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

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2019-07-08T14:08:53+00:00

    When you share a file with other users, it creates a link address which includes the file location on SharePoint.  If you were to move a file into a different location, it would change the link address and therefore, share point won't let you move it as the shared users would not be able to access it anymore (their link would no longer exist). If you really need to move the file, you would need to right click on it, go into details and then delete the link. At this point, you can move the file and then you would have to reshare the document with the other users again. 

    Ridiculous but the only option. The easiest workaround would be to either create a folder for a specific group of users and just have everyone go into this rather than creating a share link for a specific file. Alternatively, use Microsoft teams and keep files in a team instead of sharing one-off documents. 

    Will be interesting to see if Micro ever comes up with a solution to this. Maybe an option that automatically sends an updated link to shared users when you move a file and brings up a warning message, rather than just simply not letting you move a file, would be a good temporary fix instead of leaving it as it is.

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  2. Anonymous
    2019-07-07T14:48:58+00:00

    Here is a potential powershell solution to this problem. 

    https://www.benstegink.com/delete-unlock-sharepoint-document-locked-another-user/#.XSICgOhKjD4

    I think the advice here is clear. Never tell MSFT that the problem is solved until you get the answer you need. They are ignoring this thread because at one point in time MSFT was told the problem resolved itself. They are now ignoring this thread even though it is still very active.

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  3. Anonymous
    2018-08-01T21:00:44+00:00

    Hi JishNath,

    Thanks for sharing your experience with us. We'd like to explain that since the problem in original post has gone, and we focus on one problem in each thread, we suggest you post a new thread in our forum for the specific assistance.

    Thanks for your understanding.

    Tisky

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  4. Anonymous
    2018-02-02T15:46:06+00:00

    Hi Jeff,

    The root cause may different even when the symptoms are the same. Glad to hear that the problem is gone, if you have any problem in the future, please feel free to post back.

    Regards,

    Tisky

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  5. Anonymous
    2018-02-01T16:47:45+00:00

    Hi Jeff,

    Have you tried the steps above?

    Regards,

    Tisky

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