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A file is shared my many users and is saved on One Drive. We keep making copies of that excel file because we tend to use it at the same time and later save it. I'm hoping for someone to teach me if I could have that file programmed as locked for editing when one person is using it and send a warning of "file in use"

Hopefully someone can help or give other solutions so we won't keep making copies and try to figure out what was edited to keep one file.

Thank you!

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  • Multiple users of the same file is the sort of thing that SharePoint, Google Sheets, and Dropbox try to help with. But what you're asking is better achieved by just accessing the file via a network drive. Then there'll be the usual OS warning of a file being in use when someone tries to open it. Dec 1, 2017 at 6:54

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Share the Workbook means many users can EDIT the WB over the Network.

The Simplest method available with Excel is in REVIEW Tab, Share Workbook Command. As soon you hit the button, you find a Dialogue box has two major parts.

  1. Editing
  2. Advance.

For Editing Click the Check-box, Allow changes by more than one user.

And for Advance you can set options like, Change History, Auto Save time, Conflict who save first.

While this process you can also Protect the Workbook by a Pass code and apply Track Changes too.

But remember this process has some technical issues which doesn't allow the user to Share the Workbook are,

When the Workbook has Table, Data Validation, is Macro Enabled, Group & Sub-Total and even Filter.

So for the modern days users it's useless.

Now the second thought is technically better to fix with the problem.

Excel 2013 and higher version provides a wonderful facility which enables users to share the Workbook over the CLOUD technology is, place the file on ONE DRIVE.

You can simply do it by use Save As command, get options like One Drive, Computer and Add Place. Any of the 2 can be picked ultimately are over the Cloud. For One drive you need to use your Microsoft Account ID & Password. With Add Place other choice is, Office 365 Share Point it also need Microsoft Account ID & Password.

Other possibility is in File Menu, find Share command. Ultimately it goes to cloud method what I've descried in previous paragraph.

Another option is Goggle Sheet.

NB: Personally I've used ONE Drive method on few occasions is better.

Hope you find this solution HELPFUL, drop your COMMENT in case of further issues.

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