Dropbox files & folders
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It is frustrating in our office that anyone can open a file when it's in use by another user. Is there a way to lock or disable the opening of a file while it's in use? We are constantly having conflicting files or data missing in files because two or more people are using a file at the same time and are unaware that others are working in the same file.
Is there a solution?
Hey @DLGodwin; thanks for joining our Community and happy Friday!
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but we do have a File Locking feature, exactly for that purpose; avoid conflicted copies of files that is.
Let me know if you have any follow up questions!
Walter
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
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Thanks for the reply. I was not aware of this feature; however, I would prefer it to "lock" editing automatically when someone opens a file then "unlocks" when they close it instead of having to manually perform the task. Do you know if there's a setting for that?
Thanks!
While there's no such setting, you may want to consider using Dropbox Badge to coordinate according to your needs @DLGodwin.
Otherwise, if you’re unable to collaborate in real-time, the next best way to avoid a conflicted copy is to move your file out of its Dropbox folder while you’re working (editing it) so that nobody else can access it. Once you're done editing, you can move the file back into its original location and let it sync.
Walter
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
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