The process cannot access the file another process has locked

VMware Workstation is a virtualization software that allows you to run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical host. This virtualization solution is often used by System Administrators developers, and software testers. Please see how to Create or delete snapshots on VMware Workstation, and How to install Windows Server 2022 on VMware Workstation. In this article, we shall discuss the steps to fix the following error “The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file Cannot open the disk”.

Below is the error that was prompted when you try to Power up the VM. In the next section, we shall discuss some of the reasons for this error.

The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file Cannot open the disk ‘C:\Users\Christian\Documents\Virtual Machines\Windows Server 2019 – Es-DC\Windows Server 2019 – Es-DC.vmdk’ or one of the snapshot disks it depends on. Module ‘Disk’ power on failed. Failed to start the virtual machine

Reason for the Error “VM file process has locked a portion of the file”

The error message is specific to VMware virtualization and reveals that there are issues with the virtual machine (VM) disk file. Unfortunately, you cannot directly pinpoint the reason for this error as they various issues that can result in this behaviour.

I would advise reviewing the VMware logs to get more specific information about the problem. Logs can provide insights into what caused the issue. But regardless of the root cause, the steps below will help resolve your concerns.

In my case, the VM disk files were locked after reinstalling the VMware Tools and in between the VM restart, the host system restarted due to Windows Updates therefore leading to the disk locking issues.

Solution

To fix the error below. Access the Virtual Machine files by firing up Explorer and navigating to the VM Folder.

process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file

Alternatively, you could Edit the Virtual Machine Settings or Right-click on the VM to select the “Settings” button as shown below.

This will open up the virtual machine settings pane. Navigate to the option menu. Under General, on the right pane of the windows, browse to the working directory as shown below.

For comfortability, let’s navigate through File Explorer to the following path “C:\Users\Christian\Documents\Virtual Machines\Windows Server 2019”.

Please delete any *.lck files and folders in the VM folder. Select each folder to delete or delete all at once as you wish.

When the above steps are completed, close the File Explorer, reopen the VMware Workstation and power on the VM. If the VM is not loaded already to VMware Workstation, load the VM and Power it up.

You may be interested in these How to disable Lock Screen on Windows 10, How to disable automatic screen lock in Ubuntu Linux. Also, see how to fix “The security database on the server does not have a computer account for this workstation trust relation [Part 1]“.

FAQ on fixing VMware workstation .lck error

What does the error “The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file” mean?

To recap, this error message occurs when a process attempts to access a file. But another process has the exclusive lock portion on it. This exclusive lock prevents other processes from modifying the locked portion of the file simultaneously

Why use VMware workstation?

VMware Workstation enables you to create and run multiple virtual machines on a single host. Each VM is isolated from the others, thereby making it an ideal environment for testing, and development without interference.

I hope you found this blog post on “How to The process cannot access the file because another process has locked a portion of the file”. Please let me know in the comment section if you have any questions.