How to keep the files locked in iCloud Drive

icloudmacos

I have some files (Pages, Numbers, etc.) saved in my iCloud Drive.
I wanted to make sure that I don't change them accidentally, so I locked them as described in https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/lock-a-document-on-mac-mchlp1342/mac

This works as long as im on the same machine, but not when the file is synced to others.

  1. I create a new Pages document called "MyDocument" on my MacBook and add some content.
  2. I lock it.
  3. I open it on my iMac.
  4. Without any warning or prompt I'm able to edit on my iMac. The lock status is not synced through iCloud.
  5. Same behavior on my iPhone.

How can I make sure that once I lock a file, it is locked on all other devices that access the same file through the iCloud Drive?
(… or at least for all other macOS devices).

P.S. Im aware that I could create a PDF or some other file format that can't be edited.
I just want to know how to preserve the lock status through iCloud Drive.

Best Answer

Unfortunately, it seems that the locked flag is not being propogated by iCloud. What will work however is setting file permission modes to read-only.

From the Finder, type command-i or right-click and select Get Info to see the file info panel. Down the bottom you can change the file permissions to Read Only.

I tried this out in Numbers and you can unlock the file from the App (i.e. make it read-write). However to make it read-only again you will need to use the Finder.

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