Share via

Documents in SharePoint Online Library with Content-Approval open as "read-only" in Word-Client-App, when Library is "sync"ed using onedrive

Anonymous
2021-01-14T12:41:42.62+00:00

Hi all,

I had some trouble figuring this out and I'd like your feedback on whether the issue is present for you too, and whether there is a way to fi it.

My setup:
I got a SharePoint-Online Site that has a document library, which has content-approval set on. It has Major-Minor-Versions set on.
I also got some customized columns in the library, but non of which are "required".

Some users ran into the problem that, when clicking on "open in app"-button in the library for a word-document, it opened in the word-app, but it did so only in read-only mode.
I tried to change permissions, because they only hat "contribute without delete" initially, but it did not help. I also went through this article, but it was no help either (the only thing I did not to was disable "content approval", as it is an essential part of the site's functionality.
invalid-file-names-and-file-types-in-onedrive-and-sharepoint-64883a5d-228e-48f5-b3d2-eb39e07630fa -> the section about "Libraries with specific columns or metadata"

Finally, I figured out that the issue only comes up, if the user has synced this specific sharepoint-library via the "sync"-button and onedrive.
56602-capture.png
In the synced folder, there was the padlock-symbol next to the sync-status-icon (blue-outlined cloud for me).

Apparently this sync prevented the Sharepoint-online-document from being opened by the client-word-app in edit-mode.

Question:
Is there a way around this?
Where to go to so this might get fixed (if it turns out to be a bug)?

Best,
André

SharePoint
SharePoint
A group of Microsoft Products and technologies used for sharing and managing content, knowledge, and applications.
9,872 questions
OneDrive Management
OneDrive Management
OneDrive: A Microsoft file hosting and synchronization service.Management: The act or process of organizing, handling, directing or controlling something.
1,149 questions
0 comments

1 answer

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Allen Xu_MSFT 13,781 Reputation points
    2021-01-15T09:47:28.33+00:00

    Hi @Anonymous ,

    I couldn't reproduce this issue in my end. I enabled content approval and major/minor versions in a document library, then I synced the library to OneDrive. There is also a lock icon in status field. I can both open the word document in edit mode by the word application in SharePoint and OneDrive folder.
    57025-image.png

    To narrow down your issue, let's verify the followings.

    • As said in the article you post, have you checked the Draft Item Security settings in Version Settings?

    when Draft Item Security is set to either Only users who can edit or Only users who can approve items in Version Settings of the library: For SharePoint document libraries, these items will be synchronized as read-only.

    • Some others causes of this issue are listed in this article: SharePoint files open as read-only, please also to check them in your environment.
    • You mentioned that some users ran into this issue. So, does this problem only happen to part of the users or all users? Is there any difference between them?
    • Please guide the issue users to try to open the word documents on another computers and verify if the issue still persists.
    • Which version of office the users are using? My test is based on Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2016 in Windows 10 and I will deploy an environment identical to yours to retest if it is needed.

    If an Answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and upvote it.
    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.