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Automatic Locking in FileCloud Desktop for Windows

Automatic Locking in FileCloud Desktop

FileCloud Desktop for Windows automatically locks files when they are opened in supported applications to prevent other users from overwriting changes while a file is being edited.

Files opened in applications that do not support automatic locking must be locked manually.

Supported applications

Automatic locking is supported for files opened in the following applications in FileCloud Desktop for Windows:

  • Microsoft Word

  • Microsoft Excel

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

  • Adobe Acrobat

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • AutoCAD

  • Foxit PDF Editor

How locking works

When FileCloud Desktop is online

When a user locks a file while connected to the server, that user can read, edit, rename, move, or delete the file without the risk of other users overwriting their work.

While the user remains online, FileCloud Desktop renews the lock on the server every 3 minutes.

When FileCloud Desktop goes offline

If FileCloud Desktop locks a file and then loses its connection to the server, the lock is released after 3 minutes.

If both the server version and the local version of the file (in the FileCloud Desktop sync folder) are modified while the connection is interrupted, FileCloud Desktop creates a conflict file when the connection is restored. This preserves both sets of changes.

Lock indicators and notifications

  • Lock icon: All users see a lock icon overlay on the file in File Explorer.

  • Read-only notification: Other users who open a locked file are notified that the file is read-only and that their changes cannot be saved to the original file.

  • Download prevention: If a file is locked in the user portal with Prevent others from downloading this file while locked enabled, other users cannot download the file.

Known limitations

  • If a user manually locks a file and then edits it, the file may be unlocked automatically when the user closes it.

  • If a user views the details of an automatically locked file in FileCloud for Office and clicks Refresh, the file may be unlocked. To avoid this, we recommend that users do not use FileCloud for Office when automatic locking is enabled.