Getting the message “This folder is currently in use. Try again later.” can be incredibly frustrating when you are trying to access important files. There are a few potential causes and solutions for a folder being in use that are worth trying.
What Does “Folder in Use” Mean?
When you get the “folder in use” error message, it means that a program or process is currently accessing files within that folder. This prevents other programs or users from accessing the folder at the same time, to avoid data corruption or other issues.
Some common causes of a folder being in use include:
- A program is open that has files open or locked in that folder
- An anti-virus software or other background process is scanning the folder
- Someone else on the network is accessing files in the shared folder
- There is a syncing, backup or file transfer happening in the background
So before you can access the folder, you need to close any programs that are using files in that directory, stop scans or transfers, or wait for the network user to finish.
Force Close Programs Accessing the Folder
Often a folder is in use because a program has files or the folder itself open. You may see it being used by File Explorer, a Microsoft Office program, media player or other application. Try closing any programs that could be accessing that directory.
Save and close files open in that folder if you can. Then right-click on the program in the taskbar and choose Close Window or Quit App. This will force the program to close, releasing the lock on the folder. Just be careful not to close anything with unsaved work.
Use Task Manager to Close Processes
If you can’t determine what program has the folder open, you can use Task Manager to view and end processes.
On Windows, press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager. Go to the Processes tab. Look for any processes or apps that may be accessing the locked folder and highlight it. Then click End Task to force quit that process.
On Mac, open Activity Monitor via Spotlight or the Utilities folder. Click the CPU tab to sort by active processes. Look for any using high CPU or memory that could be scanning the folder, select it and click the X icon to Quit Process.
Stop Antivirus Scans
Antivirus software and other security tools will often lock folders they are actively scanning. This prevents anything from changing while they check for malware.
Open your antivirus program, like Windows Defender or Norton Security, and check for any ongoing scans. Pause or stop the scan if possible. You may see an option like “Pause” or “Stop Scan”. This will release the lock on the folder once the current scan stops.
Add Exclusions to Avoid Locked Folders
To avoid your antivirus locking access to important folders in the future, you can add exclusions. This prevents the software from scanning those directories.
In Windows Security go to Virus & Threat Protection > Exclusions > Add Exclusion and choose the folder. In Norton Security open Settings, Advanced, and under Exclusions add the folder path.
Just be sure to only exclude folders you fully trust, as they will no longer be scanned for malware.
Wait for File Transfers to Finish
If you are copying, moving, uploading, syncing or otherwise transferring files in a folder, it will appear in use until the transfer finishes. This prevents the underlying files from changing during the operation.
Check for any ongoing transfers involving that directory. You may see copy/move progress bars in File Explorer. Or there could be a sync icon overlay on the folder icon itself.
Try to avoid interrupting the file transfer. Let it complete, then the folder should unlock after. Stopping it early risks corrupting files.
Change Sync Settings
If a cloud sync service like Dropbox or OneDrive is locking the folder, you can adjust the sync settings:
- Pause syncing for that folder until you need access.
- Set the folder to online-only so it doesn’t lock when offline.
- Change to manual sync instead of continuous.
This ensures the folder doesn’t stay locked as it constantly sync files in the background.
Disconnect Network Drives
If the folder in use is on a shared network drive or server, someone else may be accessing it. This could be the case when collaborating on files with others.
Try disconnecting from the network location to remove your access. On Windows, right-click the network folder and choose Disconnect. On Mac, drag the mounted drive to the Trash.
If others are still using files, it will remain locked. Ask them to close any open files when they are done. Then you can reconnect and access the folder again.
Take Folder Ownership
On a Windows PC, try taking ownership of the network folder if you need immediate access:
- Right click the folder > Properties > Security tab > Advanced > Owner.
- Change owner to your username and click OK to confirm.
- Give yourself full permission to the folder.
This grants your user account exclusive access to the folder over the network. But use care when taking ownership as it can disrupt other users.
Restart Your Computer
If you can’t determine what process or program is locking the folder, a restart may clear any stuck locks.
Make sure you close any important files and save your work first. Then reboot your computer or device fully. Upon restart, the folder should be released and accessible again.
A restart will forcibly end all processes and network connections. This can reset folder access and clear any false locks. But you may still want to investigate what originally caused the issue to avoid future locks.
Restart File Explorer
On Windows, you may be able to just restart the File Explorer process instead of your full computer:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to open Task Manager
- Choose More details if needed
- Go to the Processes tab
- Search for File Explorer, right-click and choose Restart
This will end and relaunch the file browsing process, often resolving any stuck folders without a full reboot.
Delete Lock Files
Some programs create hidden lock files in a folder while in use, particularly on Mac. You can manually delete these lock files to unlock the folder in a pinch.
Go to Finder and press Shift+Command+. to make hidden files visible. Look for files like .DS_Store, .Spotlight-V100 or .DocumentRevisions-V100 and move them out of the locked folder.
Be very careful when deleting lock files as this can lead to data loss or corruption. Only do this if you absolutely need access immediately.
Disable Lock File Creation
To prevent these lock files from blocking access in the future, you can disable their automatic creation:
- Open Terminal and run
sudo mdutil -i off /path/to/folderto turn off Spotlight indexing. - Add the folder path to System Preferences > Spotlight > Privacy to exclude from search indexing.
- Use rm -rf .DocumentRevisions-V100 to delete revision lock files.
Take caution when disabling folder locks as you lose some data protection. But in certain cases it can help provide reliable access.
Check for Viruses or Corruption
A persistently locked folder may also indicate an underlying file system issue. It’s a good idea to scan for viruses or corruption.
Run a full antivirus scan on the drive containing the locked folder. This will check for any malware that could be interfering with access.
Also check Disk Utility on Mac or CHKDSK on Windows for disk errors and attempt repairs. File system problems can sometimes manifest as locked folders.
In severe cases, you may need to reformat and wipe the drive to fully clear viruses or file system corruption.
Back Up Your Data
Before taking major steps like fully repairing or wiping a disk, ensure your important files are backed up elsewhere. You don’t want to risk losing your data while resolving the locked folder.
Copy important documents, photos, and other files to an external drive or cloud storage. This provides a safe backup in case repairs go wrong.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting a folder in use takes some persistence, but in most cases you can regain access using the right steps:
- Force close any programs with files open in the folder.
- Pause or stop antivirus scans locking the directory.
- Allow file transfers to fully complete before accessing.
- Disconnect from locked network folders when others are using them.
- Restart your computer to reset any stuck processes.
- Delete lock files on Mac very carefully if needed.
- Check and repair any underlying file system problems.
Following this process should help narrow down and resolve the cause so you can once again open and modify files within a locked folder.