Microsoft have had a lot of feedback from people who are unable to delete a document because they had it open in another tab on a different computer, or because someone else had it open and forgot about it, effectively locking the document.
This ‘Lockout Override’ feature allows you to override that lock, and delete an Office file (such as Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) when you or someone else has it open, intentionally or not.
This new functionality will be available to people who want to delete items from their own OneDrive, and to all members of a document library who already have permission to delete files.
People who try to delete a file that is open in another location will see a message asking them if they are sure they want to delete the file even though someone else may be editing the file.
Image courtesy of Microsoft
They may then proceed with the delete action, or close the message and allow other users to continue editing uninterrupted.
People who are actively editing a file when someone else deletes it will see a message explaining that they no longer have access to the file, and in some cases, advising them to save a copy of the document so that work isn’t lost.
Example of the error banner in PowerPoint:
Example of the error banner in Word on the web:
Image courtesy of Microsoft
The deleted documents can always be restored from the Recycle Bin of the site or the OneDrive where it was deleted from.