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Amy's avatar
Amy
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5 years ago

How to unlock a locked file

File locking is a handy little feature available to Dropbox Business and Professional users that prevents a file from being edited. This means you can create a single source of truth document, prevent duplication or unauthorized edits. 
 

So what does locking a file mean?

Well, once a file is locked, anyone with access to the file can still view, comment on, and share a link to the file. Only the person who locked the file can edit and unlock the file. 
 
Locking a file with Dropbox
 

Ok, I need to edit the file, how do I unlock it if it’s not my file?

If you need to edit a locked file, you can request that the file be unlocked by clicking Ask to Unlock in the window that appears when you attempt to open the file. Or, you can make a copy of the locked file—however, any changes made to the copy will not be reflected in the original file once it’s unlocked.
 

How do I unlock it if it is my file? 

  1. Right-click the file you’d like to lock or unlock in the Dropbox App, or if you’re using Dropbox.com, hover over the name of the file and click "…" (ellipsis) on the right
  2. Click Lock Editing or Unlock Editing.
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