"This library is currently being used by someone else. Try opening it again later"

I recently upgraded to X9, and the problem persists: I do not manage to import any .enw files, the message keeps popping up. I tried all the proposed solution and wasted several hours: no results.

Are there any suggestions how to fix it?

@bgensits: have you managed to solve the problem?

call support?  

Same problem here, using latest Update of X9 on latest version of Mac OS and tried everything from restarts, renaming, recovering, reinstall… you name it. 

Totally agree, that this should not happen for such a pricey software. Very disappointed!

Hope someone finds a solution for this soon 

 

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Same problem here, using latest Update of X9 on Mac and tried everything from restarts, renaming, recovering, reinstall… you name it. 

Totally agree, that this should not happen for such a pricey software. Very disappointed!

Hope they resolve this soon.

I currently encountered this issue on a Mac with Endnote X9.1 (also tried Endnote X9) on MacOS Mojave 10.14.3. A default install without selecting custom settings. Usually I have seen this occur randomly on several versions of Endnote on Mac, but here it was all the time. Very frustrating.

On this Mac iCloud drive was disabled, but to be sure an empty library was created in the user’s home folder. We did all the testing with .enw files trying to import those. I usually also make a file association by selecting cmd+i and setting Endnote as the default program, otherwise you get an annoying pop-up to select the default program and open the library every time, even if a library is already open and you ticked the “default program” box.

Anyway, we tried a lot of different approaches. I made sure to create an empty library to test with, even created one on a memory stick with the same “This library is currently being used by someone else” message. We tested with both Safari, Chrome and Firefox. The latest versions of those. Firefox is usally a nice solution, because it can open .enw files directly with EndNote, but this time we got the same error message.

I know this user had EndNote sync turned on at first install, but I made sure to remove all preferences and reinstalled EndNote and made sure that sync was turned off.

This mac was quite clean, but McAfee antivirus (which I dislike) was running on it. Tried to disable it, but the same error popped out. A 3rd party cloud service to make backups was also installed, but not running. Really do not know what else to try?

I have been having the same problem for the past 48 hours. I deleted the EndNote program and then reinstalled it from my institution. My library opened right back up and I was able to import .ris and .enw. 

We did a complete reinstall of EndNote, and it dit not help :confused: I even cleaned up all the preferences in ~/Library/Application Support and in /Library, and any files with endnote/researchsoft in the name.

If it helps anyone, seems to be an issue with Direct Export on Mac. I just encountered the same issue on macOS 10.10 Yosemite, EndNote X9.1. Until further notice, we have chosen to use the File -> Import menu to insert the references. You then need to choose a filter, in my case “Reference Manager (RIS)” worked fine, in other cases you may use the “EndNote Import”, YMMV. Not sure about the other filters, there is a ton of them.

Another workaround is to import the references to EndNote Online, and sync the library.

Hi, I am having the same issue but neither restarting my computer nor using another internet browser seemed to help. How can I fix this issue? It arose out of nowhere. Thank you!

trust me – as this can be caused by multiple issues!  

contact Technical Support directly

1-800-336-4474 option 4 then 1

or

https://support.clarivate.com/Endnote/s/technicalsupport?language=en_US

Best Regards,
(per Tony M.
RS
Clarivate Analytics

Product Specialist
Phone: +1 800 336 4474
clarivate.com)

X9.1.1 has been released and seems to fix the import error for X9.1 and Mac for some file types. If you do not get info about the update when you open the program, go to EndNote X9 → Check for Updates.

Best wishes

Jan Ove

Fear not, for the solution has come upon us… I have become enlightened… And I have created an account here just so that I could enlighten other lost souls: lost like I was, before I contacted my tech support sensai located in the mountains of Northern India.

iCloud is to blame for our troubles. iCloud is against us. It saves everything in its cloud and therefore when we attempt to open our library, we encounter a problem. Do NOT fear, for you can take back all that you have.

(1) check your macs system preferences - iCloud - look at the documents tab… is it checked? If so, leave it alone and continue reading.

(2) go into your endnote file in applications… click examples … then open sample library X9… now two icons should appear. 

(3) create a new folder in your applications label it “Endnote_miracles” 

(4) copy both your .enl file and the matching .data file of your library

(5) paste it into endnote miracles 

(6) Run endnote, and go to tools - recover library

(7) select your .enl folder and hit ok.

(8) save the new file ending in Saved as a package (if it asks) in your endnote miracles file. it should now start pairing pdfs. the end is near.

(9) after it is done, open a new library in endnote and select this newly created file ending in “saved”

(10) be free and rejoice.

(11) call tech support if this doesn’t work. they will clear it up :slight_smile: but this worked for me.

Even hope can be found in the darkest of places… do not give up hope on your hours of time and work! they will solve it!

Peace be with you friends :-) 

Fear not, for the solution has come upon us… I have become enlightened… And I have created an account here just so that I could enlighten other lost souls: lost like I was, before I contacted my tech support sensai located in the mountains of Northern India.

iCloud is to blame for our troubles. iCloud is against us. It saves everything in its cloud and therefore when we attempt to open our library, we encounter a problem. Do NOT fear, for you can take back all that you have.

(1) check your macs system preferences - iCloud - look at the documents tab… is it checked? If so, leave it alone and continue reading.

(2) go into your endnote file in applications… click examples … then open sample library X9… now two icons should appear. 

