Power Automate vs. Locked Files: A Smarter Way to Update Locked SharePoint Files

The Hidden Workflow Killer: Locked Files in SharePoint

Imagine you have created a Power Automate workflow for a document approval process that updates a status property of the document to keep end users informed. The workflow operates smoothly until you encounter failures, with an error message stating, “The file is locked for shared use by “.

This is a common issue encountered in workflows that update file metadata while users have the file open or during co-authoring. Without proper error handling, users may not even realize that the workflow has failed, which can lead to confusion and increased support requests to resolve the workflow problem.

A common solution to this problem involves checking whether the file is locked and repeatedly attempting to update it until the lock is released.

In this post, we will explore a more practical approach. Instead of waiting for the file lock to be released, we can detect the lock, extract the source control lock ID, and use it to update the file without any user intervention, even when the file is in use.

The Waiting Game: Why Do Until Loops Leave Everyone Hanging

One workaround for a locked SharePoint file in Power Automate is to use a Do Until loop. The concept is straightforward: check if the file is locked, and if it is, use a delay action to wait before checking again. Repeat this process until the file becomes available. While it may not be the most elegant solution, it effectively gets the job done—at least sometimes.

Here is how this approach may look.

This process can be improved by identifying the user who has locked the file and sending them a notification to close it, allowing the workflow to continue. While this approach enhances the system, it still requires user intervention for the workflow to proceed.

In practice, this approach can be clunky. By default, it runs silently in the background and continues to loop without providing feedback to users. From their perspective, the workflow is broken. Users may attempt to retry the action, submit duplicate requests, or contact the workflow owner. When, in reality, the workflow is functioning as intended, it is simply waiting for the file to become available.

Even if notifications are sent to the user who has the file locked, the process still relies on that user to take action before it can proceed. If the user ignores the alert, is away or is out of the office, the process stalls. This type of automated update to file metadata should not depend on user action to function correctly.

The Upgrade: Skip the Wait and Update Locked Files Instantly

There is a more effective way to manage locked files without needing to retry failed updates or alert users to close their documents. Instead of waiting for SharePoint to release the lock, we can leverage some lesser-known features and properties of the files.

The key component of this approach is the LockedByUser file property. We can send an HTTP request to SharePoint using the lockedByUser endpoint to determine if the file is locked and by whom. More importantly, SharePoint also maintains a source control lock ID that can be used to override the lock in specific scenarios.

The process operates as follows: The workflow first checks if the file is locked by inspecting the lockedByUser response. If the file is locked, the workflow extracts the lock ID and then updates the file by passing the lock ID to SharePoint. If the file is not locked, it is updated as usual.

This method allows users to bypass waiting on the workflow. The file metadata is updated seamlessly, and the workflow moves to its subsequent actions.

Step-by-Step Guide to Implementing the New Approach

This method may seem technical, and while it is more complex than the Do until loop workaround, it is more straightforward than you might think.

Here is the workflow overview.

Get the file properties

The workflow starts by using the Get file properties action to retrieve all the properties of the file that triggered the workflow. We set the Site Address and Library Name and use dynamic content to select the ID from the selected file trigger.

Get lockedByUser Property

To retrieve the lockedByUser property value, we use the Send an HTTP request to SharePoint action. In this action, we set the Site Address to our SharePoint site and set the Method to GET. For the Uri, we use:

_api/web/lists('')/items('')/File/lockedByUser

Finding the for this action can be challenging. However, since we already have the Get file properties action, we can use Power Automate’s Code view to locate the required value.

Then, we use dynamic content for the to add the required ID value. Lastly, under Advanced parameters, we set the headers as follows:

{ 
   "Accept": "application/json;odata=nometadata", 
   "Content-Type": "application/json;odata=nometadata" 
}

Check the lockedByUser Response

When the file is locked, the response body of the HTTP request GET lockedByUser action indicates who has the file locked.

