Today it is difficult to imagine a computer without an unlocker program on board. It is very capacious, concise and, moreover, free. The essence of this utility is that it is able to unlock programs and files that are used by the processor or that are not accessible. The unlocker program for Windows 7 supports many languages, including Russian, and also works in both 32 and 64-bit versions of the OS.

Operating principle

I think I won’t be wrong if I say that each of us has encountered a drop-down window that says that a folder or file cannot be deleted because it is being used by another application. It is precisely in order to solve this problem that unlocker was created.

Installation unlocker

The program consists of just one window, which displays all the information on the file you need, and also indicates which process is blocking its deletion.

The unlocker installation process is incredibly simple: download, install. After installation, the application icon will appear in the context menu and on the desktop. By the way, in order not to create a mess on your desktop, do not forget to add the unlocker program shortcut to a special one, if you use it. To use the application, select problematic file, and then click on the icon of this utility. The above window will appear, and in it - possible actions that can be done with the file, select the necessary one.

Unlocker functions

To summarize, we get the following list of functions performed by this application:

  • support for a huge number of languages, as well as being released portable version for 32-bit operating systems;
  • the ability to not only delete, but also move and rename folders that the system blocks for some reason;
  • the program is able to unlock almost all files used by another processor.

Where can I download

You can always download the latest version of unlocker for Windows 7 on the company’s official website. The program is not updated very often, about once every six months or even a year, but this can hardly be considered a disadvantage: in fact, it has only one task, which any of the versions successfully copes with. The utility weighs less than a megabyte, and each subsequent version is taught to work around more and more new errors.

Well, the program we need does not always have to weigh a lot or be difficult to understand. Sometimes such “babies” cope with their mission even better than more capacious applications. At the same time, unlocker is also free, and therefore will save your money, not to mention your nerves.

Every computer user has at least once encountered the fact that the system does not want to delete a particular file, while notifying that it is being used by some processes. To eliminate such files, you need to use special programs. One of them is Unlocker.


This program is designed to uninstall blocked files and terminate processes on the system. Using a PC involves frequent operations of renaming, moving and deleting files.

During the operation of the Windows OS, folders and files are constantly used by some programs and are involved in some processes. If you perform any actions with the file at this time, the OS will indicate the impossibility of carrying out such manipulations.

To perform the necessary manipulations with running files, you need to close it and stop the process. Renaming or moving is not permitted by a process occurring in the operating system. This requires closing the folder or file, which will stop the process.

Sometimes it is not always clear what is preventing you from managing a file or folder, and the operating system does not tell you which process needs to be stopped in order to manipulate it. In most cases, inexperienced users do not know what to do when a message appears on the screen about a file being used by another process.

Terminating a process via Task Manager

Stop the processes I'm using required file or a folder using the “Task Manager”. To do this, in the “Applications” section you need to select a directory or file and press the “End task” button. After which the process should stop. Sometimes it happens that these actions do not bring the desired result and the application continues to work.

In this case, you need to go to the “Processes” section. Here you should select the process that uses the file or folder and click on the “End Process” button. But here you should be careful, because by completing the wrong process, you can harm the performance of the system, so you need to be extremely careful.

It follows that using the “Task Manager”, a novice user will not always be able to identify the required process and terminate it correctly. Therefore, in such situations it is better to use special program, which is an Unlocker.

This application is specially designed to work with folders and files that are used by some processes in the operating system. The utility provides the ability to perform the necessary actions on files and folders and close blocking processes. You can download the program from the official website of the developer. It takes up little disk space and has a Russian interface.

From the official resource you can download different versions of the utility for all operating systems with different bit depths. There is also a portable version that does not require installation on a computer. You need to download the archive with the program, unpack it and install the application on your computer.

How does the program work?

Let's say you need to delete a folder that is located, for example, on the desktop. In this case, the folder is used by another program. If you try to delete a directory by simply clicking Delete buttons, the operating system will inform you that the folder is in use and you must close all processes to delete it.

