# Database Locked - use force-unlock option

**URL:** <https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-locked-use-force-unlock-option/7194>\
**Category:** dansk (Danish)\
**Tags:** data-recovery\
**Created:** [March 10, 2025, 10:59am UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-locked-use-force-unlock-option/7194 "2025-03-10T10:59:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![emyoulation](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/gramps.discourse.group/emyoulation/32/67_2.png) [@emyoulation](https://gramps.discourse.group/u/emyoulation)\
**Post date:** [March 10, 2025, 12:12pm UTC](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-locked-use-force-unlock-option/7194/3 "2025-03-10T12:12:26Z")

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This is important: the `recent-files-gramps.xml` in your [Gramps User Directory](https://www.gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_Glossary#user_directory) only stores the last few databases that were opened. You do not want to do a lot of experiments before saving a copy of that file. You could lose track of the Tree that is locked. (Make copies of your `recent-files-gramps.xml` and `gramps.ini` files and reply with the contents of the `recent-files-gramps.xml` file.)

Regarding the documentation page you mentioned: whenever your Google searching finds a wiki page that has a different major version in the URL, change it to your version to match your version. (You are using a 5.2.x version but the URL says `Gramps_5.`0`_Wiki_Manual` … so change that to `Gramps_5.`2`_Wiki_Manual` ) There may be more information for your version.  
[`https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Manage_Family_Trees#Unlocking_a_Family_Tree`](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Manage_Family_Trees#Unlocking_a_Family_Tree)

Next, from that dialog, I am guessing that you had opened the tree in Gramps [using a command line interface](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Command_Line#Opening_options).

And your Preferences has a different `Database path` from the path used in your CLI ([command line](https://gramps-project.org/wiki/index.php/Gramps_5.2_Wiki_Manual_-_Command_Line) interface). The “Open latest” remembers that CLI path … but the “Manage Family Trees” GUI will not.

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/b/b255d8f7d252b9abe24b2906e48dfa3af1767471.png) ![Gramps Preferences Family Tree](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/free1/uploads/gramps/original/2X/1/10d9eb6f3445d38254f14434ec45222629718eae.png)  
So you either want to change Preference to the path for the CLI path file or consolidate the CLI Tree’s folder into the Database folder to where your Preferences (`Database sti`) are set.

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_[View the full topic](https://gramps.discourse.group/t/database-locked-use-force-unlock-option/7194)._