{
  "Id": 11,
  "IsHiddenInUI": false,
  "LoginName": "i:0#.f|membership|",
  "Title": "",
  "PrincipalType": 1,
  "Email": "",
  "Expiration": "",
  "IsEmailAuthenticationGuestUser": false,
  "IsShareByEmailGuestUser": false,
  "IsSiteAdmin": false,
  "UserId": {
    "NameId": " ",
    "NameIdIssuer": " "
  },
  "UserPrincipalName": ""
}

The body contains the following information when the file is not locked.

{
  "odata.null": true
}

We use the odata.null property value in the Condition flow control to check if the file is locked.

We utilize the following function to include odata.null in the condition.

body('HTTP_request_GET_lockedByUser')?['odata.null']

Locked File Branch

If odata.null is not equal to true, our file is locked, and the workflow progresses down the True branch. We first need to obtain the source control lock ID to update the locked file.

You might be wondering where to find the lock ID. To view a list of file properties available within our workflow—beyond the basic properties returned by the Get file properties action—we add another Send an HTTP request to SharePoint action.

First, set the Site Address to our SharePoint site and choose “GET” as the Method. Then, use the following URI:

_api/web/lists('')/items('')/File/Properties

*See the Get lockedByUser Property section to located  and 

We can proceed to run a test of our workflow to examine the raw output of this request. In the output, we will see a list of available properties. The specific property we need is the value of vti_x005f_sourcecontrollockid.

Next, we will update the URI to select this particular property value.

_api/web/lists('')/items('')/File/Properties?$select=vti_x005f_sourcecontrollockid

Once we have the required lock ID, we use another Send HTTP request to SharePoint action to perform the update. We set the Site Address to our SharePoint site and choose POST as the Method. Then, under the Advanced parameters, we select Show all to provide the necessary headers and body values.

For the Headers parameter, we use the following:

{ 
   "Accept": "application/json;odata=nometadata", 
   "Content-Type": "application/json;odata=nometadata" 
}

For the Body parameter, we will use:

{ 
   "formValues": [ 
      { 
         "FieldName": "ApprovalStatus", 
         "FieldValue": "In Process (Updated Locked File)" 
      } 
   ], 
   "sharedLockId": "body('HTTP_request_GET_sourcecontrollockid')?['vti_x005f_sourcecontrollockid']", 
   "bNewDocumentUpdate": true 
}

We dynamically utilize the lock ID within the Body parameter using this function.

body('HTTP_request_GET_sourcecontrollockid')?['vti_x005f_sourcecontrollockid']

Unlocked File Branch

If the file is not locked, we use the Send a HTTP request to SharePoint action to update the file. We configure the action the same way as the HTTP request used for the locked file, with the only difference being the body parameter.

Since the file is not locked, we do not include the sharedLockId property in the body parameter.

{ 
   "formValues": [ 
      { 
         "FieldName": "ApprovalStatus", 
         "FieldValue": "In Process (Updated Locked File)" 
      } 
   ], 
   "bNewDocumentUpdate": true 
}

Here is the workflow in action.

Continue the workflow with any Additional Actions

Once the update to the file metadata is complete, the workflow continues as usual. The file is updated directly, regardless of whether it is locked.

Although this approach requires some initial setup, once implemented, the workflow becomes more resilient and less dependent on unpredictable user behavior.

Wrapping Up

Locked SharePoint files can disrupt our Power Automate workflows, causing updates to stall and confusing users. Common fixes, such as using Do Until loops and notifications rely heavily on timing and user intervention.

The approach outlined here first checks if the file is locked. If it is, the method extracts the lock ID and sends an HTTP request to update the file with no retries or end-user intervention.

This workflow makes our workflow more efficient and reliable, enabling true automation without requiring any user action for the workflow to proceed.

Curious about the TRY Update document properties scope within the workflow?

Check out this post focused on Power Automate error handling and notifications.

Thank you for reading! Stay curious, and until next time, happy learning.

And, remember, as Albert Einstein once said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” So, don’t be afraid of making mistakes, practice makes perfect. Continuously experiment, explore, and challenge yourself with real-world scenarios.

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