HTTP 423 Locked — WebDAV Resource Lock Conflict

Overview

Fix HTTP 423 Locked error in WebDAV when a resource is locked by another user or process, preventing modifications until the lock is released.

Key Details

• HTTP 423 Locked is a WebDAV extension status code indicating the resource is currently locked
• Locks prevent concurrent modifications to the same resource by multiple users
• WebDAV supports both shared locks (multiple readers) and exclusive locks (single writer)
• Locks have a timeout value after which they automatically expire
• The Lock-Token header identifies the specific lock that must be provided to modify the resource

Common Causes

• Another user has an exclusive write lock on the resource
• A previous editing session did not properly release the lock before closing
• Server-side process holding a lock during batch operations
• Stale lock from a crashed client that did not send UNLOCK before disconnecting

Steps

1. 1Wait for the lock to expire — check the Timeout header in the 423 response for the remaining duration
2. 2Contact the user who holds the lock and ask them to save and close the file
3. 3Use a WebDAV client to send an UNLOCK request if you have the lock token
4. 4Ask the server administrator to forcibly remove stale locks
5. 5For developers: implement lock refresh and proper UNLOCK on client close/crash

Tags

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Frequently Asked Questions