A program for unlocking processes. Unlocker - unlock files occupied by other applications. Key features and functions

Unlocker- a program that will effectively eliminate the problem of deleting files that do not respond to the Delete command, arguing that the file is occupied by another system process. The most common error messages are, for example, the file cannot be deleted because it is being used by other applications, or access to the file is denied, or sharing is broken, or the file is being used by another program or user, and other messages that interfere with the standard uninstallation process.

To avoid such situations, it is enough to install Unlocker latest version... The utility is located in windows menu, from where it is launched with a couple of mouse clicks. At startup, a dialog box will open in which you can track all processes that are blocking the deletion of the file. You can end or unlock the current processes, and then easily delete the file. You can schedule file deletion. Then it will be removed after Windows restart.

Main features of Unlocker for Windows 7, 8, 10:

  • Removing any files or folders, even locked ones;
  • The ability to move such files and folders, as well as change their names;
  • Simple interface;
  • Ability to schedule file deletion by postponing it until the system reboots.

Removing locked files is not the only function Unlocker in Russian... With its help, you can move the locked object, as well as rename it. Please note that when installing Unlocker for Windows 7, 8, 10, you may try to install additional software that has nothing to do with the operation of the utility.

Main functions

  • deleting, moving, copying, renaming busy files;
  • termination of processes, unloading DLL;
  • deleting temporarily used files, index.dat;
  • embedding in the context menu, as well as in the notification area.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages:

  • free distribution;
  • quick release of blocking from used files;
  • the ability to perform the necessary operations with problem files after unlocking them.

Disadvantages:

  • lack of additional functions.

Alternatives

Revo Uninstaller is a free program for uninstalling applications from PC. It searches for files by name, cleans up "residual phenomena" on disks, in the registry, removes unnecessary data and components, etc.

IObit Uninstaller - uninstaller application unnecessary programs... It also removes files, folders, registry entries, plugins, exports software lists, performs batch uninstalls, and more. Free distribution.

LockHunter. A free program for stopping and disposing of data that is not deleted in the usual way due to its use by another process or application.

Work principles

After installing the program in context menu her item will appear.

In order to delete files or folders used by other applications or the system, you need to click on them right click mouse and select the item in the menu "Unlocker". After that, a window will open in which information about the process blocking actions with a specific file will be displayed.

Blocking processes

Select the action you need in the lower pane of the window from the list provided: rename, delete, move, etc.

Action selection

To complete this operation, in some cases, you may additionally need to restart the computer.

Unlocker - useful application, with which you can easily unlock data locked by any processes or programs.

Unlocker is a free program, one of the many programs that are simply necessary on any computer. The fallacy of Windows operating systems has already become the talk of the town. Jokes and jokes on this topic do not leave the pages of blogs and forums. However, nothing is as annoying as the inability to perform an elementary operation on a file or directory. Almost all users have repeatedly encountered a system error that prevents them from deleting (renaming, moving) a certain object on their PC. With such an error, the system can report all sorts of errors, including an error accessing a file, a message about write protection or disk fullness, or even that the requested file (folder) is occupied by another application. The most surprising system message may even be a "revelation" from Windows that you do not have enough rights to perform the selected operation, despite the administrator rights with which you are logged in. In some cases, even restarting the computer does not help, from this it follows that the problem is not at all in the application "caught" on a specific object, but in the operating system... In such critical situations, a small Unlocker program comes to the aid of users, which is distributed completely free of charge.


Unlocker program so small that it does not even have its own interface - it modestly, during installation, integrates into the explorer context menu, greatly simplifying the procedure for calling it when needed. The work of this utility is to find the process that is blocking the object that we want to delete (change, move). After finding this process, the user is given the choice to force terminate (process) or delete, rename, move (file or folder). For users who do not want to bother calling the utility from the context menu, there is the Unlocker Assistant program. Launched in the tray, it controls all ongoing processes. In case of problems with file operations, it calls the Unlocker program. In addition to the above advantages, Unlocker has one more small advantage. Sometimes it becomes necessary to change the file extension, but in Windows Explorer it is rather difficult to do this. Taking advantage of free program Unlocker, you can perform this operation quite simply, without resorting to complex manipulations.

