How to clear locks

When you open Sage 50 Payroll, you could receive the following message:

'User is already logged in on machine. You must log out on before you can log in.

If the user isn't logged in on machine, click to clear the user. Warning: Removing users while they're currently working in the program could cause data corruption.'

This occurs if you reach the maximum number of logged in users in Sage 50 Payroll. It can also appear if Sage 50 Payroll closed incorrectly last time. For example, the software closed suddenly due to a power cut.

To resolve this, you need to clear the database locks. 

Clear Locks

NOTE: Ensure all users have logged out of Sage 50 Payroll before you follow the steps below.

1. Locate and right-click the Sage 50 Payroll option on your desktop.
2. Select Properties then Find Target or Open File Location.
3. Locate and double-click DBUtilities.exe.
4. Select the required company and then Clear Locks.
5. Select Yes to confirm then OK.
6. Click Close then close Windows Explorer and select OK.

You can now open Sage 50 Payroll as normal.

Clear locks on a backup

Sometimes you can see this error when you try to restore a backup of a company in a new installation.

To resolve this, follow our article on how to clear locks on a backup