dropbox and i am up to date with updates on all devices. All other files are behaving themselves at the moment.

cheers

Moved from Office / Excel / iPhone & iPad / Unknown/other

Answer 1

Since the issue is isolated to a file being opened using Dropbox, we need to identify if that’s what is causing the issue. I would like to confirm if you have another cloud storage application like OneDrive installed on your device. If yes, I suggest opening the file from OneDrive and check if you’re getting the same issue. You might also want to check if you can open the file via **OneDrive Online**using your iPad.

I’ll look forward to your response.

Answer 2

Hi.

i have tried all of your suggestions but no change has been noted. This file is still behaving as before.

any more suggestions?

thanks

Answer 3

I appreciate your response. Since you mentioned it is not a shared file, check if there is no other Excel app running the background or if the file is not marked as Final. If an Excel file is opened in the background, Double-tap the Home button, touch the app, and swipe up to close it.

If there is no other instance of the app running in the background, create a copy of the file by following these steps:

1. Open the file.
2. Tap the File icon.
3. Tap Name or Duplicate.
4. Choose if you want to apply the changes to both the original and the duplicate copy.
5. Type a new name for the file and choose a storage location.
6. Tap Save or Duplicate.

If you’re getting the same result, uninstall and reinstall the Excel app.

Let me know if you need additional assistance.

Answer 4

• Is Excel a part of an Office 365 subscription? If yes, is it Office 365 for Business?
• Which version of Excel for iOS are you using on your iPad?
• Which version of iOS is installed on your device?
• Is the issue happening on a specific file?
• Is the affected file a shared file?
• Can you send us a screenshot of the error message you’re getting?
• Did you make any changes before this issue happened?

No

latest  update with excel for ipad

11.2.6

yes, one file only on only one ipad mini

not shared with other people. Shared with other apple devices and a pc

not really an error message, but its the ‘working on it’ message that never progresses, except the one in twenty times that the file loads properly

i included half a dozen foreign languages that prompted new scripts to be loaded.

Answer 5

Hi Dave,

I need additional details to address your concern with opening Excel files on your iPad. Kindly answer the following:

• Is Excel a part of an Office 365 subscription? If yes, is it Office 365 for Business?
• Which version of Excel for iOS are you using on your iPad?
• Which version of iOS is installed on your device?
• Is the issue happening on a specific file?
• Is the affected file a shared file?
• Can you send us a screenshot of the error message you’re getting?
• Did you make any changes before this issue happened?

I will be waiting for your response.