Troubleshooting a Read-Only Document

The aim of this article is to help troubleshoot read-only documents that do not allow you to enable editing.

When embarking on a live edit of a document in which you have a role, it may open in a read-only format without the option to modify it. Below are some steps to take to troubleshoot this issue.

• Clearing Document Cache - Dependent on Microsoft Office version 1) Microsoft Upload Center 2) Files Needing Attention
• Deleting Temporary Files.

Clearing Document Cache

Depending on your Microsoft Office Package version, the next steps vary. For earlier versions, the Microsoft Office Upload Center is available whereas the latest versions, for example, Microsoft 365, utilize a new feature called Files Needing Attention. If you do not have the Microsoft Office Upload Center, please see Files Needing Attention below.

Microsoft Upload Center

1. To open the Office Upload Center, click on the windows button or the Search icon on the toolbar and type Microsoft Upload Center in the search box, and click to open the application. Alternatively, for older versions, click Start > All Programs > Microsoft Office > Microsoft Office Tools > Microsoft Office Upload Center.
2. Here in the Upload Centre, any files with issues uploading to web servers will be displayed. You can manage each file individually within the panel as displayed in the screenshot below. For example, you can open the file to resolve the issue, save a copy to another location, or you can discard it completely if there is already a backup version of the file.

3. Alternatively, in the Upload Center, click on Settings, and then click Delete Cached Files to delete all cached files.

Please note that all centers may differ depending on the Microsoft Office package installed on your device.

More information can be found here in Microsoft Support.

Files Needing Attention

For those that do not have access to the Microsoft Upload Center, the alternative is the Files Needing Attention feature that appears within the Office applications e.g., Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. The Files Needing Attention section appears when a file didn't save successfully to the cloud. When there are no files that need attention this tab will not appear.

1. To access this feature, go to File > Open within the respective Office application.

2. In the case that there are files that need attention, consult the Files Needing Attention tab. From here, you can open the file and save it to another location, or you can discard the changes completely. For example, if the file is saved elsewhere, you may wish to discard it via Discard Local Version.

Bear in mind that each Microsoft Office Application will only show files for that specific application. In other words, if there are issues regarding Microsoft Word, access Files Needing Attention within the Word application itself. For instance, PowerPoint files are found in Excel, and so forth.

Further information can be found here in Microsoft Support.

Deleting Temporary Files

Regularly deleting temporary files is recommended to speed up your device, free up space, as well as reduce the risk of errors, bugs, and crashes. In other words, low disk space reduces device performance.

Here is how to quickly delete temporary files. Please bear in mind that these steps may be different depending on the release installed on your device.

1. Click on Settings > System > Storage, under the Local Disk section, view theTemporary Files / OR Press Window key, write “%temp%” and select OK
2. Select the files you wish to remove.
3. Click the Remove Files button

For more information on how to set up the automatic deletion of temporary files, click here.