Features

Why do I get the message "This file is locked by OneDrive. Your document might be open, or OneDrive is taking a long time to sync" when clicking I am finished editing?

Issue
When I am editing a document and I click I am finished editing, the following message displays:

"This file is locked by OneDrive. Your document might be open, or OneDrive is taking a long time to sync"

Cause

This is caused when changes are made to an Office document, for example, an Excel file, which is closed without first saving the document, and then I am finished editing is clicked in FYI. As the file was not first saved, this relies on the closure of the document to save the changes.

The issue only occurs occasionally because if the file is left open for up to 10 minutes, after making changes, (which is the default interval for autosave) the file will have been autosaved before you click I am finished editing in FYI so this would prevent the issue.

Note: Other Microsoft Office add-ins are having the same issues, and therefore our ability to fix the underlying issue is limited. However, we will continue to monitor and release a fix as soon as possible.

Solution

Always save a file on the desktop (for example, using Ctrl+s), close the file and then, in FYI, click I am finished editing.

If you do not save the document and then click I am finished editing in FYI, the document may lock.

Workaround

If you get the message, do the following:

  1. Navigate to the FYI - My Edits folder in your OneDrive.
  2. Open the Excel spreadsheet that is having the issue.
  3. Make a change, for example, add a space into an empty cell
  4. Save the document using Ctrl+s
  5. Allow for up to 60 seconds until OneDrive runs a sync and the document will then be available.

We recommend using the FYI Desktop App as an alternative to OneDrive for editing Office documents on each user's local computer. Using the FYI Desktop App will overcome the file locking issues. FYI Desktop App also offers other benefits such as the seamless experience when editing PDFs.

To download and install the FYI Desktop App, refer to FYI Desktop App.

Before using the FYI Desktop App, first check in any documents that are currently out for edit using the OneDrive approach.

If the Document is Locked for Longer than Usual

If the document is locked by OneDrive for longer than usual, there may be an issue when FYI attempts to import and move the document. In this case you can Force stop editing. Refer to Force Stop Editing of a Locked OneDrive Document in Opening, Editing and Finish Editing Documents.

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