Fixes / Word · Checked September 30, 2026

Word "locked for editing by another user": causes and fixes

Short answer

Word found a lock on the file, so it will only open it read-only. Sometimes another person really does have it open. More often the lock is left over from a Word crash, or from a copy of Word still running in the background, and it can carry your own name. Close every Word window and process, delete the hidden ~$ owner file next to the document, then open it again.

What this message means

When Word opens a saved document, it creates a small hidden "owner file" in the same folder. The name starts with ~$ and the file records who opened the document. When Word closes normally it deletes the owner file. If Word sees that file when you try to open the document, it assumes someone is still editing it and offers a read-only copy instead. For files on SharePoint or OneDrive, the server keeps a separate edit lock that works the same way. So the message doesn't always mean another person is in the file. A crash, a background Word process, a SharePoint check-out or a stale server lock all produce it.

Common causes

Cause	How to tell
Word closed badly (crash, force quit, sleep, or a lost network connection) and left the owner file behind	The 'other user' is you, or no one else could have the file open. Once hidden files are shown, a file whose name starts with ~$ appears next to the document.
Another copy of Word is still running in the background with the document open	Every Word window is closed, but Task Manager still lists Microsoft Word (WINWORD.EXE), or Word still shows in the Dock with a dot under it on a Mac.
A colleague really has the file open on a shared drive or network folder	The message names another person and the file is on a mapped drive or a \\server\share path. When they close Word, the lock clears.
The file is checked out in SharePoint, or the library requires check-out	The SharePoint library shows a small green arrow on the file icon, or the file details say it is checked out to someone. You can't edit it until they check it back in.
Co-authoring can't work for this file, so Word falls back to a single-editor lock	The file is on OneDrive or SharePoint but is an old .doc or .rtf file, is password protected or marked as final, or uses IRM. Other people get the lock message instead of editing alongside you.
A stale lock on OneDrive or SharePoint after someone's session ended badly	No one has the file open and there is no check-out, but the lock message keeps appearing. It usually clears after some time, or you can get around it by opening the file in Word for the web.

How to fix it

1. Check whether someone else really has it open

Read the name in the message. If it's a colleague, ask them to save and close the document.
If you need the file now, choose Read Only in the File In Use dialog to view it, or Notify to have Word tell you when the file is free.
To make changes while they finish, open a read-only copy, then go to File > Save As and save it under a new name. Merge your changes into the original later.
If the file is on OneDrive or SharePoint and saved as .docx, both of you can edit at once. Open it from the OneDrive or SharePoint site, or in Word for the web, instead of from a synced or downloaded copy.

2. Close every running copy of Word

Save your work in any other open Word documents, then close all Word windows.
Windows: press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. On the Processes tab, find every Microsoft Word entry (WINWORD.EXE on the Details tab), select it and click End task.
Mac: press Option+Command+Esc, select Microsoft Word, and click Force Quit.
Open the document again. If the message is gone, you're done. If it's still there, continue with the next fix.

3. Delete the ~$ owner file

Files on your own computer, a USB drive or a network share (not needed for files opened straight from SharePoint or OneDrive on the web)

Make sure Word is completely closed (see the previous fix).
Open the folder that contains the document.
Show hidden files. Windows 11: View > Show > Hidden items. Windows 10: View tab, then tick Hidden items. Mac Finder: press Command+Shift+. (period).
Find the file whose name starts with ~$ and matches your document. For example, the owner file for Report.docx is ~$port.docx or ~$Report.docx. It is only a few hundred bytes.
Delete that ~$ file only. Do not delete the document itself.
Restart Word and open the document. If Word asks whether to save changes to the Normal template, choose Don't Save.

4. Check the file back in on SharePoint

SharePoint document libraries and Microsoft Teams files

Open the document library in your browser.
Find the file. A green arrow on the icon means it is checked out.
If it's checked out to you, select the file, click ... (Show actions) > More > Check in, or Discard check out if you don't need to keep your changes.
If it's checked out to someone else, ask them to check it in. If they aren't available, a site owner can check it in or discard the check-out.
If the library has Require documents to be checked out to be edited turned on, co-authoring won't work. Ask the site owner to turn it off in Library settings > Versioning settings if people need to edit together.

5. Get around a stale OneDrive or SharePoint lock

Files stored in OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams

Open the file in Word for the web (click the file in OneDrive or SharePoint in your browser). The web version often edits files that the desktop app reports as locked.
If the desktop app still says it is locked, close Word on every device where you had the file open, including other PCs and phones.
Wait 10 to 15 minutes, then try again. Server-side edit locks expire on their own.
If the file is an old .doc or .rtf file, open it, go to File > Info > Convert (or save it as .docx) so that co-authoring works in the future.

6. Release the file on a Windows file server

Files on a Windows network share (needs admin rights on the server)

On the file server, open Computer Management (run compmgmt.msc).
Go to System Tools > Shared Folders > Open Files.
Find the document in the list. The Accessed By column shows which user holds it.
Right-click the entry and choose Close Open File. Warn that user first, because any unsaved changes they have will be lost.
Delete any leftover ~$ owner file in the share folder, then reopen the document.

Next time, skip the search

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Still not fixed?

If none of these fixes work, save a copy of the document under a new name (open it read-only, then use File > Save As) so your work isn't blocked while you look into it. If the file is on a network share, SharePoint or Teams, contact your IT department or the site owner. They can see who holds the lock, close the open-file handle on the server, or check in or discard a check-out for another user. If the message shows up for every file in a folder, the problem may be folder permissions or antivirus software scanning or holding the files. IT should check both before anyone deletes lock files by hand.

Questions people ask

Why does Word say the document is locked by me?

Word found an owner file from one of your own earlier sessions. Usually Word crashed or is still running in the background. Close every Word process in Task Manager (or Force Quit on a Mac), then delete the ~$ file next to the document.

Is it safe to delete the ~$ file?

Yes, once Word is fully closed and no one else has the document open. The ~$ file only records who has the document open and holds none of your text. Delete only the small file that starts with ~$, never the document itself.

Why can't two people edit the same Word document at the same time?

Several people can edit at once only if the file is stored in OneDrive or SharePoint, saved as .docx, and not checked out, password protected or marked as final. Files on a regular network drive or USB stick allow only one editor at a time.

How do I find out who has the Word document open?

The lock message shows the user name stored in the owner file, but that name can be out of date after a crash. On a Windows file server, an admin can check Computer Management > Shared Folders > Open Files. In SharePoint, the file details show who has it checked out.

Will I lose my changes if I open the read-only copy?

No. You can't save over the original, but you can use File > Save As to save your edited version under a new name and merge the changes later.

Sources

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