Windows
PDFs were reported as locked in Bluebeam Revu when opened from File Explorer
PDF files were opening with a locked-by-another-user message in Bluebeam Revu. The technician fixed it by closing the File Explorer preview pane and setting Bluebeam Revu as the default PDF viewer.
Killed once by someone from XL.net, on 2026-10-22.
Affects
Versions
- Windows
Apps
- Bluebeam Revu
What you see
- Opening a PDF in Bluebeam Revu shows a message that the file is locked by another user.
- PDFs open in a different viewer by default instead of Bluebeam Revu.
Why it happens
Likely File Explorer's preview pane was holding the PDF open, and Bluebeam Revu was not set as the default PDF viewer.
When it shows up
A PDF is opened from File Explorer and Revu reports the file as locked even though no one else has it open.
You are in this case if:
- File Explorer preview pane is enabled.
- Bluebeam Revu is not the default PDF app.
1 fix below
The steps that killed it
The steps are behind a quick check
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Keeping it away
- Keep the File Explorer preview pane closed when working with PDFs if lock messages appear.
Someone from XL.net killed this on a Windows computer on 2026-10-22. It is written up from that one repair, so it cites no outside page.