Have you ever tried to remove, move, or rename a file only to receive a pop-up message stating that the folder or file is now open in another program?
It may not always be obvious which software has locked a file. A software or background process may have completed work on a file but not properly unlocked it when it was finished. In such situation, you’ll need to unlock the recalcitrant file or folder before you can edit it.
Note: Unlocking and removing specific files may create issues with open programs. Files that should remain locked, such as Windows system files, should not be unlocked or deleted.
Using Process Explorer to Unlock Files
Using the powerful Process Explorer task manager, you may unlock a file. Process Explorer is a built-in software that does not require installation before usage on Windows, but it must be executed with administrator capabilities. You can do this right from Process Explorer by going to the “File” menu and selecting “Show Details for All Processes.” To navigate quickly, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
Then, look for the name of the locked file or folder and select End Task. You can now delete or edit the file as usual.
IObit Unlocker
The IObit Unlocker program is handy for unlocking files. It also adds a command to unlock files to the context menu. After installing the tool, you may open the app by right-clicking a problematic file or folder and selecting “IObit Unlocker.”
A list of processes that have locked the file or folder will appear. By hitting the “Unlock” button, you may rapidly unlock the file. This approach unlocks the file while the process remains active. It should be noted that this may cause issues if a process expects exclusive access to a file.
You may alternatively choose the “Forced Mode” option and then select “Unlock” to forcefully terminate the program that is preventing access to the file. Any unsaved data in any software that is terminated in this manner will be lost.
You can delete, move, or rename the file normally after it has been unlocked. The IOBit Unlocker tool, in reality, has simple “Unlock & Delete,” “Unlock & Rename,” and “Unlock & Move” choices. Simply click the arrow to the right of the “Unlock” button to do so.
Restart Your Computer
In general, a file will not be locked after restarting your computer unless the software that locked it is a startup program that locks the file as soon as you log in. If you have a tough file or folder and don’t want to utilize any of the solutions listed above, you can try restarting your computer. When Windows restarts, you should be able to remove, relocate, or rename the file.
ThinkTechHub 
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