What does "locked for Shared Use" mean, exactly?

Anonymous
2018-01-25T16:34:28+00:00

I've got a file in a SharePoint library that I'm trying to move to a new folder in the same library. But no matter how I try to move it, I get a message that "this file is locked for shared use," by me. But I didn't do anything to lock the file.

How did it get locked, and more importantly, how do I unlock it? Properties, Details, and similar have been unhelpful, and the old turn it off and turn it on again didn't work either.

Microsoft 365 and Office | SharePoint | For business | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2020-03-26T21:17:59+00:00

    I've noticed that if the file is open somewhere, it will give you this error. Try closing all instances of the file, then move it.

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  2. Anonymous
    2020-03-26T21:44:08+00:00

    I've noticed that if the file is open somewhere, it will give you this error. Try closing all instances of the file, then move it.

    It also happens when the file is closed everywhere as several people have reported and as Msft themselves have confirmed by saying it's "by design". Clearly it's a bad design but not untypical of a co that's not known for its care for customers.

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  3. Anonymous
    2020-04-02T23:45:35+00:00

    Looks like this is FINALLY being addressed although why it took 3 years I've no idea:

    New Feature: SharePoint File Delete Lockout override

    MC208414,

    We've gotten a lot of feedback from people who are unable to delete a document because they had it open in another tab on a different computer, or because someone else had it open and forgot about it, effectively locking the document. This feature allows you to override that lock and delete an Office file (such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) when you or someone else has it open, whether intentionally or not. The new functionality will be available to people who want to delete items from their own OneDrive, and to all members of a document library who already have permission to delete files.

    When this will happen

    • We'll be gradually rolling this out to Targeted Release customers in early April.
    • The roll-out will be completed to all customers by the end of April.

    This message is associated with Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 62665

    Love this rather self effacing excuse which clearly isn't the truth - as Msft has themselves said files were getting locked when they weren't open anywhere else :

    "people who are unable to delete a document because they had it open in another tab on a different computer, or because someone else had it open and forgot about it, effectively locking the document. "

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  4. Anonymous
    2020-04-20T18:28:55+00:00

    Hi Michael,

    Tisky's solution worked for me also. Mine was already set to No and it wasn't working. So I changed it to Yes, saved it. Then changed it back to No and saved it.

    Now it works!

    There is no excuse for this issue having gone on for so long.

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  5. Anonymous
    2020-06-10T00:19:10+00:00

    I had this same issue, followed the steps, but no was already selected. I re-selected No and updated the settings and this seemed to work. Thanks for the guidance.

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