Manual file locking is available in the Desktop App for Windows and Desktop App Core for Mac. File locking is an essential mechanism in collaborative environments, especially when multiple users access the same files, and the file type does not allow co-editing. It prevents conflicts by ensuring only one person can modify a file at a time.
Lock a File
Lock Indicators
Unlock a File
List of Locked Files
Additional Information
Lock a File
There are two ways in which files can be locked within Egnyte:
- Automatic file locking: happens whenever a user opens a file using the Desktop App, WebEdit, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Online, or Google Workspace. The file stays locked for as long as it remains open and the user's computer is online.
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Manual file locking: the user right-clicks the file and selects the Lock option from the Egnyte submenu. The submenu label differs slightly between platforms.
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Windows: Right-click the file and select Egnyte → Lock
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Mac: Right-click the file and select More Egnyte Actions… → Lock
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Windows: Right-click the file and select Egnyte → Lock
Locked files may be previewed or downloaded by other users, but they will not be able to edit, rename, move, or delete the files. These rules do not apply to Admins or users with the Owner permission to a folder, who may manually unlock any files in that folder and perform any action (except files that are under a co-editing session using Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Online, or Google Workspace).
Lock Indicators
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On Mac, a locked file shows a padlock icon on the file listing (except when the file is being co-edited), and hovering over the icon reveals the lock owner:
- The lock owner sees a blue padlock icon when hovering over the file.
- A file locked by another user shows a red padlock icon.
- On Windows, padlock icons are not displayed on the file listing due to technical limitations of the platform. To check whether a file is locked on Windows, use the Uploads and Locks section of the Desktop App, or attempt an edit action — the app will notify you if the file is locked by another user.
Unlock a File
A file can be unlocked from the right-click context menu:
- Windows: Right-click the file and select Egnyte → Unlock.
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Mac: Right-click the file and select More Egnyte Actions… → Unlock.
- An open, locked file in the Desktop App, WebEdit, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Online, or Google Workspace will unlock automatically after closing the application (or when the user's computer goes offline).
- For files being co-edited (co-edit lock), it may take up to 35 minutes — usually just a few minutes — to automatically unlock after everyone leaves the co-editing session.
- For files locked manually through Egnyte Desktop App for Windows or Desktop App Core for Mac, the user, an Admin, or a folder owner must unlock the file manually. If a file is not unlocked manually, the lock will be automatically disabled after 7 days.
List of Locked Files
Users can view the list of files they have locked in the Desktop App by navigating to the Uploads and Locks section.
The list also appears when the user tries to disconnect, remove the drive or exit the application. The user can choose to keep the files locked or unlock all files and proceed with the desired action.
Additional Information