diff --git a/src/core/wopi.py b/src/core/wopi.py
index d01f5384..1ffb4320 100644
--- a/src/core/wopi.py
+++ b/src/core/wopi.py
@@ -273,19 +273,10 @@ def setLock(fileid, reqheaders, acctok):
             if not retrievedLock or not utils.compareWopiLocks(retrievedLock, (oldLock if oldLock else lock)):
                 # lock mismatch, the WOPI client is supposed to acknowledge the existing lock to start a collab session,
                 # or deny access to the file in edit mode otherwise
-                evicted = False
-                if 'forcelock' in acctok and retrievedLock != 'External':
-                    # here we try to evict the existing lock, and if possible we let the user go:
-                    # this is to work around an issue with the Microsoft cloud!
-                    evicted = utils.checkAndEvictLock(acctok['userid'], acctok['appname'], retrievedLock, oldLock, lock,
-                                                      acctok['endpoint'], fn, int(statInfo['mtime']))
-                if evicted:
-                    return utils.makeLockSuccessResponse(op, acctok, lock, oldLock, f"v{statInfo['etag']}")
-                else:
-                    return utils.makeConflictResponse(op, acctok['userid'], retrievedLock, lock, oldLock, fn,
-                                                      'The file is locked by %s' %
-                                                      (lockHolder if lockHolder else 'another editor'),
-                                                      savetime=savetime)
+                return utils.makeConflictResponse(op, acctok['userid'], retrievedLock, lock, oldLock, fn,
+                                                  'The file is locked by %s' %
+                                                  (lockHolder if lockHolder else 'another editor'),
+                                                  savetime=savetime)
 
             # else it's our own lock, refresh it (rechecking the oldLock if necessary, for atomicity) and return
             try:
diff --git a/src/core/wopiutils.py b/src/core/wopiutils.py
index 1a75fb24..65c6a16a 100644
--- a/src/core/wopiutils.py
+++ b/src/core/wopiutils.py
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ def randomString(size):
     return ''.join([choice(ascii_lowercase) for _ in range(size)])
 
 
-def generateAccessToken(userid, fileid, viewmode, user, folderurl, endpoint, app, forcelock=False):
+def generateAccessToken(userid, fileid, viewmode, user, folderurl, endpoint, app):
     '''Generates an access token for a given file and a given user, and returns a tuple with
     the file's inode and the URL-encoded access token.'''
     appname, appediturl, appviewurl = app
@@ -250,15 +250,13 @@ def generateAccessToken(userid, fileid, viewmode, user, folderurl, endpoint, app
         if statinfo['size'] == 0:
             # override preview mode when a new file is being created
             viewmode = ViewMode.READ_WRITE
-    if forcelock:
-        tokmd['forcelock'] = '1'
     acctok = jwt.encode(tokmd, srv.wopisecret, algorithm='HS256')
     if 'MS 365' in appname:
         srv.allusers.add(userid)
     log.info('msg="Access token generated" userid="%s" wopiuser="%s" friendlyname="%s" usertype="%s" mode="%s" '
-             'endpoint="%s" filename="%s" inode="%s" mtime="%s" folderurl="%s" appname="%s"%s expiration="%d" token="%s"' %
+             'endpoint="%s" filename="%s" inode="%s" mtime="%s" folderurl="%s" appname="%s" expiration="%d" token="%s"' %
              (userid[-20:], wopiuser, friendlyname, usertype, viewmode, endpoint, statinfo['filepath'], statinfo['inode'],
-              statinfo['mtime'], folderurl, appname, ' forcelock="True"' if forcelock else '', exptime, acctok[-20:]))
+              statinfo['mtime'], folderurl, appname, exptime, acctok[-20:]))
     return statinfo['inode'], acctok, viewmode
 