(3) create a new folder in your applications label it “Endnote_miracles” 

(4) copy both your .enl file and the matching .data file of your library

(5) paste it into endnote miracles 

(6) Run endnote, and go to tools - recover library

(7) select your .enl folder and hit ok.

(8) save the new file ending in Saved as a package (if it asks) in your endnote miracles file. it should now start pairing pdfs. the end is near.

(9) after it is done, open a new library in endnote and select this newly created file ending in “saved”

(10) be free and rejoice.

(11) call tech support if this doesn’t work. they will clear it up :slight_smile: but this worked for me.

Even hope can be found in the darkest of places… do not give up hope on your hours of time and work! they will solve it!

Peace be with you friends :-) 

Really? The one place where you want to put the library such that you always have it synchronized at all times cannot be used?

And no, it does not help! Moving the library endnote package to Desktop does not let the message go away.

And first, it complains about not being able to convert it the latest format. D’oh!

It’s your format, and you cannot deal with it??

A BIG BIG letdown by Endnote. Unless you fix this for once and for all, I will have to start looking for another reference software. I cannot work if I need to reinstall software, reboot, recover libraries every 2 weeks. I’m not using Windoze, and certainly Endnote is currently at that low level of confidence and reliability.

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Really? The one place where you want to keep the library to have it in sync at all computers cannot be used by Endnote??

Second, your “solution” doesn’t work. Moving the Endnote package (.enlp) to the Desktop, did not make the “used by someone else” go away.

Third, Endnote 9.3.1 complains about not being able to convert an old library to the new format. ANY previous library.

That’s YOUR format. Your file. Your fault.

Fourth, I cannot be working professionally if every two weeks I have to reinstall, reboot, recover library, rehope, and finally forget about actually USING Endnote for what it should do.

Fifth, “recover library” with 9.3.1 does not even recognize previous libraries.

In summary, you better fix this, for once and for all, because I cannot work like this, and I will have to start looking for an alternative reference manager software, which IS RELIABLE and works without issues. I’m not using Windoze, for a reason, and right now I’m feeling as if I were. Endnote has reached the low level of reliability and stability of Windoze.

If you can open your old version (e.g., X8), try this:

  1. open old version

  2. File → Compressed LIbrary (.enlx)…

  3. Create (All References in Library)

4.  Open new version (X9)

  1. File → Open Library to open the compressed library you created (.enlx)

This worked for me (everything else suggested in this thread didn’t). I did initially save the compressed library to my desktop, but once it was open in X9, I saved a copy (package) to my DropBox, and am now able to open the library from the DropBox without getting the error.

I hope this helps some others. Took me an hour to get this thing to work. Ugh.

I wrote a long message and when I click Post. An error occurred. Endnote: please do better. As a paid software, your mesage board is painful to use too.

My situtation: computer had sudden restart. The .enl in BOX folder can’t be opened after restart. “Restart” didn’t work for me.

For this issue, my fix:

rename the old .enl file. The endnote will complain when you open the renamed .enl file saying no associated .Data. Just click [Open]. Endnote will establish a new one for you. But you lose lots of information (groups, terms, etc.).

Then, you copy the old PDF folder to the new .Data folder. You fixed PDF issue.

I found the issue is in rdb folder. I copied all the files but MISC.* files. The new .enl can be opened. But if I copied MISC.* files, the error came out again. If you have back up in Mac, you can try to get the previous version of MISC.* file. You might get your group back.

I wish Endnote as a paid software has a better solution here. I want my group info back. It is painful to reorganize hundreds of papers.

The problem is solved.

The best solution: use the library recovery function. Everything is back. PDF and groups. I use Mac and my endnote version is 9.2. Haven’t updated to 9.3 since there is compatibility issue with old version of library. I wish Endnote will solve this issue with new version.

Hello, after weeks of troubles with my library I finally solved the problem. And yes, it includes the library recover function, but no, you cannot just use it without getting the same error in the saved version. See here a little tutorial:
Step 1: Make a new empty library and then copy all the files from the old library in the folders “rdb” and “tdb” to the new library. But only the ones that already existed in the new library. Overwrite them. Ignore all the other files that were created by syncing errors (e.g. csort.frm(2)). Don’t copy the PDFs yet to save some time in the next step.
Step 2: Open the library. Be happy that it works. But dare you to do anything else now. So, close the library, open it again and be mad because you get the same annoying error as always “this library appears to be damaged, …”.
Step 3: But don’t worry. Now is the right time to use the repair tool (Tools  Recover Library …).
Step 4: Open and close the newly created Library-Saved.enl for several times to be really, really sure it worked. Maybe do it another thousand times to be really, really sure.
Step 5: Copy every folder from the folder “PDF” in the original library to the “PDF” folder in the saved library.
Step 6: Now everything should work fine. Open and close Library-Saved.enl again for several thousand times while adding, deleting, and changing files to calm your anxious mind.

PS: After some days, I must admit that my Endnote is still crashing after every few changes (don’t know why, it happens when I edit author’s names or years, etc.). This time I do not even get any error messages, Endnote will just crash when I open the library. My solution is to save everything after any changes. However, since I have many PDFs, I only back up the “rdb” and “rdb” folders. That’s quicker and it works well too. I just overwrite those folders with the backed-up folders if Endnote crashes.