Word cannot save this file because it is already open elsewhere.

Question

The error appears to be related to ScanSoft as the remainder of the message is (C:\ProgramData...\ScanSoftPDF.dot). The 'elsewhere' may be Outlook since the problem doesn't occur unless I am also running Outlook (to receive incoming email notifications).

Answer 1

You can't have the same file opened in two locations at once. More than that, you can't even have different modifications to the same file while it's opened in two applications. Of course, you can open it and use its contents, but modification won't be possible. The DOT file is, however, locked from the moment you open it in one software. You can either work with one application or another.