If a file is being used by other programs and processes, Windows will prevent you from making changes to it. However, it doesn’t always tell you which processes those are, which can be frustrating, especially if you’re being stopped from continuing your work. While there are ways around this, none of them are as simple and easy to perform as using the PowerToys utility. Here’s everything you need to know to find out what’s using a file with PowerToys.

PowerToys is a free utility from Microsoft that contains many different tools. One of them is the File Locksmith tool that allows you to find out if a file is being used by other processes and programs. Whether it is a program, a folder, a DLL file or any other common file, with File Locksmith you can easily find out what is using it, and that too directly from the context menu. Here is how to do it:

First of all, install PowerToys from the Microsoft website. To learn how to do this, check out our guide on how to install PowerToys on a Windows PC . Once PowerToys is installed, launch it.

Let's take a look at some frequently asked questions about using PowerToy's File Locksmith to find out where your files are being accessed.