7 Methods for Unable to Save Excel File to Shared Network Drives!

Shared network drives are essential for collaboration, enabling multiple users to access and store files in a central location. However, sometimes users are unable to save Excel file to shared network drives and face the error “Your changes could not be saved to because of a sharing violation. try saving to a different file.”

This blog is equipped with common reasons and practical solutions to help resolve it quickly.

Why Can’t I Save Excel File to Network Share?

There are various unexpected reasons why Excel started showing this message. A few of the major causes are as follows:

1. The connection to the network drive is lost.
2. The file name or path does not exist.
3. Insufficient file permission or faulty add-ins.
4. The workbook that you are trying to save has the same name as another read-only document.
5. Trying to save a large Excel file.
6. The file path character has crossed the maximum limit.

After extracting the common reasons for being unable to save the Excel file, now it’s time to know the workable methods to overcome it.

How to Solve Unable to Save Excel File to Shared Network Drives Error?

Let’s know about each of these fixes in detail…..!

Method 1- Network Connection Problem

The very first solution you should try is checking for poor network connectivity. When your PC disconnects or experiences interruptions during the file-saving process to the network drive, the document may fail to save or become corrupted.

Also Read: Methods for “Unable to Open Excel Files Directly by Clicking on The File Icon” Issue

Method 2- Add Subkey In The Registry

To fix the error, add PivotTableNetworkResiliency and NetworkResiliency subkeys in the registry by making use of the following steps:

• Click on Start > Run > in the Open box > type Regedit and click “OK”.

• Now expand the items present on the left panel and click the Options folder.
• Then on the Edit menu, > point to New and click DWORD Value.
• Type PivotTableNetworkResiliency, and hit ENTER.
• After that double-click on the PivotTableNetworkResiliency icon.
• Next in the Value data box, type ‘1’.
• Click ‘OK’.

Method 3- Check for Storage

As already mentioned above, inadequate system storage can also cause ‘your changes could not be saved to because of a sharing violation.’ message. You need to ensure that your network drive has enough space to access the file properly.

Method 4- Disable Faulty Add-ins to Fix Unable to Save Excel File to Shared Network Drives

Disabling the corrupted Excel add-ins is another quick resolution to deal with this situation. Follow these steps to do so:

• Open MS Excel >> click on the Options.
• Select the Add-Ins under the ‘Excel Options’ window.
• After that, choose the COM Add-ins by expanding the ‘Manage’ 

• Lastly, click on Go button and then uncheck all the COM Add-ins >> click OK.

Method 5- Contact Network Administrator

To fix this document not saved Excel network drive issue you need to notify the network administrator.

Ask the administrator to assign appropriate rights of deletion and modification to the folder present over the network drive.

Also Read: Fix Unable to Change Date Format in Excel Issue

Method 6- Save Workbook Over Local Hard Disk

Another option that you can try is saving the workbook file to the local hard disk or the folder. Or try to save the workbook to the folder in which you have rights for modification and deletion.

After this, you will be able to copy your Excel file on the network drive where you don’t have the rights for modification or deletion.

Method 7- Fix Excel File Corruption

Chances are also that you are unable to save Excel file to shared network drives just because your file somehow got corrupted. In such cases, Open and Repair is the best option.

Here are the steps that you can follow to use this utility:

• Launch the Excel application >> click Open.
• Select the Excel workbook in which you are getting this error.
• After this, click on the arrow next to the Open option.
• Now, choose the open and repair option >> Repair button.

If this built-in tool fails, you can use the professionally recommended MS Excel Repair Tool. It is a special software that is specifically designed to repair corrupt Excel files and also recover everything which includes cell comments, charts, worksheet properties, and other related data. The corrupted Excel file can be restored to a new blank Excel file.

It can recover the complete data from the file and restore them even without modifying the original formatting.

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Steps to Utilize MS Excel Repair Tool:

Related FAQs:

What Does Sharing Violation Mean?

In Excel, sharing violation simply means that an application has already called in a file (spreadsheet, document, etc.), and another program tries to read it,

How to Fix Your Changes Could Not Be Saved Because Of a Sharing Violation?

To fix your changes could not be saved because of a sharing violation error in Excel by checking the file path and name, opening the Excel file in a safe mode, and moving the file to the trusted location.

Why Is Excel Not Letting Me Save Changes?

It might be possible that your Excel file got corrupted and that’s why it refuses to save the changes you have made.

How to Unlock Excel File on Shared Drive?

To unlock Excel file on shared drive, you have to:

• Open the workbook >> click ‘Review’ tab.
• Then click ‘Share Workbook’ under the ‘Changes’ group.
• Uncheck the ‘Allow changes by more than one user at the same time’ option >> hit OK button.

Also Read: Fix Excel Opens Multiple Files When Starting- The Expert’s Guide!

Time to Closure

Tackling your changes could not be saved to because of a sharing violation. error involves understanding its reasons & applying targeted resolutions. Nevertheless, by following the solutions discussed above, you can fix this annoying error and ensure seamless data management.

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