Microsoft’s PowerToys for Windows 11 and Windows 10 has been updated with a new feature called ‘File LockSmith’. So what exactly is File Locksmith? In technical terms, it is a Windows shell extension that allows you to monitor which files are in use and by which processes.
Until now, it was not possible to find out which process is using the file on Windows. While the Task Manager lets you eliminate processes, it cannot tell you what is using your files or preventing file transfers. In effect, File Explorer blocks your attempts to delete a file or folder being used by a process or app.
This is a feature built into File Exxplorer and enabled by default to reduce app crashes, but it can be annoying if you really want to delete a file from the system and you have no idea where the file is being used. With PowerToys File Locksmith you can scan all running processes and check which files they are using.
As you can see in the screenshot above, the PowerToys File Locksmith feature is easily accessible from the context menu. You can select any file or folder and right click on it and then click on the option to find out exactly which processes are using the file as shown in the screenshot below.
This can be very useful if you are trying to delete files used by unknown apps that cannot be force closed. However, the File Locksmith feature is not perfect and cannot be used to access processes used by another user. As a result, some files currently in use may be missing from the list of results.
Once detected, you can select the End Task button to end the process. You can also click on the process to learn more about the app. You can also manually refresh the list of processes by tapping the reload icon.
As mentioned at the beginning, the new feature of Windows 11 can be useful in several ways, if you know how to use it. Of course, this feature should be integrated into the operating system as it can help you quickly find out why your PC is slowing down and then end a process that locks the file.
The function is still being tested via PowerToys and everyone can do it download it from the company’s GitHub. It’s unlikely that the feature will be integrated into Windows 11, but that won’t happen anytime soon.