To delete this folder, you need to right-click on it and select Unlocker from the menu that appears. After this, a program window will appear on the screen, in which all OS processes will be displayed. Here you should click on the “Unblock” or “Unblock All” button. It depends on the number of processes happening in this folder. After these steps, the folder will be moved from the desktop to the Trash.

Sometimes, after launching the program, a window may appear on the screen indicating that Unlocker did not find blocking applications. Then you need to click on “No actions” and install the desired one. Among them are “Delete”, “Rename”, “Move”. After selecting the necessary manipulations, click OK. A notification indicating that the action was completed will then appear on the screen.

Using this utility you can manage almost all processes in the operating system. The program allows you to perform the necessary manipulations with files and folders that are blocked by other applications.

To remove blocked files, you can use the utility Revo Uninstaller, which also copes well with the processes in the system.

It is necessary to download the program only from the developer’s official resource, since the provided products are scanned for viruses and malicious elements, and this guarantees the functionality of the computer’s operating system.

Quite often it happens that the operating system refuses to allow the user to delete individual files/folders. The reason for this may be various errors in the operation of the OS itself, as well as all sorts of failures that sometimes occur even during the correct removal (uninstallation) of programs and applications on the PC. In such situations, it is recommended to use specialized technical uninstaller utilities, for example, Unlocker.

This utility is truly capable of solving any problem related to the removal of the so-called. "not deleted" objects. It's quite simple to use. And, in addition to everything, it is guaranteed to launch and work on almost any operating system (with the exception of very “old” ones), even regardless of its bitness.

To use this uninstaller, first, you need to download the latest version of Unlocker and install it on your machine. There is no need to launch the program; it is automatically integrated into the system functionality of the OS.

Quickly remove objects from Unlocker

Find required file/folder on your disk that you do not want to delete and right-click on any of them. In the functions menu that opens, click on the option "Unlocker".

When the uninstaller window opens, you will be prompted Several variants actions: "Rename", "Move", "Delete" etc. Select the one you specifically need and click "OK".

Wait until the execution completes and the program informs you that this action was completed successfully.

Removing objects from Unlocker by ending blocking processes

Deleting some files/folders can sometimes be a little more difficult. Basically, “such” objects are remnants of antiviruses or any other programs that work closely with the system. But, as mentioned earlier, nothing is impossible for Unlocker!

At the beginning, we do everything in exactly the same way as with quick removal. Right-click on the desired objects and select the function "Unlocker".

In the uninstaller window that starts, the program will show you process list running applications and system services that use the object being deleted and thereby prevent you from erasing it. Need to disable/stop these processes with a button "Unblock everything", and then delete it manually.

After unlocking, find this file/folder, right-click on it. mouse and click "Delete".

Processes that interfere with the deletion of files/folders can also be deleted if unlocking/stopping does not help. To do this, use the option "Delete process", and then, in the same way, delete objects manually.

After the release of the seventh version of the Windows operating system, many users discovered an unknown application called Unlocker on their computers and laptops. What kind of program this was, some people did not understand then, although it was officially included in installation distributions. Let's try to clarify what this applet is for.

Unlocker: what is this program?

So, you can understand what kind of application this is, quite simply, if you simply translate its name from English. Unlocker means "unlocker".

In other words, Unlocker is a program for deleting files and folders that are Windows systems it is not possible to delete (for example, system directories, dynamic libraries, folders or files, in this moment occupied by background services and processes).

What can this application do?

Speaking about the main capabilities of the application, it is worth noting that it is capable of deleting absolutely all (well, or almost all) objects, including even system files and catalogues. With all this, one can even say that Unlocker is a program for removing programs, but not in the sense of how uninstallers work, removing all components of a certain software, but in the context that it can delete executable files and loaded into RAM dynamic libraries.

In addition, there is another important point. The fact is that the Unlocker program for Windows 7 and higher can remove from the system those non-deletable (locked) objects that are specially created by viruses, despite the fact that the virus is currently active background. Sometimes, as is already clear, in combination with antivirus software, the application is an indispensable tool for complete cleaning computer from threats that have penetrated it (even if the scanner cannot neutralize or delete such objects).

