LockHunter is a compact and useful utility designed for quick and easy deletion or fixing of these stubborn files. It enables us to delete files locked by the operating system or locked by viruses (note: LockHunter does not have virus removal functionality). These files can then be sent to the Recycle Bin for easy recovery if important system files are accidentally deleted.
Guide to Deleting Stubborn Files with LockHunter
To use LockHunter for data deletion, download and install the software on your computer. If not done yet, you can download the latest version of LockHunter from here.
- After installation, LockHunter presents an interface as shown below.
Guide for Interacting with Locked Files (Same Procedure for Folders)
Step 1: Select the file for operation by clicking Browse for a file…
Step 2: In this step, navigate to the folder containing the file locked by a process. Choose the file and select Open following steps (1), (2).
- If the file has no processes locking it, there will be a notification as shown below.
- If the file is locked by a process, the notification will be as follows.
- Click on Unlock It!, the program will ask for confirmation, choose Yes to proceed.
- After successfully unlocking the file, there will be a success notification as shown below.
Step 3: Here we can perform operations on the file such as: delete, rename, etc.
To delete a locked file, we use a similar process. When selecting Delete It!, a confirmation screen will appear, choose Yes to proceed.
However, when selecting the file to delete, some files will be immediately deleted, while others will only allow deletion upon restarting the computer. Choose Delete At Next System Restart to complete the deletion process.
Step 4: In addition to unlocking and deleting files, we can use the unlock and rename feature.
- When selecting Unlock & Rename, the program will ask for confirmation again, choose Yes to proceed.
- Enter the path and new name for the specified file\folder at Enter new name for the specified file\folder as in step (1), choose OK to continue.
- If a notification appears, the process was successful.
- We can perform a similar process with unlocking and copying (Unlock & Copy).
Here, we have guided you on successfully deleting stubborn, locked files with LockHunter using simple steps. Besides, LockHunter has many other useful features such as renaming, copying, unlocking, etc., for you to explore.