 
@@ -380,51 +378,6 @@ def compareWopiLocks(lock1, lock2):
     return False
 
 
-def checkAndEvictLock(user, appname, retrievedlock, oldlock, lock, endpoint, filename, savetime):
-    '''Checks if the current lock can be evicted to overcome issue with Microsoft 365 cloud'''
-    evictlocktime = srv.config.get('general', 'evictlocktime', fallback='')
-    try:
-        evictlocktime = int(evictlocktime)
-    except ValueError:
-        return False
-    session = flask.request.headers.get('X-WOPI-SessionId')
-    if savetime > time.time() - evictlocktime:
-        # file is being edited, don't evict existing lock
-        log.warning('msg="File is actively edited, force-unlock prevented" lockop="%s" user="%s" '
-                    'filename="%s" fileage="%1.1f" token="%s" sessionId="%s"' %
-                    (('UnlockAndRelock' if oldlock else 'Lock'), user, filename, (time.time() - int(savetime)),
-                     flask.request.args['access_token'][-20:], session))
-        if session:
-            srv.conflictsessions['failedtotakeover'][session] = {
-                'time': int(time.time()),
-                'user': user
-            }
-        return False
-    # ok, remove current lock and set new one
-    try:
-        st.refreshlock(endpoint, filename, user, appname, encodeLock(lock), encodeLock(retrievedlock))
-    except IOError as e:
-        log.error('msg="Failed to force a refreshlock" user="%s" filename="%s" error="%s" token="%s" sessionId="%s"' %
-                  (user, filename, e, flask.request.args['access_token'][-20:], session))
-        return False
-    # and note the stealer and the evicted sessions
-    if session not in srv.conflictsessions['tookover']:
-        try:
-            formersession = json.loads(retrievedlock)['S']
-        except (TypeError, ValueError, KeyError):
-            formersession = retrievedlock
-        srv.conflictsessions['tookover'][session] = {
-            'time': int(time.time()),
-            'user': user,
-            'former': formersession
-        }
-    log.warning('msg="Former session was evicted" lockop="%s" user="%s" filename="%s" fileage="%1.1f" '
-                'formerlock="%s" token="%s" newsession="%s"' %
-                (('UnlockAndRelock' if oldlock else 'Lock'), user, filename, (time.time() - int(savetime)),
-                 retrievedlock, flask.request.args['access_token'][-20:], session))
-    return True
-
-
 def makeConflictResponse(operation, user, retrievedlock, lock, oldlock, filename, reason, savetime=None):
     '''Generates and logs an HTTP 409 response in case of locks conflict'''
     resp = flask.Response(mimetype='application/json')
diff --git a/src/wopiserver.py b/src/wopiserver.py
index ce2e9f14..a39a7d79 100755
--- a/src/wopiserver.py
+++ b/src/wopiserver.py
@@ -283,7 +283,6 @@ def iopOpenInApp():
     - string appurl: the URL of the end-user application
     - string appviewurl (optional): the URL of the end-user application in view mode when different (defaults to appurl)
     - string appinturl (optional): the internal URL of the end-user application (applicable with containerized deployments)
-    - string forcelock (optional): if present, will force the lock when possible to work around MS Office issues
     - string usertype (optional): one of "regular", "federated", "ocm", "anonymous". Defaults to "regular"
 
     Returns: a JSON response as follows:
@@ -326,7 +325,6 @@ def iopOpenInApp():
     appname = url_unquote_plus(req.args.get('appname', ''))
     appurl = url_unquote_plus(req.args.get('appurl', '')).strip('/')
     appviewurl = url_unquote_plus(req.args.get('appviewurl', appurl)).strip('/')
-    forcelock = req.args.get('forcelock', False)
     try:
         usertype = utils.UserType(req.args.get('usertype', utils.UserType.REGULAR))
     except (KeyError, ValueError) as e:
@@ -340,7 +338,7 @@ def iopOpenInApp():
     try:
         userid, wopiuser = storage.getuseridfromcreds(usertoken, wopiuser)
         inode, acctok, vm = utils.generateAccessToken(userid, fileid, viewmode, (username, wopiuser, usertype), folderurl,
-                                                      endpoint, (appname, appurl, appviewurl), forcelock=forcelock)
+                                                      endpoint, (appname, appurl, appviewurl))
     except IOError as e:
         Wopi.log.info('msg="iopOpenInApp: remote error on generating token" client="%s" user="%s" '
                       'friendlyname="%s" mode="%s" endpoint="%s" reason="%s"' %
diff --git a/wopiserver.conf b/wopiserver.conf
index 4fbd0710..02e67762 100644
--- a/wopiserver.conf
+++ b/wopiserver.conf
@@ -93,13 +93,6 @@ wopilockexpiration = 1800
 # on-premise setups.
 #wopilockstrictcheck = True
 
-# Enable the ability to force-unlock sessions to overcome issues with Microsoft Office:
-# if a session (access token) includes the option to override a previous lock, and the
-# corresponding file was saved more than the given evictlocktime seconds before the request
-# for lock, the previous lock is force-unlocked in order to grant a lock to the new
-# session. By default this behavior is disabled.
-#evictlocktime =
-
 # Enable support of rename operations from WOPI apps. This is currently
 # disabled by default because the implementation is not complete,
 # and it is to be enabled for testing purposes only for the time being.