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

• Windows 7 x64 or higher (you might need to install .Net Framework 4.6.2)

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)