Will deleting the ~$ owner file delete my workbook data?

No. The owner file contains no workbook data. It only stores lock information. Deleting it is safe and will not affect your workbook.

Why does the lock message show my own name after a crash?

When Excel crashes, the hidden owner file remains in the folder. The next time you open the workbook, Excel sees that leftover file and thinks you still have it open, so it shows your user name as the person locking it.

Can I prevent the lock from appearing on a shared network drive?

On shared drives, the lock is normal when someone else has the file open. To avoid exclusive locks, consider saving the file to OneDrive or SharePoint, which support co-authoring and allow multiple users to edit at the same time.

What if I cannot see the ~$ file even after enabling hidden files?

Make sure you are looking in the exact same folder as the workbook. If you still cannot see it, the owner file may have been deleted already. In that case, try restarting your computer and opening the workbook again.

Excel File "Locked for Editing" by Another User: Fixes

Excel says the file is locked for editing by another user. The file is not corrupted. The lock is a hidden owner file that Excel creates when a spreadsheet is open. Delete it and the lock goes away. The search phrase excel file locked for editing makes the problem sound worse than it is.

What the Lock Means

Open a spreadsheet and Excel drops a hidden file into the same folder. It is named ~$Budget.xlsx, a tilde, a dollar sign, then the original filename. That owner file tells Excel the sheet is in use. Anyone else who tries to open it sees the lock alert, with options to open a read-only copy, save and edit a copy, or wait for a notification when the file frees up.

The lock is a safety measure. It is not corruption. The confusion starts when the "other user" is you after a crash, or when you see excel locked for editing by another user and nobody else has the file.

The Hidden Owner File ~$filename.xlsx

The owner file holds no spreadsheet data. Only lock information. Close Excel normally and the file deletes itself. Crash, or lose power, and it stays behind. Next time you open the spreadsheet, Excel spots the leftover owner file, assumes the sheet is still open, and shows the lock alert, often with your own username. This is the most common cause of the excel file in use error when nobody else is using it.

Check If Excel is Still Running

Before deleting anything, confirm Excel is not running in the background. A hidden process keeps the lock alive even with no window visible.

Open Task Manager. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc, or Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select Task Manager.
Look for EXCEL.EXE in the list.
Select it and click "End Task."
Try opening the spreadsheet again.

If the lock persists, delete the leftover owner file.

Delete the Leftover Owner File

With Excel fully closed, removing the ~$ file clears the lock. Safe. It contains zero spreadsheet data.

Go to the folder where the spreadsheet lives.
Make hidden files visible. In Windows File Explorer, click the View tab and check "Hidden items." The shortcut is Ctrl+H.
Find the file that starts with ~$ followed by your spreadsheet name.
Delete it. Right-click and choose Delete, or press the Delete key.
Open the spreadsheet. It should open without the lock alert.

"Locked by Me" After a Crash

After a crash, the leftover owner file may show your own username. This is the classic excel locked by me scenario. Delete the ~$ file as above. No data is lost. The owner file and the spreadsheet are separate.

Shared Network Folders

On a shared network drive, someone else may genuinely have the file open. Ask around before deleting anything. If a colleague's session left a stale lock, have them close the file or wait for the session to time out. A network administrator may need to clear it.

Avoid Future Lock Confusion

Close Excel before shutting down your computer. If you work on OneDrive or SharePoint, co-authoring avoids exclusive locks. Saving to a shared service that supports simultaneous editing eliminates the problem. For local files, save and close spreadsheets when you are not using them.

When the Lock is Not the Problem

The excel read only locked alert is different. It points to file permissions, not an owner file lock. Check the file properties in Windows. If read-only is checked, uncheck it. A file on a CD or write-protected drive cannot be edited directly. The lock covered here is the "locked for editing by another user" alert, caused by the owner file.

If Deleting the Owner File Fails

Deleted the ~$ file and the lock remains? Restart your computer. That guarantees every Excel process is closed. If the problem persists, the spreadsheet itself may have a separate issue. This guide covers the lock, not corruption, but a severely damaged file can behave oddly. Try opening a saved backup. Without a backup, tools like xls.repair can recover data from a corrupted spreadsheet.