Error Occurs When Attempting to Lock File in Teams, Excel, OneDrive, and PowerPoint: Cause Unknown

Users of Office apps such as Excel, Teams, OneDrive, and PowerPoint have been experiencing an “Unknown error trying to lock file.” This issue is particularly frustrating for SharePoint business users who rely on the service to share and edit files. In this article, we will explore ways to fix this error in Teams, Excel, OneDrive, and SharePoint. This error prevents users from accessing the file or performing any task on it. These tools are essential for many individual and business users, but a recent update by Microsoft seems to have caused temporary issues that trigger this unknown error. Let’s take a look at the possible causes of this error and how to fix it.

There are several reasons why you might get an unknown error trying to lock files on Teams, Excel, OneDrive, etc. One of the most common causes is temporary bugs and glitches in the Microsoft apps, especially after an update. Permission and Windows security settings or issues can also trigger this error. The file might also be in use by another user, which can happen when the system has stored processed and raw data in a certain directory structure. Network issues can also trigger errors when the connection is congested or unstable.

To fix the unknown error trying to lock file in Teams, Excel, OneDrive, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc., Office apps use the following solutions:

1. Perform basic steps

2. Clear Microsoft Office cache

3. Revert to the previous app version

4. Tweak Protected View settings

5. Reset Office Upload Center

Performing basic steps such as scanning your PC for viruses and malware, rebooting your computer, exiting apps running in the background, relaunching the affected app, and updating Microsoft Office can sometimes resolve the issue. Clearing the Microsoft Office cache can help fix unknown errors caused by a corrupted cache that is still stored in your system. If you continue to get the unknown error trying to lock file after upgrading the app, you may try to resolve the problem by reverting to the previous version. Changing the Protected View settings can also help if Windows thinks the file or document is potentially unsafe to open or edit. Resetting the Microsoft Office Upload Center ensures that you delete all the cache from uploaded Office files, which can sometimes trigger an error that tries to lock the files.

Some users have reported getting an unknown error trying to lock files when they try to access files in SharePoint online Web. To fix this issue, you can check out the file, create a network location using the Registry Editor, clear the browser cache, and exempt SharePoint from Firewall security settings.

If an Excel file is locked for editing, you can unlock it by getting access from the other user, ensuring the version you are using supports co-authoring, or putting the document in SharePoint or OneDrive. Also, ensure the Excel document you are using is in the right format (.xlsx, .xlsm, or .xlsb). The Excel file may say it’s locked if the user who shared it with you is currently editing the document, if the Office app running in the background has already opened the file, or if the Excel file is already marked ‘Final’ and you are not allowed to update it. If the file is password-protected, you must get the password to open it.

In conclusion, these solutions should help you fix unknown errors trying to lock files on Teams, OneDrive, Excel, SharePoint, etc.