How to Stop Word From Showing ‘Document Locked by User Name’

When you try to open a Word file and see the message Document Locked by User Name, you cannot edit or save that file. This happens because Word places an ownership lock on a file when another user or the same user on another device has it open. This article explains why the lock appears and shows you how to remove it or prevent it from showing again.

Why Word Displays the Document Locked by User Name Message

Word uses a file-locking system to prevent two users from editing the same document at the same time. When you open a document, Word creates a temporary lock file with a .lck extension in the same folder. The lock file stores the user name and computer name of the person who opened the file. If another user tries to open the same document, Word reads the lock file and displays the Document Locked by User Name message.

The lock normally disappears when the user closes the document. But the lock can remain if Word crashes, the user closes the file without saving, or the network connection drops. The lock file stays on disk, and Word continues to show the message even though the original owner is no longer editing the document.

On shared network drives or SharePoint, the lock mechanism works differently. Word uses a server-side lock instead of a local .lck file. In those cases, the lock is managed by the server and may require the server administrator to release it.

Steps to Remove the Document Lock and Edit the File

Use the method that matches your situation. Start with the simplest approach and move to the advanced method only if needed.

Method 1: Open an Unlocked Copy of the Document

1. Open Word and go to File > Open > Browse
   Do not double-click the file from File Explorer. The Browse dialog bypasses the recent files list and lets you choose a specific open method.
2. Select the locked document
   Click the file name once to highlight it.
3. Click the arrow next to the Open button
   A small downward arrow appears on the Open button. Click it to see a drop-down menu.
4. Choose Open as Copy
   Word creates a new copy of the document with Copy (1) appended to the file name. You can edit and save this copy without affecting the original locked file.

Method 2: Delete the Lock File Manually

This method works only when the original owner has closed the document but the lock file remains.

1. Close Word completely
   Make sure no Word process is running. Open Task Manager with Ctrl+Shift+Escape, select any WINWORD.EXE entry, and click End Task.
2. Open the folder that contains the locked document
   Use File Explorer to navigate to the exact folder where the .docx or .doc file is stored.
3. Enable viewing of hidden and system files
   In File Explorer, click View > Show > Hidden items. The lock file is usually hidden.
4. Find and delete the .lck file
   Look for a file named ~$documentname.docx.lck or a file that starts with ~$ followed by the document name. Select it and press Delete.
5. Open the document normally
   Double-click the document in File Explorer. Word should open it without the locked message.

Method 3: Close the Document on the Other Device

If you see your own user name in the lock message, the file is open on another device where you are signed in with the same Microsoft account.

1. Sign in to the other device
   Go to the computer, tablet, or phone where you opened the document.
2. Close the document in Word
   Open Word on that device, switch to the locked document, and close it with File > Close or the X button.
3. Wait 30 seconds
   Word syncs the lock release to the server or network share. After a short delay, the document should be available on the original device.

Method 4: Use the Web Version to Force Release the Lock

1. Open the document in Word for the web
   Go to Office.com, sign in, and open the document from OneDrive or SharePoint.
2. Close the document in the browser
   Close the browser tab. The server-side lock is released immediately.
3. Open the document in the desktop app
   Back in the desktop version of Word, open the document normally. The lock should be gone.

If Word Still Shows the Locked Message After the Main Fix

Word Displays Document Locked by a User Who Is No Longer Editing

This usually means the .lck file was not deleted successfully. Check that you enabled Show hidden files. If the lock file is still there, restart Windows to release any file handles held by the operating system. Then try deleting the .lck file again.

Word Shows Document Locked by Me but I Am Not Editing It

This happens when Word crashed and left a lock file. Close Word using Task Manager as described in Method 2. Then delete the .lck file. If the problem repeats often, disable the Word AutoRecover feature temporarily: File > Options > Save > uncheck Save AutoRecover information every X minutes. This reduces the frequency of lock file creation during crashes.

Document Locked on a SharePoint or OneDrive Location

For documents stored on SharePoint or OneDrive, the lock is managed by the server. You cannot delete a .lck file because the file does not exist locally. Ask the person who holds the lock to close the document. If that person is unreachable, ask your SharePoint administrator to release the lock from the server admin panel.

Item	Local File Lock (.lck)	Server Lock (SharePoint/OneDrive)
Lock storage	Hidden .lck file in the same folder	Server database entry
Release method	Delete the .lck file or close Word	Close document in browser or ask admin
Who can release	Any user with file system access	Document owner or SharePoint admin
Visible in File Explorer	Yes, with hidden files shown	No
Persistence after crash	Lock file remains on disk	Server releases lock after timeout

Now you can open any locked Word document without waiting for the original user. Start with Open as Copy for a quick edit. If the lock persists, delete the hidden .lck file. For server-based locks, use Word for the web to force a release. To avoid future lock conflicts, enable AutoSave in Word for files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint. This feature saves changes continuously and reduces the chance of stale locks.