Principle of operation

This is basically the Unlocker app. What kind of program this is, we think, is already a little clear. Now a few words about how it all works.

As such, the program does not have its own interface. It simply embeds its own commands in context menus similar to how antiviruses or archivers do it. Therefore, using the application consists precisely in selecting the appropriate item from any RMB menu (in Explorer, another file manager, on the “Desktop”, etc.).

From a technical point of view, Unlocker differs from system ones Windows services in that it allows you to clearly track which process you are engaged in specific file at this moment, complete it, freeing the file, and remove the ban on deletion. It goes without saying that the matter is not limited to removal. Sometimes the application can be used to rename files or directories, as well as to move them from one location to another.

Unlocker: how to work with the program? Practical use

Finally, let's see how this all works in practice. Let's assume we have a 64-bit system with two program directories, Program Files and Program Files (x86). The first is the main one for installing application components with 64-bit architecture, the second is used for installing 32-bit programs.

Let's try to delete several folders in the directory marked (x86), considering that we do not need them. Let's look at the pre-installed system components. Select the required directories and select the Unlocker line using RMB.

A window appears in which you need to select the required action. Set delete in the drop-down list. The application will show the progress of the process, after which a message will appear indicating that the objects have been deleted. We look in “Explorer”. And, lo and behold, the previously selected folders are not there! What’s most interesting is that a reboot was not required at all, and the system worked and still works properly.

Here's Unlocker for you. What kind of program this is in terms of deleting nested application directories is clear. But let's go further and try to delete the entire Program Files (x86) directory. This is impossible to do with ordinary actions and methods.

Using RMB on the directory, select Unlocker again. When attempting to delete, you may receive a message stating that the locking handle was not found.

We perform a similar action again, but in a new window with a list, click the “Unblock all” button. After a certain period of time, the window disappears. Select Unlocker again and install removal. The process begins, but at the end a message is displayed stating that some objects will be deleted only after the system is restarted. We reboot and look at Explorer again. The folder has disappeared!

Is the app worth using?

Keep in mind that the actions given were shown, so to speak, for clarity. Naturally, it is not recommended to delete such directories or individual files under any pretext, since some installed programs will stop working, and the system itself will become unstable. If you are not confident in your knowledge, or suddenly want to experiment for the sake of interest, you should not do this. It is better to remove Unlocker immediately.

This can be done quite simply from the programs and components section located in the “Control Panel”, followed by restarting the computer or laptop. This way, even any temptation to use the utility will disappear. In this case, it is advisable to perform a reboot immediately upon request, without putting it off for a long time.

Finally

That's basically all there is to the Unlocker utility. It is not recommended to use it to remove or rename system components (and in general, you should not call the application unnecessarily). But in situations with viruses or lack of administrative rights to perform some actions with other non-deletable files or directories, Unlocker is simply an irreplaceable tool.

Sometimes in the battle against viruses it is necessary to delete one or another virus file, but this cannot be done because it is used by the system, i.e. participates in any process. Almost always, the system tells us that the file is occupied, but does not tell us by what process, so it is not clear what to do to heal our own computer. And even if we find the ill-fated process, then when we delete it, it immediately starts again, and deleting the file is again impossible. What to do at such a tense moment? Will help us Unlocker– a utility that copes with any system process.

Unlocker installation

During the installation process, pay attention to the two windows shown below. Since Unlocker is completely free software, the authors make money on other products that are built into installation file, so if you don't need additional programs clogging up your computer ( see how to clean your computer), follow the prompts in the pictures.

Then you can select the necessary installation items and the program will be installed on your computer.

Using Unlocker

We launch the program as shown in the picture below. If you have Windows 8, find the program icon in the Start menu.


As an example, I'll try to delete a file that is open by another program. A message appears stating that this cannot be done.

Now click on the desired file right click mouse and select " Unlocker».

In the window that opens, we can do actions with the process: remove process, unblock, unblock all (this is used in cases where several processes are running).