Fixed: "This App Is Read-Only Because You Already Have Editing Control Elsewhere" in Power Apps
You open your app in Power Apps Studio and nothing can be changed. The title says (Read-only), the formula bar says Cannot edit in read-only editor, and a banner explains: This app is read-only because you already have editing control elsewhere. Nobody else is editing; "elsewhere" is another session of yours. Override gets you editing again.
The Problem
In the example, Studio came back like this:
This app is read-only because you already have editing control elsewhere. Learn more
Cannot edit in read-only editor
The signs:
- The title ends in (Read-only) instead of (Editing).
- Read-only appears where Editing usually is, on the right of the command bar.
- Insert, Add data and New screen are greyed out.
- Typing in the formula bar shows Cannot edit in read-only editor.
Why It Happens
Only one session can edit a canvas app at a time. Microsoft's copresence documentation explains that the first session to open the app gets editing control, and any other opens it read-only.
That includes your own sessions. Edit a canvas app describes the case: the app is already open for editing, and you open it again on another device or in another browser window.
In the example, the cause was a page reload. The browser tab with Studio was reloaded to test what happens when the app loads (see What the Enable App.OnStart Property Setting Does in Power Apps). The session from before the reload still held editing control, so the reloaded Studio treated it as "elsewhere". Studio's own Save and refresh prompt, used earlier in the same app, didn't cause it.
The wording tells you whose session it is: you already have editing control. When another person is editing, Studio tells you that someone else is editing the app instead.
The Fix: Select Override
Select Override on the banner. Microsoft describes it as becoming the main author and regaining editing rights. In the example, the title changed to (Editing) and the command bar came back:
Microsoft warns that when you override the previous session, you might lose any changes that you haven't saved. If the other session is a real tab or device with work in it, go there and save first. In the example, everything had been saved before the reload, and nothing was lost.
How to Avoid It
- Keep each app open in one Studio tab at a time.
- Save before you reload the page or move to another device.
- When you've finished, exit with Back in the command bar and confirm Leave in Leave the app?, instead of reloading or closing the tab.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | What happens | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| Overriding while another tab has unsaved changes | Those changes can be lost | Save in the other tab first |
| Reloading the Studio tab to "refresh" the app | Studio can come back read-only | Save, then select Override if the banner appears |
| Assuming a colleague has the app open | Time lost asking around | Read the banner: you already have means your own session |
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Cannot edit in read-only editor when typing a formula | Studio is in read-only mode | Look for the banner and select Override |
| Insert, Add data and New screen are greyed out | The same | Select Override |
| Read-only after a long break | Microsoft says Studio switches you to read-only after two hours of inactivity if you don't answer its prompt | Choose to keep editing when asked, or select Override |
| The message says someone else is editing | Another maker has editing control | Agree who edits; Override takes control from them |
FAQ
Does Override lose my work?
Saved work is safe. Changes that weren't saved in the other session may be lost, as Microsoft warns. In the example, the formula typed before the reload was still there after Override, because it had been saved.
Can two people edit an app at the same time?
Only with Coauthoring turned on, in Settings → Updates → New, according to Microsoft. In the example's app it was off, so one session edited at a time.
Why "elsewhere" when only one tab is open?
Because the session from before the reload still held editing control when the page loaded again.
Conclusion
This app is read-only because you already have editing control elsewhere means another session of yours holds the app. Save any work in that session, then select Override. Exit with Back → Leave instead of reloading the tab.
Additional Resources
- Understand coauthoring and copresence: read-only mode, Override and the two-hour rule.
- Edit a canvas app: editing across multiple sessions.
