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PolarGoose/ShowWhatProcessLocksFile

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ShowWhatProcessLocksFile

A simple clone of PowerToys File Locksmith utility to discover what processes lock a specific file or folder.

Advantages over File Locksmith

  • Much faster
  • Lightweight
  • Supports older versions of Windows
  • Doesn't require admin rights to be installed

Screenshots

Context menu

Application

System requirements

How to use

  • Download ShowWhatProcessLocksFile.msi.zip from the latest release.
  • Run the installer. The installer will install this program to the %AppData%\ShowWhatProcessLocksFile folder and add a Show what locks this file Windows File Explorer context menu element.
  • Use Show what locks this file File Explorer's context menu to select a file or folder
  • To terminate a process, select it and open a context menu by clicking the right mouse button
  • If you want to uninstall the program, use Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features. Uninstaller will remove an integration with the context menu and all installed files.

How to build

  • To work with the codebase, use Visual Studio 2022 with a plugin HeatWave for VS2022.
  • To build a release, run .\build.ps1 (git.exe should be in your PATH)