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JS333's avatar
JS333
Copper Contributor
Jan 02, 2023

Reserved by author

I created a doc and put on a password. When I try to open it, first it asks for my password. After I put it in, it gives me a SECOND window that says the document is “reserved by [someone I worked wi...
Stefan_Blom's avatar
Stefan_Blom
MVP
Jan 03, 2023

JS333 

 

Close the document and exit Word. See if you find any files whose names start with ~$ but, other than that, are similar to the original file name. These are owner files that you should delete. When you re-open the document, the prompt shouldn't occur.

  • JS333's avatar
    JS333
    Copper Contributor
    Jan 03, 2023

    Stefan_Blom 

    Thanks for your help with this. I found the file when I did a spotlight search. But it doesn't show up in any other way. So I can't seem to delete it.

     

    Also, what's this all about anyway?

    • Stefan_Blom's avatar
      Stefan_Blom
      MVP
      Jan 03, 2023

      JS333 

       

      I am running Word for Windows myself, so I can't provide any detailed instructions for Word on a Mac, unfortunately. 

       

      The purpose of owner files (which is a type of temporary files) is to keep track of which user has the document open for editing. These files should normally be deleted when you close the original document or exit Word. Therefore, restarting the computer is worth trying. Maybe that fixes the problem. 

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