Manage record locks
See what's locked and by whom, tell a routine edit lock from a deliberate admin hold, and clear a stuck lock with an accountable, recorded override.
Where access rules govern who may act on a record, locks govern who is acting on it right now. Most locks clear themselves the moment someone finishes editing — but occasionally one outlives its purpose and blocks work, and clearing it is an administrative act that should leave a trail. This guide covers both halves. For the concept, see Lock management; for how this fits the wider model, see Govern access with roles, projects & modules.
See what’s locked
The lock view shows what’s currently held and by whom, so a blocking lock can be identified rather than guessed at.
Before you start Open Administration and go to Lock management. You'll need administrator access.
- Open the lock view to see which records are locked and who holds each lock.
- Tell a user lock — the routine hold someone takes while editing — from an admin lock, a deliberate administrative hold placed on a record.
- Identify the specific lock that's blocking work — for instance, one left by someone now unavailable.
Result A clear picture of what's held and by whom, instead of guesswork. See Lock management.
Override a stuck lock — accountably
An administrator can clear someone else’s lock, but not silently: the override has to be justified, and that justification is kept.
- On the blocking lock, choose to override it.
- Supply a reason for override — overriding is never a quiet action.
- Confirm. The reason, and who performed the override, are recorded against the record.
Result The lock clears and the intervention leaves accountable evidence — not a silent exception.
Note In a regulated system even a routine override is evidence: who cleared whose lock, and why. That recorded reason is what makes releasing someone else's lock an accountable action rather than a quiet workaround — and it surfaces in the trail alongside everything else, see Audit logs.
Where to go next
To understand how the access behind these locks is resolved and enforced, see Access rules. To review the full history of a record, including any override, see Audit logs.