Unlocker fixes the following list of error messages:

- Cannot delete file: Access is denied.
- Violation of sharing (There has been a sharing violation).
- Unable to delete file or folder because it is being used by another application (The source or destination file may be in use).
- The file is in use by another program or user.
- Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.
- And others like that ...

Attention:

Program Unlocker during installation it offers to install an additional software which is not needed for it to work. Be careful and careful!

An overview of the Unlocker program for Windows, as well as its analogues. Detailed instructions on how to delete files and folders that are not deleted, forcibly: by closing processes that block deletion.

Description of the Unlocker

Unlocker is an effective program for deleting non-removable files in the Windows environment. It bypasses system bans and points the user to the processes that are blocking access. These processes prevent deletion, which results in non-deleteable in the usual way files and folders.

Unlocker is one of the few utilities with a clear interface in Russian. This is partly why it is very easy to use the program. In Unlocker, you can drag and drop files into the window and immediately delete files, killing unnecessary processes. The right column displays the current status of a file or folder:

  • "not locked" - you can delete a file that cannot be deleted without forcing other processes to close.
  • "blocked" - Unlocker will tell you which processes prevent you from forcibly deleting the folder (file), after which you can forcefully close them and perform the desired operation.

Main features of the Unlocker program

  • forced deletion of files and directories on disk
  • deleting both folders and multiple files at the same time
  • viewing processes that block deletion in the usual way

Scenarios where Unlocker might be useful

  • access to the file or folder is denied (the program is being used by another process)
  • there are connections to the file by local network
  • source or destination path is being used by another application
  • the file is occupied by another system process

In general, if you are not deleting a folder or file, Unlocker is a versatile and simple tool to force deletion.

Further, in the instructions, we will tell you how to delete non-removable files quickly and safely. Note that we are talking about a program called IObit Unlocker. There is an application of the same name in the open spaces of the network (Emptyloop Unlocker), but it has not been developed since 2013, and the official website is not available. As for the Unlocker from the IObit developers, this product is under development and can be downloaded from the link below.

Where to download the Unlocker program

You can download Unlocker - a program for deleting non-removable files - on the download page. Link to the right.

Although the latter Unlocker version 1.1 was released in 2015, there are no compatibility problems on new versions of Windows. The list includes Windows 10/8/7 / Vista / XP.

Unlocker is available in two versions: Portable and standard installation(IObit Unlocker 1.1 Final). The Portable version can be installed anywhere. In this case, the standard version of Unlocker will be installed in system folder Program Files.

It doesn't really matter where to download the program from: in both cases, Unlocker can be downloaded for free.

How to forcibly delete a file or folder that cannot be deleted

Let's figure out how the program works together. It consists of one window. To forcibly delete a folder or file:

  1. add files by clicking on the "Add" button at the bottom of the window
  2. alternatively, you can drag files or folders into the Unlocker window

In the list you will see the added files and the status - "blocked" or "not blocked". Accordingly, unlocked data can be deleted without using Unlocker. We are more interested in the second option.

So how do you delete a folder that is not being deleted?

  1. Select the line with the file or folder.
  2. Check the "Forced" option
  3. Click the "Unblock" button.
  4. Unlocker will terminate processes blocking access to file operations

How to delete an unremovable file yourself without harming other processes

Advice... Unlocker is not omnipotent. If you add the system path, a message like "can't delete folder" appears. In addition, you must soberly assess the danger of deleting files and clearly understand what you are deleting.

If the file is not deleted, it is not necessary to force killing processes. Let's say you are editing text and want to delete a file. Unlocker will figure out that you need to close the Word.exe (word processor) process to unlock it. As a result, you will lose the file you are currently editing. In fact, there may be other scenarios, but the bottom line is the same: if you massively kill processes, this can lead to negative consequences.

The best way to delete a file from your computer is to add it to iObit Unlocker, see the processes that interfere with the deletion and complete them correctly: close applications while saving open documents. This is a definite plus of the Unlocker: you can always control the process.

