Security News > 2022 > November > New Windows 'LockSmith' PowerToy lets you free locked files
Microsoft has a new utility to the PowerToys toolset that will help Windows users find the processes using selected files and unlock them without requiring a third-party tool.
As its name implies, the new File Locksmith utility can be used to deal with locked files that can't be deleted or opened because Windows says another process is using them.
"File Locksmith lists which processes are using the selected files or directories and allows closing those processes," the tool's description reads.
While, until now, most users would have to install a third-party program designed to get rid of the "Locked" status, you can now check which files are being used by which processes by right-clicking them in the File Explorer and clicking "What's using this file?" in the context menu.
Today's release also bundles a new Hosts File Editor utility that helps manage the Windows Hosts file's contents, enabling force linking or mapping hostnames to IP addresses.
The tool will help you add new entries to the Hosts files and update the ones already available.