How do I clear a stale WebDAV lock?
Wait for the lock timeout to expire, use the client that created it to unlock, or have an administrator remove it on the server. Locks left by crashed editors are common.
HTTP 423 LOCKED
WebDAV: the resource is locked. 423 belongs to the 4xx client error class and is defined in RFC 4918.
Loading the workbench.
About HTTP 423
What Does HTTP 423 Locked Mean?
WebDAV: the resource is locked. The code is registered with IANA and defined in RFC 4918.
Client error: the request has a problem, so it cannot be fulfilled as sent. Every code from 400 to 499 shares that general meaning, so a client that does not recognise 423 must treat it like 400.
When Do You See a 423 Response?
423 Locked is a WebDAV status meaning the target resource is locked and the request did not include the lock token needed to change it. You see it when two people edit the same document on a WebDAV, SharePoint, or Nextcloud share, when an editor crashed and left a stale lock behind, or when a sync client tries to modify a file another client is holding open.
How Do You Fix a 423?
Clients should wait for the lock to be released, or include the correct lock token in an If header if they own the lock. Stale locks normally expire after their timeout; administrators can also remove them manually. Servers should return an XML error body identifying the lock that blocked the request so the client can tell the user who holds it.
What Does a 423 Response Look Like?
HTTP/1.1 423 Locked
Content-Type: application/xml; charset=utf-8423 is not cacheable by default: a browser or CDN stores it only when Cache-Control or Expires explicitly allows it.
To inspect a real one without sending it anywhere:
- Copy the response headers from your browser Network tab, or from
curl -i. - Paste them into the Header decoder to see every header explained.
- Check caching in the Cache lane.
Which Status Codes Are Related to 423?
- 424 Failed Dependency: WebDAV: failed because an earlier request in the batch failed.
- 409 Conflict: The request conflicts with the current state, such as an edit conflict or a duplicate.
- 207 Multi-Status: WebDAV: the body holds separate status codes for several resources.
Browse every code on the HTTP status codes page.
What Other Lanes Are in the Reference Section?
- HTTP status codes: Every IANA-registered status code, with a page per code.
- MIME types: File extensions to Content-Type, searchable both ways, plus a Content-Type parser.
- HTTP methods: GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, DELETE and the rest: safe, idempotent, cacheable.
Elsewhere in 2http: Header decoder, Cookie decoder, Cache-Control decoder, CORS checker, User-agent parser, and all eleven lanes on the 2http home page. Part of the 2suite.io privacy-first ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 423 used outside WebDAV?
Occasionally, by APIs that lock resources during processing. It is defined in RFC 4918, so its formal meaning is tied to WebDAV locks.
Is HTTP 423 an error?
Yes. 423 is a client error response: the problem is in the request, so repeating it unchanged will usually fail again.
Is a 423 response cacheable by default?
No. Caches store a 423 only when Cache-Control or Expires explicitly allows it.
How Can You Verify That Nothing Leaves This Browser?
You do not have to take our word that your headers stay here. Developer tools show every request a page makes, so you can watch this page work and confirm that nothing is sent. The check takes under a minute.
- Open your browser developer tools with
F12, orCmd+Option+Ion a Mac, and select the Network tab. - Reload the page and let it finish. You will see the page's own files, its web fonts, and one anonymous page-view request. Nothing has been typed yet, so none of them can contain your headers.
- Click the clear icon in the Network tab so that the log is empty.
- Paste real headers into any lane and read the result.
- Look at the Network tab again. It is still empty. For extra proof, turn on offline mode after the page loads and every lane keeps working.
Only two things can add a line to that log, and neither carries your headers. Submitting the feedback form sends the vote and comment you typed. Typing characters in a script the page has not displayed yet, such as Cyrillic or Greek, can make the browser fetch the matching font file, and that request names only the font.
2http never sends a request on your behalf: the request builder writes code for you to run, and the meta inspector reads source you paste instead of fetching a URL. The production site also sends a Content-Security-Policy header that tells your browser to refuse connections to anywhere except this site and the anonymous analytics endpoint.