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Avatar of Ahmet Ekrem SABAN
Ahmet Ekrem SABANFlag for Austria

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How to make read-only files writable again?

Hello!

The title may surprise you, but there really exists a problem with file writability, if you access on a file modified on a PC over Windows Phone 8.1! Actually, the problem first arose under Windows Phone 7.4, but I later switched to a then new smartphone under Windows Phone 8.0, which I later upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1 (it is a NOKIA Lumia 930).

I am using mobile devices to take notes for more than 15 years now. At the beginning, I used Windows CE and later the Windows Mobile 6. With the years passing by, the capabilities of the mobile devices increased, making it possible to enter directly the data into a Microsoft Office document (like Excel) without first making text notices in a TXT file and copying it in another "real" Excel file on the PC later on. But with the above error I am dealing with, I go "back to the old times" and have to copy and paste at home all the notices, if they are meant to be part of an Excel sheet that all-of-a-sudden became read-only.

Actually, I never make the files read-only intentionally. All happens when sometimes adding a column or a new tab when editing the documents over OneDrive in the browser, using Microsoft Excel at home or at business.

I once asked on a site about this problem. One guy – an Excel specialist – told me that the file I attached for scrutiny was including some code that cannot be edited by Windows Phone. So far, so good.

My question is:
  • Is it possible to *cleanse* an Excel file from any code that makes it read-only under Windows Phone 8.1 (and perhaps even with Windows 10 for mobile)?
  • If not, is it possible to create a copy by using macros etc. such that a new Excel file is being created with a similar name, but the same content (information, field colouring, column width, row height, formulas, tabs etc.)?
Avatar of Colleen Kayter
Colleen Kayter
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I'm not sure I understand all of your explanation - particularly about text and notices - but nonetheless, I do understand you're using a 930 (which is on the list of phones that can be upgraded to Win10 Mobile) and that you're using Excel Online through the browser.

What happens if you edit your files using the built-in Excel app on your phone?

BTW, Microsoft just announced they are no longer supporting 8.1 with security updates and bug fixes. They recommend all users who are able to upgrade to Win 10 Mobile should do so.
Avatar of Ahmet Ekrem SABAN

ASKER

Thank you for your reply, Colleen!

That's good news! When Windows 10 came on the market, NOKIA Lumia 930 was one of the products that could not be upgraded. Where is the information that explains how to upgrade a phone without losing the information already saved on the phone?

When I use the Excel app on the phone, everything is fine. But the commands in the Excel app are only a subset of all the commands Excel knows. So, there is the need to use the Excel in the browser or the Excel app installed on the PC/notebook.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Colleen Kayter
Colleen Kayter
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My NOKIA Lumia 930 (without "Icon") is three years old now. I already made an update from Windows Phone 8.0 to 8.1. It would be great news for me if I could upgrade to Windows 10! I'll ask there if it is possible. But the "Handyupdate" in the German version replies that my smartphone is up-to-date. Perhaps, it means it for Windows Phone 8.1 & does not inform me about a possible upgrade. (But this was the case when the upgrade to Windows Phone 8.1 was ready to download.) Yes, I found another site that announces the possibility of upgrade for my smartphone
Thanks for your support! The latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 has solved the"read-only problem".