Find out which process is locking a file or folder in Windows (File is in use by another program error)
- Preston Merkel
Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out.
To find out what process is using a specific file follow these steps:
Instructions
Download the ProcessExplorer.zip file below then extract the file.
2. After the file has been extracted, open procexp64.exe (if you get an error message, try running procexp.exe instead)
3. Go to Find, Find Handle or DLL.. or simply press Ctrl+F.
4. Enter the name of the file and press Search.
5. Process Explorer will list all processes that have a handle to the file open. Click on an entry to focus the process in the main window.
6. Optionally, you can then even close the program using the file manually through the lower pane (Ctrl+L):
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The content in this article was provided by filesystems - Find out which process is locking a file or folder in Windows - Super User