# Ca't open file to write when saving tags
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 9, 2021, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011 "2021-08-09T12:25:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@iain.kitt](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/iain.kitt)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 12:25pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/1 "2021-08-09T12:25:33Z")
When saving tags I occasionally get an error message "File cannot be opened for writing". If I'm saving a whole CD's worth of files, for example, it will only happen with a few files. Some will write perfectly well.
The problem appears to be worse when trying to save folder art. Sometimes trying a second time it works OK, sometimes not. I'm using v3.08 but it has been happening with previous versions. Files are .flac. Any thoughts?
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 12:43pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/2 "2021-08-09T12:43:38Z")
Do you save your files on your local internal harddrive or SSD?
Do you save it to a remote NAS over your network?
Maybe this topics can help you:
> [@Paste error, cannot open file for writing](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/paste-error-cannot-open-file-for-writing/53815):
>
> [image]
> [@Cannot open file for writing](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cannot-open-file-for-writing/48104):
>
> When assigning from Discogs in Win10. Saving WMA, which may be part of the problem. But what's funny is that if I say "yes" to continue to each file in the directory, it works. They don't show until I select any one file, and then every other file. Then they have all been opened and saved after all. Pain in the butt, but an effective workaround. What's also funny is that they save fine later when changing filenames from tags (ALT-1). Hope this helps someone else who is having this problem.
> [@"File Cannot Be Opened For Writing"](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/file-cannot-be-opened-for-writing/12416):
>
> I'm having trouble tagging a specific album. I usually use this program (because it's the best there is) but with this album I've tried other programs and none of them are able to tag them. It's an album of .FLAC files but when I press "Save Tag" it says "This file cannot be opened for writing". I've checked permissions and I'm the owner with Full Control - this is just boggling my mind. Has anyone seen this before? If so can you please advise?
> [@Flac file error](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/flac-file-error/51984):
>
> Good Afternoon I hope you can help? I've used MP3tag for a while without issues. I was recently trying to add album art to a FLAC file. For an unknown reason it was taking an unusually long time and not completing the task so I decided to abort. When you now try and access this file through MP3tag, all the metadata has disappeared. When I try and add the metadata, an error occurs, it says the file "cannot be opened for writing". When I look at the file in Explorer, there has been a .tmp file c…
Summary:
> [@File could not be written](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/file-could-not-be-written/44918/2):
>
> Here is a thread that deals with the problem: One of the following is often the cause: insufficient access rights insufficient ownership simultaneous access blocks files corrupt files.
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### Author:  [@iain.kitt](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/iain.kitt)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/3 "2021-08-09T14:45:00Z")
Thanks. I'm saving to an internal hard drive (not SSD). What's strange is that it only applies to some files in the relevant folder. Access permissions, ownership etc are the same for all files so I can't understand why it is only some that get flagged up as "cannot open file for writing" and only when I try and save the folder art - all the other tags are OK. The file plays OK so I assume it is not corrupted and I've checked and it's not open in any other programme. Furthermore sometimes (not always) if I close mp3tag and try again it works. Very frustrating!
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/4 "2021-08-09T15:38:01Z")
> [@iain.kitt](#):
>
> if I close mp3tag and try again it works.
Much more an indication that some other program (e.g. the ondrive synchronizer) tries to access the files at the same time. Esp. if you add covers then probably the padding isn't large enough, so the file has to be re-written. MP3tag copies the old an new data to a temporary file and when that file is to be moved ot the old file and the old file is now opened by an indexer or something then it could be that this causes the error message.
BTW:
> [@iain.kitt](#):
>
> The file plays OK so I assume it is not corrupted
is no real reassurance. Check the files with one of the linked programs:
[https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-check-files-for-errors/44633/3](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/how-to-check-files-for-errors/44633/3)
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### Author:  [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/5 "2021-08-09T15:54:55Z")
> [@iain.kitt](#):
>
> and I've checked and it's not open in any other programme
Often background processes keep files locked.
I had some expeerience with AlbumArtDownloader, which sometimes locks 1 file in a directory. Since I found this reason for my problems in MP3Tag, I added a process kill in one of my defined tools in MP3tag for AlbumArtDownloader.
[https://community.mp3tag.de/t/locked-files/17915](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/locked-files/17915)
[https://community.mp3tag.de/t/locked-files-durch-aufruf-des-albumartdownloaders/17916](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/locked-files-durch-aufruf-des-albumartdownloaders/17916)
Since you mention Flac files:
Some latest versions of the Spotify player lock Flac files. Spotify, funnily enough, does not declare this to be a bug, but rather a necessary evil to quickly include local music files.
[https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/FLAC-files-in-Downloads-directory-opened-accessed-and-locked-by/m-p/5204410](https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/FLAC-files-in-Downloads-directory-opened-accessed-and-locked-by/m-p/5204410)
I use LockHunter to have a quick look at such files with a right-mouse-click and a selection in the content menue. LockHunter tells you which process locks the file.
[https://lockhunter.com/](https://lockhunter.com/)
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cat-open-file-to-write-when-saving-tags/54011/6 "2026-02-09T12:29:21Z")