Unlocker

Unlocker is one of those wonderful tiny tools that you install in a minute and then keep asking yourself why in the world you didn’t do that before. How many times have you tried to delete a file and received a message saying the file is locked by some other process? How many of those were times you didn’t even have a clue of what that process could be? Well, if you do know what program is prohibiting the file from being deleted, the solution is simple – you close that app and try again. But sometimes you need Unlocker.

This small tool will instantly unlock any file locked by any application letting you to freely delete it. Conveniently, the program has several ways to perform the task. You can either drag-and-drop files to Unlocker’s window, or right-click the blocked document in the Explorer window and select “Unlocker”. With both options Unlocker does its job momentarily: the file is freed from any locks it has and is available for deletion, renaming, or moving to another location. For the most stubborn files, the program also offers an option to delete the file on next system startup.

Of course, you should be certain that you aren’t deleting anything crucial. Notice that deleting a file that an application or OS is using right now can lead to damaged data or even to an application crash. However, if used wisely Unlocker is totally a must.