We are introducing manual file locking feature in Egnyte Desktop App Core. 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
Unlock a File
List of locked files
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Lock a File
There are two ways in which files can be locked within Egnyte:
- The first is through automatic file locking, which occurs 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.
- The second way to lock a file is to manually lock the file via right click context menu.
A locked file will show a lock icon (except when the file is being co-edited), and moving the cursor over the icon will reveal the lock owner.
Lock owner will see a blue padlock icon when hovering over the file.
File locked by another user will have a red padlock icon.
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).
Unlock a File
File can be unlocked from the right-click context menu.
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 the user’s computer goes offline).
For files being co-edited (co-edit lock), it might take up to 35 minutes (usually just a few minutes) to automatically unlock upon everyone leaving the co-editing session.
For files that are locked manually through the desktop app, 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 clicking the locked files button.
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.
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Automatic File Locking in the Egnyte Desktop App