Want To Fix Steam Content File Locked? Here How To Do It

Are you receiving the Steam error content file locked error lately? Yes? Well, you do not need to worry about the little petty error as I have solutions for you to fix it- not just one, not two but five solutions. However, you do not need to try them all, just have to try till you will be able to fix this error.

In Steam, there are times when you update a Steam game, the Steam error “content file locked” may pop up. This error means that Steam is not able to write updated files on your hard disk, which will stop you from playing the latest version of any game on your computer system. Therefore, in this article, I am going to pin down several methods which can help you to fix the Steam content file locked error. However, you need to continue reading this article to figure out the solutions

Fix 1. You need to check the antivirus program installed on your PC:

There are several occasions where the antivirus program that you have installed on your PC can lead to this Steam error. Why? Well, because these antivirus applications may see the Steam files as a potential threat to your computer system and stop them from properly functioning. That is why you cannot write those files into your hard disk. So if you find out that this is the situation, you should disable the antiviruses until you can update your Steam game.

Note- I want to let you know that the instructions we have mentioned down below are intended to only temporarily disable, not uninstall, an antivirus program.

So here is how you can disable antivirus in Windows:

1. 1. First of all, on your Windows notification area, you need to open the antivirus protection program icon on the
   2. After you find the antivirus icon, you need to right-click the icon and select the options like Disable, Stop, Shut down, etc. However, in a few cases, you can open the program and disable it by using the program’s menus.

When you are done with the disabling installed antivirus, you need to check the integrity of game files by following the steps down below:

First of all, you need to restart your computer system and open Steam.

After that, you need to go to the Library section and then right-click on the game which is giving you errors. After that, you need to select the Properties option.

Here in the Properties window, you will have to find the Local Files tab and then click the Verify Integrity Of Game Files button and Steam will verify that game in a few minutes.

Lastly, you need to try updating Steam games.

Fix 2. Try to change Steam and Game Files Location:

Method 1 didn’t work? Don’t worry, now you can try changing the location of the Steam installation and the game files if method one didn’t do wonders for you. When you do that, you will be able to solve the content file locked Steam error. Here is how you can change Steam and game file location:

First of all, you need to go to Steam Client and then click Settings.

Here in this step, you have to click Downloads and then select and choose Steam Library Folders situated at the lower-left corner. After that, you will have to select the new location for Steam.

Now, you will have to close the Steam Client and go to your Steam directory.

Note- You have to make sure that the default location is C:\Program Files\Steam.

After performing the above-mentioned step, you now have to delete the exe and all the files except UserData and SteamApp folders.

Now you have to move these files to this location: C:\Program Files\Steam.

Now again you have to log in to Open Steam to check if you can update Steam games.

You have to follow the below-mentioned steps, in case the Steam content file locked persists:

First of all, you need to close your Steam.

After that, you have to search the location where you have placed the Steam.

Now you have to relocate the StyeamApp folder from that directory to your desktop.

Here, you have to uninstall Steam. This step will remove your old Steam settings from your computer system.

After uninstalling, you will have to install Steam again to the initial location that you selected and then you need to move the SteamApps folder to the new Steam directory. What will this do? Well, this step will copy all of your game content, your saved games, and settings.

At last, you have to open Steam and enter your login id and password. You will have to verify the integrity of Steam game files and you will be able to play.

Fix 3. Reset Winsock:

You know what, the Winsock catalog is another thing that may lead to a Steam content file locked error. To get rid of it, you need to follow the below-mentioned steps to reset Winsock:

First of all, you have to press the Windows icon and R key at the same time on the keyboard.

After that, you need to type cmd in the Run box and then click the Ok button which will lead you to the Command Prompt window.

Here, in the Command Prompt window, you have to type netsh Winsock reset in and press the Enter key.

After Winsock has been rested, you can try upgrading games to see if the error is solved or not.

Fix 4. Repair Corrupt Files:

Did you try all the above-mentioned methods and nothing happened? Well, if so then you can try to troubleshoot which file was corrupted or missing. After that, you can re-download the entire file again. In order to repair corrupted files, you have to follow these steps:

First of all, in this fix, you have to exit Steam and go to your Steam directory.

In the second step, you will have to move to the folder Logs and then click on Text.

Here, you have to scroll down to the bottom of the text file and you will have to search if any errors are logging your device.

After the above step, you will now have to search for the folder named root.

Reboot the Steam and move on to your downloading folder. Then you need to click on the Update option at the time when you get it to update the important files to kill the flaw.

Fix 5. Run Steam as Administrator:

You can fix this annoying error by running Steam as an administrator. Here is how you can do that:

First of all, you need to right-click on Steam and then select the Properties option.

Now, you have to check the Run as Administrator option by going to the Compatibility tab and then you need to click the Apply button and then the Ok button in order.

Now you have to run Steam and check if the error is solved or not.

Note- If by any chance that any of the above-mentioned solutions did not work out for you, then unfortunately you have to uninstall Steam and then reinstall it again.

Conclusion

With all these five solutions we have mentioned, this article comes to an end.

I am hopeful that one of the solutions will help you to fix this annoying error. In case you have anything to say, please go to our comment section down below and let us know your thoughts.