Resolving “process cannot access the file because it is used by another user” Errors in Quality Window

Some Quality Window Admin activities require exclusive write access to data files. These can include a structure change or application rename to name a few. If another user has a QW Application open, administrators may be unable to save changes, resulting in the following error message:

“The process cannot access the file ‘Process Monitoring Example.QWD’ because it is being used by another process”

To resolve this issue, you need to identify who has the file open and ask them to close it. Most of the time, this issue is because the Admin has the QW Application open themselves. The obvious solution is to close all instances of Quality Window Workstation that have this QW Application open.

Somtimes though the file is opened by another user on the shop floor or in the lab and it’s not easy to determine who has the file open.

Below are two methods to determine which user is holding the file, which enables easier resolution to this issue:

Method 1: Check Active Sessions via License Server

If you are using a Quality Window License Server, you can check active sessions through QW Administrator or on the License Server directly:

1. Open QW6 Administrator.
2. Launch the Query License Server tool.
3. Look for any active sessions and the files they have open.
4. Contact the user and ask them to close the session.

📌 If no active sessions appear, proceed to Method 2.

Method 2: Use Windows Computer Management Tool

If the License Server does not show an active session, you can check open files using the Windows Computer Management tool on the server hosting the shared files.

Steps to Find Open Files in Computer Management

1. Log in to the server hosting the files as an administrator.
2. Type “Computer Management” in the Windows search bar and open the tool.
3. Navigate to:
   • System Tools → Shared Folders → Open Files
4. Locate the file in question. The tool will display the user who has the file open.
5. Contact the user and ask them to close the application.

Force Closing a File (Last Resort Only)

If the user is unavailable, you can force close the file:

1. Right-click the file.
2. Select “Close Open File”.

⚠ Warning: Force closing a file may result in unsaved data loss or file corruption. Use this option only as a last resort.