Here are some steps to try and bypass this and keep your metadata up to date.
Open and Close the Document in the Application
If you have closed the document but are seeing that the document is locked by yourself, start by right clicking the document and hovering over ‘Open’.
You will see 2 options, click ‘Open in app’. This will open the document in the desktop version of the application.
In the application click ‘File’ in the top left-hand corner and then click ‘Close’ on the panel on the left.
Now the document has been closed you should be able to edit the metadata in SharePoint.
If the document is locked by someone else but they have closed the document, you can always advise them to follow these steps.
Edit the Metadata in the Application
You can also try editing the metadata of the document directly in the application.
Once the document is open, click ‘File’ in the top left-had corner and then click ‘Info’ on the panel on the left.
This will open the Info page which will display the documents properties on the right-hand side.
Click on ‘Show All Properties’ to get a full list of the metadata that can be changed.
Once you have made the desired changes click on the back arrow in the top left-hand corner to return to the document.
Click on the ‘Save’ Icon next to the ‘Undo’ arrow and close the document using the steps above to apply the changes.
You can now refresh your web browser check SharePoint to make sure the changes have taken effect.
Want to learn more about managing your files in SharePoint? See our other guides here!
