Getting error The file is locked for shared use by when updating the file properties

[neeraj_bharati]

Using Microsoft Flow, I am trying to set default value in a metadata column "Column_1" from a sharepoint OOTB "Created By" column whenever a new item created in a document library. Document library has certain content types associated so when I create a new document by choosing a content type, the Office online opens the document in Edit mode. 

I am getting below error when I try to update column "Column_1" using "Update file properties" action

Error 423: The file <filename.xlsx> is locked for shared use by <email id>. clientRequestId:<xxx> serviceRequestId:<xxx>

How can I check the status of the file if locked or not? Any help is much appreciated. 

[v-yuazh-msft]

Hi @neeraj_bharati,

The error message told that the file is locked for shared use so you couldn't run the flow to Update the file properties

I afraid that there is no any way you could check the status of the file if locked or not currently.

Please check and see if the following article would help in your scenario:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-sg/help/313472/the-document-is-locked-for-editing-by-another-user-e...

Please make sure the file isn't locked and no anyone have opened the file when you run the flow update file properties.

Best regards,

Alice

[neeraj_bharati]

Thanks Alice for your reply. My flow is required to kick off automatically when-ever a new file is created in the documnet library, so I needed a way to check the lock status. Since the file is created using "New" and the selecting a content type, the file gets opened in Edit mode and thus locked at that point of time. The "Update file properties"  was working fine until last friday (June 15th) but not now it is failing with error I mentioned in my original post. Has something changed in "Update file properties"

[DrewChen]

Hi there,

The same thing happened to me. Up until July 16, 2018, my flow ran with no errors (it does the same thing as described by the original poster neeraj_bharati. Now it also throws "The file [...] is locked for shared use by [user]...". Any ideas? Thanks!

Andrés

[Ase_Stromsrud]

I have the same problem. I create a document from content type. It opens in the web browser and I can edit the document. The Flow initiates when document is created and in the flow I want to update the properties of the document with a new value. I get the locked by user error.

When I try to rerun the flow afterwords It works great.

How can I make this scenario to work?

[Anonymous]

I'm in the same scenario, I've tried creating a big nasty do-after sequence that loops if it cna't update the file because of lock, never seems to work consistently because it bugs the file out to where it doesn't unlock for like 24hours, cannot find a legitimate way to make document approvals work if it has to update a column on the document.

[silvana]

Hello, I get this same error on my flows and it comes up over 50% of the time making Flow unusable.

I need to be able to update columns and sometimes move files as a part of our flows and this "file is locked for shared use" causes the flow to fail at any update file properties or copy file step.

Are there any ways to solve this error or work around it? 

Also, is there a way to set up a loop to keep trying until the file unlocks it self?

Thanks!

Silvana

[Anonymous]

I'm getting this same issue when updating a file. 

Still looking for a workaround

[Alvarocarmona]

Same problem to me. I have a flow working every hour. The process is like this:

1 New mail with excel arrives.

2 Take the file and create a new file in one drive with attach content. Same target file every run to update the file.

3 Create table for this file

4 Get Rows 

5 Update rows in PBI Streaming report

It gets stucked because the file is locked when I try to get the rows (4 step) at first run. The next Run (1 hour later) it gets stucked at create File (2 step). The next one again at step 4....

How can be the file locked for more than 1 hour!!

[efialttes]

Hi @Alvarocarmona

I guess everytime you create a new excel file you reuse the same fileName ('same target file') in order to get the Excel actions work, right?

If so, I am experiencing the same problem in Sharepoint.

[apples]

---

@v-yuazh-msft wrote:

Hi @neeraj_bharati,

The error message told that the file is locked for shared use so you couldn't run the flow to Update the file properties

I afraid that there is no any way you could check the status of the file if locked or not currently.

Please check and see if the following article would help in your scenario:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-sg/help/313472/the-document-is-locked-for-editing-by-another-user-e...

Please make sure the file isn't locked and no anyone have opened the file when you run the flow update file properties.

Best regards,

Alice

---

Thanks for the suggested article. We have the same issues where Flow cannot update meta data associated with the review process if anyone happens to have the document open in their browser.

Is there any other solution/workaround where we can check if the document is locked at all before we trigger the flow. 

We purposely disabled checkout so people can co-author documents but this is now causing huge problem within the business.

Thanks

Aegir

[hjaf]

I'm starting to think that this problem is caused by flow as soon as you add the Excel for business. It is important to note that this connector is in "Preview". Preview could basically mean that the function is in alpha and should probably not be used in production.

I get this problem with any excel file even before there is any actions done by the excel-connector, (e.g. using sharepoint update file on the excel-file) It is as if the connector make flow reserve the file, perhaps the connector forces the lock on the file at runtime prohibiting any other action to take place. It seems that only the composite excel connector can be used to read excel data dynamically (sources set at runtime), and perhaps it will remain so.. anyone tested, confirm or refute this theory?

[BClouded]

Hi
I encountered this same problem today. I did some testing and seems totally related to Chrome. With Edge, IE11 and Firefox my flow runs smoothly. Can someone confirm please?

Thanks
B

[JustinR]

No It's doing it to me in Edge as well. My flow checks out the file, makes the changes then checks the file in to stop this issue, but then if you set "must check out" then you have issues with adding or updating your tables in excel. so it's really a catch 22 if you need to run changes any less than about 10 minutes apart.

Not happy Microsoft.

[Bizarr0]

Same error here. Never happened before, but today one of our flows has failed because of this.

Surprisingly, the exact same flow (without any modification) has run a second time perfectly with no errors (?!). Thus, it appears to be a random issue... which is very (very) bad because it makes Flow execution unreliable.

Does anybody have any update about this issue?

Thank you!

[edbellman]

Same here @Bizarr0 , random and unreliable.

[iAm_ManCat]

Just received this error while trying to pull rows from an Excel Table using the Excel Online for Business connector, going to try via OneDrive now as it doesn't need to be public-facing.

[juresti]

So its 2020 now and still the same issue.

I have a file that is still locked for over 24 hours.

It must be an issue with sharepoint libraries.

[Sailela]

I found a workaround:
Simply use another browser! You should now be able to checkout the file you have problems with and check it back in.
After that use your original browser.
Greetings from Germany

[ChristianAbata]

You need delete all permisions of the file

Frist change to the classic sharepoint view and then go to Files, and Share with.

Then clic on advance

An finally delete every user permition of the file.