Table locking allows Doc Makers to restrict collaborator activity in tables, therefore preventing any unwanted changes or edits to data. Table locking helps provide extra guardrails to prevent teammates from deleting rows, creating columns, or modifying table data. With table locking, you can have more peace of mind over your table data.

📣 Want to lock entire pages rather than just specific tables? Check out this article on page locking.

Add locking to tables

A table can be locked by any Doc Maker with edit access to the doc. Once locked, any connected views - including the base table - will also be locked. By default, locking prevents collaborators from adding, configuring, or deleting columns. It can also restrict row actions, depending on the granular controls you select (more on this in the section on locking settings).

Follow the steps below to lock a table:

Hover over the table or view, and select Options in the upper right corner
Select Table locking
Click Lock table and views to confirm

Now locking has been applied to this table and all connected views (including the base table). Collaborators will see a lock icon appear above the table and will notice that table actions are restricted. That said, anyone with edit access to the doc can temporarily unlock the table at any point. Learn more about temporary unlocking below.

While the table is locked, collaborators will not be able to add, modify, or delete columns. By default, they will also be restricted from adding, editing, or deleting rows. You can, however, modify the permissions to allow certain row actions as needed. Continue reading to learn about adjusting these settings.

Adjust table locking settings

You can modify table locking permissions to allow more granular edit access for your team. To adjust the table locking settings, hover over the locked table, and click on Options in the upper-right. Then click into the Table locking section.

From here, you can customize which row actions are permitted while the table is locked. For instance, if you want to still allow collaborators to add rows while the table is locked, toggle on the Add rows option.

Unlock tables temporarily

When a table is locked, anyone with edit access to the doc can temporarily unlock the table to make changes as usual. When you temporarily unlock a table, you are unlocking the table (and all of its connected views) only for yourself - the table will remain locked for all other users in the doc. This helps users quickly make changes to a table without risking accidental edits by other collaborators.

To temporarily unlock a table or view, hover over the locked table, click on Options in the upper-right, and then click into the Table locking section. At the top of the panel, click the Temporarily unlock for me button. This will unlock the current view, as well as any connected views.

Once you’ve made the necessary changes, you can re-lock the table by clicking on the lock icon at the top of the table. Alternatively, the table and views will automatically re-lock when the doc is refreshed.

Remove table locking

If you’ve changed your mind and no longer wish for your table to be locked, you can remove locking by following these steps:

Hover over the locked table, click on Options in the upper-right
Click into the Table locking section.
Click the down arrow at the top of the panel (to the right of the Temporarily unlock option), and select Turn off locking for everyone
In the confirmation pop-up, click Turn off locking

FAQs

What’s the difference between page locking and table locking?

Table locking is a way to lock down specific tables and its connected views, which can be spread across multiple changes in a doc. Table locking prevents accidental changes or deletions of data. Anyone with edit access can still temporarily unlock the table to make changes when needed.

Page locking allows you to lock entire pages of a doc, including both tables and other content in the canvas. When locked, no changes can be made to any content on the page. With page locking, you can also limit the ability to unlock the page to only certain individuals, rather than all doc editors. Learn more about page locking here.

What’s the hierarchy between page and table locking?

Page locking supersedes table locking. If a page is locked, everything on the page is locked - including any tables.

If you have a locked table on a locked page, the page locking settings will apply first. If the page is then unlocked, the table will still remain locked.

Does locking apply to base tables and views?

Yes - when you add locking to a table or view, the locking will also apply to any connected views.

Who can lock and unlock tables?

Any Doc Maker with edit access to the doc can add locking to a table. Once a table is locked, anyone with edit access to the doc - regardless of their role - can temporarily unlock the table.

One thing to note: If the doc has been assigned “doc admins” (via the page locking settings), only these doc admins will be able to add or edit table locking.

Can users still change the appearance of a locked table?

Yes - tables can still be filtered, sorted, and formatted (via conditional formatting) while locked. Additionally, columns can still be reordered and hidden (or unhidden) while a table is locked.

If a table is locked, can rows still be added or deleted via buttons or automations?

Yes - you can still add, edit, or delete rows in a locked table via buttons or automations.

Will reactions, buttons, and other interactive columns still work in a locked table?

Reaction columns and button columns will still be clickable when a table is locked. Some other interactive columns, such as sliders and scales, will not be adjustable while the table is locked.

What happens to locked tables that are synced via Cross-doc?

Table locking does not impact Cross-doc. If two-way sync is turned on, then making edits to the table data in another doc will edit the base table in the source doc.

What’s the difference between unlocking and removing locking?

Temporary unlocking is a temporary change that only affects how you individually see the table. Removing locking with permanently remove locking for all users of the doc.

Lock tables and views