# "Draft is being edited ...." **URL:** \ **Category:** Site Feedback\ **Created:** [August 5, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328 "2020-08-05T13:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/1 "2020-08-05T13:37:12Z")
I’m trying to write a post, and keep getting this message: “Draft is being edited in another window. Please reload this page.” What is causing this? Fortunately, when I reload the page the work in progress is still there, but it is extremely annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/2 "2020-08-05T13:45:24Z")
I don’t know the answer but I’ve experienced the same thing. And yes, it’s annoying. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/3 "2020-08-05T14:01:26Z")
I’ve had that happen, but only when I had a second window of SDMB open. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/4 "2020-08-05T14:30:56Z")
Only time I ever open a second window is when I accidentally click on “Open link in new window” instead of “… in new tab”. And when that happens, I close the new window and open the new tab that I actually wanted. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/5 "2020-08-06T21:27:26Z")
It’s a bug. And annoying one. I haven’t 100% figured out what triggers it, My workaround is to close the dialog, quickly copy the post by clicking in the box and pressing Ctrl-A followed by Ctrl-C, and then refresh the page. Usually, the post will come back when I refresh the page. It will either just pop up on its own, or it will be collapsed down to the bottom of the page like a draft, and I’ll be able to click the up arrow. But, on the off chance that it’s completely gone, I can just click Reply again and paste the contents. If I do ever figure out exactly what I did to trigger it, I’ll report the bug. BTW, do note that “new window” and “new tab” are considered synonymous as far as the web page is concerned–at least, in most circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/6 "2020-08-07T20:07:52Z")
Is it possible you are starting reviewing a thread on one device and then changing to a second device to continue the thread? So you have one or two comments quoted to the reply box and then change devices to complete your post? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/7 "2020-08-07T20:24:13Z")
I only have one device. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/8 "2020-08-08T13:52:15Z")
If you have more than one tab open, is it possible you started in one tab, got interrupted, and when you came back you opened a new tab? ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/9 "2020-08-08T14:21:19Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/10 "2020-08-12T16:29:41Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I only have one device I will leave you to your own device(s) then. 🖥 ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/11 "2020-08-12T21:41:07Z")
I’d associated it with a poor mobile connection and have never seen it when on wifi or at my laptop. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/12 "2020-08-12T21:42:26Z")
I’m using a laptop, but it’s always on my desk and plugged in when I use it. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/13 "2020-08-13T00:49:57Z")
I got it most recently when I canceled a draft, and then tried to start a new post. I wrote in my new post for a bit, but then it put up the error. When I refreshed the page, my previously canceled draft came back. To work around it, I closed the draft then reloaded the page, and only then started a new post. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/14 "2020-09-03T17:50:19Z")
I’ve had this happen multiple times. Always on my phone, but at home with a solid wifi connection. Most of my post has been there after refreshing the page, but I have the most recently written couple of lines a couple times. I actually think this site is worse on my phone than the old one. Harder to compose posts, the textbox freezes sometimes, and I can’t compose a post with my phone in landscape orientation, which is how I prefer it. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/15 "2022-02-02T18:03:08Z")
Happens constantly to me. Home PC, the only tabs are SDMB (no other websites up). Pressing “Ignore” seems to restore everything and I can continue typing. But sometimes it happens about once per minute and I give up typing. I suppose I could compose in another app (maybe .rtf file?) and copy/paste to here, but I’m too lazy. It just happened while I was typing the word “lazy”. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/16 "2022-02-02T18:14:49Z")
See this thread: > [@Drafts Offline - Reload Page message](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drafts-offline-reload-page-message/958264): > > Got this message a few times this morning between 3am-4am central US time. So I would reload the page and it would be missing part of what I had written. Anyone else or was I just lucky? Edit: And now it just timed out and didn’t post this, so I’ll try again and hope I don’t have a double post. That brings back bad memories. ---
**Author:** ![codinghorror](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/codinghorror/32/4242_2.png) [@codinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/codinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/draft-is-being-edited/917328/17 "2022-02-10T16:36:18Z")
Are you _sure_ you aren’t editing the same reply in two different browser tabs? If you have a specific set of steps to reproduce the problem, post them here.