# Database is Locked But Status Shows File And Not Locked **URL:** \ **Category:** Help\ **Created:** [April 4, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386 "2025-04-04T13:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/1 "2025-04-04T13:59:35Z")
Windows 10 AIO64-6.0.0-1 ---
**Author:** ![daleathan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/daleathan/32/1701_2.png) [@daleathan](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/daleathan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 5:14am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/2 "2025-04-14T05:14:21Z")
Did you resolve this? If not can you please provide more information/screenshots etc? Do any of the methods in the user manual help? - [Unlocking a Family Tree](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_6.0_Wiki_Manual_-_Manage_Family_Trees#Unlocking_a_Family_Tree) ---
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/3 "2025-04-14T23:53:28Z")
I have given up on using GRAMPSHOME nothing I did, following the manual, would allow me to locate the DB and associated files where I wanted it. My original intent was for using two Windows 10 computers to run Gramps and allow updating of the DB. Needless to say that was a lost cause. I updated the system variables, etc. But nothing worked. Are there users who are able to do what I was trying to do? ---
**Author:** ![comeng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@comeng](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/comeng)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 10:42am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/4 "2025-04-15T10:42:22Z")
Apologies came to this late Are you trying to have the database on a USB stick to swap between PC’s or a NAS/Cloud I have done similar (not recently) with a NAS but abandoned it mainly because my hardware is getting long in the tooth, using the NAS makes GRAMPS slow and unusable. Also the likes of custom.xml, reports.xml, filters.xml are scattered to the 4 winds throughout the installation change on 1 PC is not reflected on any other phil ---
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 11:15am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/5 "2025-04-15T11:15:55Z")
I tried the USB method but that became unwieldy because of drive number assignment, files location etc. I am just trying to have Gramps DB reside on a network drive available to two PCs on the same local network and have not ad any success. The manual isn’t very clear about how it needs to be done exactly, and the steps I have followed didn’t work. I never have been able to use GRAMPSHOME and have it locate the DB where I want it. Has anybody been able to do what I am trying on two Windows 10 PCs? ---
**Author:** ![comeng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@comeng](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/comeng)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 1:02pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/6 "2025-04-15T13:02:16Z")
With No guarantees or warranty this how I did it originally from my notes. I did this on Linux not Windows 1)Create a suitably named folder on your network drive 2)On 1st PC open GRAMPS and close any open trees 3)Go to Edit Preferences/Family Tree/Database Path make a note of your current path, change it to your newly created network folder. 4)Go to Family Trees/Manage Family Trees and create a new tree (DO NOT USE THE NAME OF YOUR WORKING TREE) 5)Open your new tree and IMPORT a suitably secure backup preferably of a db that is not your current working db, note depending on your tree size it could take a while. 6)You should now have a working db on the network drive 7)On 2nd PC open GRAMPS and close any open trees 8)Go to Edit Preferences/Family Tree/Database Path make a note of your current path, change it to your newly created network folder. 9)This gives you a working db on your second PC WARNING use a backup do not try to do this on your working db. Play with it for a while particularly with regards reports and filters If all goes wrong change your database paths back to the original phil ---
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 1:57pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/7 "2025-04-15T13:57:16Z")
Phil, Thank you for the info I will give it a try. I think the manual is good but it needs more complete examples of functions like this to aid in setting something like this up. john ---
**Author:** ![Nick-Hall](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/nick-hall/32/95_2.png) [@Nick-Hall](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Nick-Hall)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 2:52pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/8 "2025-04-15T14:52:22Z")
> [@comeng](#): > > 3)Go to Edit Preferences/Family Tree/Database Path make a note of your > current path, change it to your newly created network folder. This is the key step. The database directory is stored in the configuration setting “database.path”. On Windows, it defaults to: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\gramps\grampsdb Unless GRAMPSHOME is set, then it defaults to: %GRAMPSHOME%\gramps\grampsdb However, it is the configuration setting that is used by the family tree manager. ---
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2025, 10:49am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/9 "2025-04-16T10:49:04Z")
Thank you but I have done that but without success. As I have stated earlier nothing I did set the correct path that Gramps found. I wonder if anybody running Windows 10 on two computers on a local network has done what I am trying to do. Also, the manual could use a complete example of the settings to accomplish this. ---
**Author:** ![Davesellers](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/davesellers/32/1457_2.png) [@Davesellers](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Davesellers)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/10 "2025-04-16T12:45:28Z")
I don’t think you will be successful with this endeavour because gramps uses local files in addition to the database to store information. I would not call gramps “portable” due to this fact. In my app design days, I insisted that the developers store everything in the database, however, that is not what has happened with gramps. ---
**Author:** ![Jttmerritt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc79bd/32.png) [@Jttmerritt](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/Jttmerritt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/11 "2025-04-16T13:01:49Z")
I think you are probably right. Everything that the manual says to do to set Gramps up on a network I have found it to be severely lacking. SQLite has the capability but Gramps just doesn’t utilize them to make it portable. ---
**Author:** ![comeng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@comeng](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/comeng)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/12 "2025-04-16T13:32:54Z")
Dave John In no way to taken as a criticism of past or present developers this was the reason I wrote “files scattered to the 4 winds” the information should either be included in the database at best or the necessary files needed stored in the network grampsdb folder at worst. I think the only mod that is required is to the manual a simple statement GRAMPS is not designed to work on a network system. phil ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/1X/2ac1e712b7adf612e31ca08a55419f4cf37c0158.png) [@system](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2025, 1:33pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-is-locked-but-status-shows-file-and-not-locked/7386/13 "2025-05-16T13:33:24Z")
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