Lockhunter

Developer: Crystal Rich Ltd.
Website: http://lockhunter.com/

Lockhunter is a program for deleting folders and files that are not deleted for an unknown reason. Often (as you could see in the case of the Unlocker) this is due to the fact that processes block access to deleted objects. Lockhunter is able to detect processes blocking access to files. Unlike similar tools, files and folders are deleted in the trash, so you can restore them at the right time. By the way, the main purpose of this utility is to remove viruses and malware: these harmful applications like to block access to themselves for self-preservation.

How to force delete a folder or files using Lockhunter

This method will remove the system folder or file occupied by other processes. The technique will be useful in the forced destruction of viruses.

  1. We indicate in the main window of the program the location of the folder (file) for forced deletion... The list displays the processes blocking elements.
  2. Remove processes that block files by clicking on the UnlockIt button!
  3. Select the folder and press the DeleteIt button! for complete removal.

Malwarebytes FileASSASSIN

Website: https://www.malwarebytes.com/fileassassin/

FileASSASSIN - useful program to delete files that are not deleted in a standard way without stopping processes. Here is a list of errors that this program can solve in your favor:

  • File not deleted: access denied
  • Make sure the disc is not full or write protected
  • The file is currently in use.
  • The source or destination of the file can be used
  • The file is in use by another program or user

Sysinternals Process Monitor

Website: https://technet.microsoft.com/ru-ru/sysinternals/processmonitor.aspx
Developer: Mark Russinovich

To a greater extent, this tool is intended for in-depth research of Windows processes, and it can only be advised by experienced users. However, this professional task manager monitors not only processes, but also threads, file system and the Registry. If the file is not deleted, Process Monitor will help identify dependencies and then easily remove, for example, a system file or folder.

Deleting Undelete Files: Frequently Asked Questions

The file is not deleted in Windows folder... What to do?

Answer... If you want to delete an item with the system path from this folder, then you will not be able to do this even with the help of iObit Unlocker. As I said, the program cannot delete system Windows files- powerful protection at the kernel level is triggered.

Files are not deleted from the flash drive. I need to upload Unlocker to portable- versions on a USB flash drive?

Answer... Not necessary. The standard version of Unlocker is quite suitable for this purpose. You can drag files into the program window, kill processes and then safely delete the files.

I downloaded Unlocker from the official site, but the program is different from the one described in the instructions. What to do, how to delete a non-removable folder?

Answer... The fact is that you downloaded another program (from the developer Emptyloop), although its name is the same. In principle, it's not a big deal, this program has similar functionality. If it doesn't suit you, just download iObit Unlocker from the link provided at the beginning of the article.

Operating room Windows system is a constantly evolving and dynamic product. Therefore, many of the bugs are fixed soon after they are discovered, and users do not have to put up with them. However, there are things that are not implemented in Windows in the best possible way, and, frankly, they are very annoying. I think each of you has repeatedly witnessed the error that this or that file or folder cannot be deleted or moved. Windows blocks access to these files because it "thinks" that it is currently being used by another application. But it is not always the case. This situation often happens with multimedia files.

It is for these purposes of combating this error that the Unlocker 1.9.1 utility was created. The program is incredibly easy to use. The next time you see a similar error, but at the same time you yourself are sure that the file is not used by any of the programs you open, just right-click on it. In the context menu, you will see the Unlocker item. A program window will appear showing the process (or processes) that is using this file. By clicking the "Unblock" button, you can delete it directly from this program window, or continue working with it from Explorer. When the program is not in use, it will only remind of itself with a small icon in the system area. The minimum number of settings - you can only choose, launch Unlocker together with running Windows, or not.

Unlocker currently supports all Windows versions, including the most recent, and is able to work with 64-bit editions. Due to its extreme usefulness, ease of use and brevity of execution, we can safely recommend installing it to all users without exception.

Key features and functions

Helps to remove locked files from following messages about errors:

  • I cannot delete the file: access is denied;
  • a sharing error has occurred;
  • the file is currently being used by another program or user;
  • make sure the disk has free place, it is not write protected, and that the file is not currently in use.