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Unable to publish pages in Adobe Experience Manager due to locked nodes from custom workflow

Last update: September 1, 2026

This article explains how to identify and resolve issues in Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) where pages can’t be published because they’re locked, often as a result of custom workflow configurations.

Description description

When attempting to publish pages in AEM, errors occur indicating that locked pages or template nodes are preventing replication. This issue affects multiple pages within a content tree, especially if a custom workflow has added the lockable mixin to nodes and didn’t properly unlock them after completion.

Environment

Adobe Experience Manager (all versions)

Symptoms

  • Publishing a page fails with an error message such as:

    Locked pages can’t be replicated. The owner needs to unlock the page first.

  • The error references specific paths for pages or template nodes that are locked.

  • The issue affects both content pages and referenced template nodes.

Cause

A custom workflow or process has locked one or more nodes (pages or template structures) by applying the lockable mixin and not unlocking them after workflow completion. As a result, AEM prevents publishing until these locks are cleared.

Resolution resolution

Follow the steps below to resolve the issue:

  1. Identify the locked pages or template nodes:

    • In the AEM Sites console, navigate to the affected content tree.

    • Look for pages that display a locked status or can’t be published.

  2. Unlock pages using the AEM UI:

    • Select the locked page.

    • Use Page Information >   Unlock  or click the lock icon in the page editor to unlock the page.

    • Repeat for any child pages that are also locked.

  3. Check referenced template nodes:

    • Go to Tools >  General >  Templates (or your template console).

    • Open the relevant template and review its policies and structure for locked status.

    • If template nodes are locked, have the template owner or an AEM administrator unlock them.

  4. Review custom workflow configurations:

    • Ensure that any custom workflow doesn’t leave nodes locked after completion.

    • Test workflow changes in a lower environment before deploying to production.

  5. Retry publishing:

    • After unlocking all affected nodes, attempt to publish the page again using Manage Publication.

  6. Verification:

    • Confirm that the page and its references are published successfully and no longer show as locked.
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