Lock files and folders in the desktop client - x360Sync

Written By Heather Hootman ()

Updated at July 7th, 2021

In the desktop client, you can place locks on a whole Team Share, a subfolder in a Team Share, or a file in a Team Share. When an item is locked, it will become read-only for others subscribed to the Team Share.

Manually lock a file or folder

To manually place a lock on a file or folder on a Windows or Mac machine:

  1. In the desktop client, right-click on the Team Share item, point to the sync menu, and select Lock. The Team Share item will remain locked until you unlock the item.
  2. Alternatively, to lock the folder or file for a specific amount of time, point to Lock for, and select a time period, including: 30 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, 6 hours, or 1 day.

Auto-lock files

If your administrator has turned on Auto-Locking, please note expected Auto-Locking behavior:

  • This feature applies to .doc, .docx, .xlsx, .ppt, and .pptx files. This feature also applies to .xls, .odt, .ods, and .odp documents if the documents are opened with LibreOffice or OpenOffice.
  • This feature is not supported for Word for Mac and .xls files opened with Excel.
  • This feature is only accessible from the desktop client installed on local machines.

To open a file using this feature:

  1. Click to open a file in the Team Share. You will be presented with a dialog box that will prompt you to lock the file.
  2. Select the Lock the document radio button to confirm the lock. You can also select a maximum lock time period in the Max Duration drop-down menu to determine how long the auto-lock will be in effect. You can select from 1 hour (default), 2 hours, 4 hours, or 8 hours. After the time period has expired, the auto-lock will expire. Or, the file will automatically unlock when you close the file.
  3. Depending on the administrator's configuration settings, if another user opens a file that you have locked, he or she will be presented with a pop-up notification. If this notification is ignored, the user will be prompted to save the file with a different name.

NOTE
When attempting to edit a Microsoft Word 2013 or Microsoft Excel 2013 locked file, offending users will need to actively clear the read-only notification before they can edit a file. Older revisions of Microsoft Word, however, will only display a read-only notification in the toolbar area. It is important to be mindful when working in Team Shares, and to pay attention to display indicators and warning messages.

View lock information

When you are working in the desktop client, you will see a lock icon displayed over a file or folder when it has been locked by you or another Team Share subscriber. Optionally, you can view information about who locked the file or folder.

  1. In the desktop client, right-click the Team Share item, point to the sync menu, and select Lock Info. A dialog box displays, giving you information about who locked the item, where the item was locked, and when the lock expires.