Scrivener Project Already Open Error

How to fix it

Try these in order — the most common fix is first.

1. 1. Make sure it's really closed everywhere

   Copy steps
   1. Close the project (and quit Scrivener) on every other computer
   2. Wait for Dropbox/OneDrive to show the folder as fully synced on both machines before reopening
   Did this fix it? Yes No

2. 2. Back up, then remove the lock file

   Copy steps
   1. Copy the whole project folder as a safety backup
   2. Mac: right-click the .scriv project > Show Package Contents; Windows: open the project folder
   3. Delete user.lock, or rename it to xuser.lock as Literature & Latte staff suggest
   4. Open the project normally
   Did this fix it? Yes No

3. 3. Work from a copy if the lock keeps coming back

   Copy steps
   1. Choose the 'open a copy' option in the warning
   2. Check the copy carefully - some users found copies of affected projects incomplete - and keep the original untouched until support confirms which one is good
   Did this fix it? Yes No

Symptoms

Opening a project shows a warning that it is already open on another computer (or by another user) and offers to open a copy instead.

Why it happens

• Scrivener crashed or the computer shut down before the lock file was deleted
• Cloud sync finished uploading the project but not the deletion of user.lock
• The project is genuinely open on another computer

This guide also covers

• scrivener project already open
• scrivener user.lock
• scrivener project open on another computer

The same problem in other apps

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Other Scrivener errors

• Scrivener Won't Open or Not Responding
• Scrivener Compile Missing Text or Chapters
• Why Is Scrivener So Slow? Typing Lag & Laggy Scrolling
• Scrivener iOS Not Syncing With Dropbox
• Scrivener Sync Conflicts Detected
• How to Recover Lost Work in Scrivener
• Scrivener Project Corrupted in OneDrive or iCloud
• Scrivener Blurry Text on Windows (High DPI Scaling)