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When I try to save a file, an error says the file is locked. How do I save it?

By Sue Chastain, About.com

Question: When I try to save a file, an error says the file is locked. How do I save it?

A member writes: "I download a picture from a CD and work on it in Photoshop 7. But when I try to save it to my C drive I get an error message. Apparently the CD lock is still on it. Any help?"

Answer: When you try to save a file in Photoshop, you may receive a message saying the file could not be saved because the file is locked. If you've already opened and started work on it, you will have to save it under a new file name, using the "Save As..." command. In the future, you should remove the read-only attribute before opening the file. Files copied from CDs will always have a read-only attribute. To remove it, you have to copy the file to your hard drive, go to File > Properties in your file manager, and untick the box next to "read-only."

When you use the File Browser in Photoshop, read-only files will display a lock icon above the thumbnail.

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Sue Chastain
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