Not only may the file have been previously locked, but the lock may have taken place unexpectedly. Whether it’s one way or another, the really important thing is that we can’t eliminate them using the usual techniques until it’s unlocked. The main causes what this happens is that the permission has been denied, that the disk where it is located is write-protected, that the source or destination file is in use or that it is being used by another program. Whether it’s one way or another, the really important thing is that we can’t eliminate them using the usual techniques until it’s unlocked.
To be able to unlock it, surely, the first thing that comes to mind will be Restart the system, because it is a quite effective method. However, it is quite annoying because it forces us to close all the programs that we have running, so it is not always as practical. That is why this program, which we will talk about next, can be very useful to us.
Main features of IObit Unlocker
We are talking about a simple tool specially developed to be able to delete locked files or any other reason cannot be erased naturally. Through Unlocker we will be able to unlock both files and folders so that they are always available. It is also capable of ending all related processes that lock the file or folder in question when switched to “Force” mode.
It is characterized by being very light and free, and along with the possibility of unlocking locked files, it also allows us to carry out a series of other tasks such as unlocking and deleting, unlocking and moving, unlocking and renaming or unlocking and copying. Unlocker can even be used from the Windows context menu.
For this, it has a intuitive interface from where we must manage the different directories and files to be treated. In addition, it has full integration with the Windows File Explorer, so freeing any file will be as simple as dragging it into the application window. Once done, you can quickly unlock, rename, copy or move them as you wish.
How does it work
Once downloaded and installed, we run it so that a small, simple window appears without the need to be loaded with useless elements. In addition, despite being in English, you can change the language in spanish. We will not have a perfect translation but it will be good enough so that we will not have any excuse to handle it. To do this, click on the More tab and in the drop-down menu go to “Language” and select “Spanish”.
To use it, simply when we find a file that has an error and prevents us from deleting the file in the usual way, all we have to do is add it to its interface by clicking on the «Add”. We can also drag and drop it on its interface. Another option is to right-click on the file and select IObit Unlocker from the context menu.
Afterwards, we only have one more step left. We must click on the button “To unlock” to unlock it and watch the status of the file change to “Unlock Successfully”. Once this is done, we will not have any problem in being able to eliminate the file, since the program will have unlinked the process that was using it and that prevented its elimination.
Also, if we click on the date found on the Unlock button, we can see different additional options that we can carry out and that we have mentioned previously as they are:
- Unlock and Delete: Unlocks the file and deletes it automatically, thus preventing it from being locked again by mistake.
- Unlock and Rename: unlocks the file and gives us the possibility to change its name.
- Unlock and Move: after unlocking the file it allows us to locate it in the place of the hard disk that we want from the File Explorer.
- Unlock and Copy: the program is in charge of unlocking the file and later it will make a copy of the file in the location that we select.
And this would be all that this program offers us, which is as simple to handle as it is useful.
Download IObit Unlocker for free
IObit Unlocker is available for free and it can be downloaded from its official website and it does not have any type of extra paid version, so all its functions are available without paying a single euro. It is exclusively compatible with the Microsoft operating system, and can be used in versions of Windows from XP to Windows 11. The installation is done quickly through its wizard in just a few seconds. It is a very light application so it hardly takes up space on our hard drive and does not require system power to work.
Other alternatives
If we are looking for an application with which we can unlock those locked files that prevent them from being deleted, we can also try the following alternatives to IObit Unlocker.
LockHunter
We are talking about an application that can be considered as a file unlocker. That is why it will help us to delete any file that is blocked. Among its functions, the possibility of unlocking, copying, deleting or renaming any locked file stands out. Another interesting feature is that it allows you to delete processes that block the hard drive and those that are in the recycle bin. It is compatible with various versions of Windows and can be downloaded from the developer’s website.
Free File Unlocker
Another program that has been specially designed to be able to eliminate any file or folder that cannot be deleted because it is in use, blocked, busy or undetectable. Another interesting feature is that it can be used to remove malware, viruses or Trojans that are difficult to remove. Plus, it seamlessly integrates with File Explorer to make it easier to use. We can download Free File Unlocker from its website.
