Games

Fixed: Steam Content File Locked

Occasionally, when updating a Steam game, a steam content file locked error will appear. The following is shown in the window:

An error occurred while updating [game] (Content file locked)

steam content file locked

This means Steam won’t be able to save updates to the hard drive. There may be a number of solutions to this issue. The most successful method is to uninstall Steam as well as all local game content and start over. While this method worked for many users, it is a time-consuming process that consumes a significant amount of data. Before taking the drastic steps outlined above, we will attempt to troubleshoot any minor issues that may be present.

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When trying to update those games, several users reported getting the Content file locked Steam error. This error indicates that Steam is unable to write files to the hard drive. Since this is a major issue for some users, we’ll show you how to resolve it today.

Repair System Files That Have Been Corrupted

Download and run Restore to search for corrupt files from here; if files are found to be corrupt or incomplete, restore them and see if that resolves the problem; if not, continue with the solutions mentioned below.

Solution 1: Steam content file locked? Check Antivirus!

Your antivirus may be the source of the problem in many cases. It’s not uncommon for it to flag Steam files as potentially infective and quarantine them. Various methods for disabling antivirus before you can update your game are described below.

McAfee Antivirus is an antivirus program developed by McAfee.

There is no way for McAfee to remove specific files from its real-time scanning. The only way to avoid this is to turn off your antivirus completely before the game is changed. To do so, open McAfee and go to the “Virus and Spyware Protection” section. The choice of “Real-Time Scanning” can be found here. Switch off the option by clicking it.

Then, to ensure the security of the game files, follow the steps below.

  • Step 1- Steam should be relaunched after you restart your machine.
  • Step 2- Go to the library section and right-click on the game that’s causing you trouble.
  • Step 3- Select the local files to tab from the properties menu.
  • Step 4- Steam can check the game’s integrity in a few minutes if you click the verify integrity of game files button.

Hopefully, your Steam would not have any problems after following the steps above.

ESET NOD32

NOD32 has a habit of classifying certain program files as malicious and quarantining them. This often leads to an error when updating a game. Copies the address from your new Steam directory. The Steam directory’s default location is

C:\Program File\Steam\SteamApps\common

Open ESET NOD32 after copying the address and paste it in the exclude from real-time scanning section.

You’ll be fine if you use the method mentioned above to check the integrity of game files.

Kaspersky AV

Steam could be flagged as an intruder by Kaspersky and prevented from making any changes to the hard drive. To correct this, go to ‘threads and exclusions.’ Add Steam.exe as a trusted program in the ‘trusted region.’ Remember to enable Do not limit program operation and Do not search opened files in the settings.

Restart your machine after using the ‘verify integrity of game files’ method mentioned above.

Solution 2: Steam content file locked? Try resetting Winsock!

The Winsock catalog is another problem that may cause the update to fail. We may use the command to reset it, which will return it to its default settings.

  • Step 1- To open the run window, press the Win (windows) + R keys together (make sure to run it as administrator).
  • Step 2- Type ‘netsh Winsock reset’ in the dialogue box (excluding the quotes).
  • Step 3- Start your machine after running the order.

Solution 3: Steam content file locked? Try Repairing corrupt files.

If none of these methods function, we can try troubleshooting which file went corrupt/missing and re-downloading the entire file.

  • Step 1- Exit Steam and go to C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam to find your Steam directory. Navigate to the installation’s custom location if you’ve selected one.
  • Step 2- Open the ‘txt’ file in the ‘logs’ folder.
  • Step 3- Check for recent errors at the bottom of the text file.

The first number in the URL is your APPID, which in this case is (346110) for ARK Survival Evolved.

  • Step 4- Navigate to the mod’s root folder, which is 570371714 in this case. It doesn’t have a set file size because the root folders of different games will differ.
  • Step 5- Return to the downloads folder after restarting Steam. You’ll notice that Steam will request an update for the game here. You’ll be good to go once you’ve updated the requisite data.

PRO TIP: If the problem is with your device or laptop/notebook, use Restoro Repair to search the repositories and patch any corrupt or missing files. This works in the vast majority of situations where the problem is caused by a system flaw.

Solution 4: Steam content file locked? Try Relocating Steam Installation and Game Files.

If the simpler methods didn’t work, we’ll have to reinstall Steam and reinstall the game. This approach is divided into two parts. In the first section, we attempt to reinstall Steam and hope that it will start and run normally. If an error occurs during the launch, we must reinstall Steam. The whole procedure is outlined below.

  • Step 1- To change your Steam client’s settings, go to the Steam client’s settings page.
  • Step 2- Choose ‘Downloads’ and then ‘Steam Library Folders.’
  • Step 3- Find a new path where you want Steam to be located by clicking on ‘Add Library Folder.’
  • Step 4- This will provide a potential course for all of the installations. Now we’ll transfer any existing Steam files to the location you specified.
  • Step 5- Close the Steam application.
  • Step 6- Go to the Steam directory you’re already in (default is: C: \Program Files \Steam).
  • Step 7- Except for the SteamApps and UserData directories, delete all files and folders. Also, don’t get rid of the exe file.
  • Step 8- All of the files should be cut and pasted into the new directory you created earlier.
  • Step 9- Restart Steam and log in again.

Follow the steps below if you run into any issues when transferring the steam folder or after launching it.

  • Step 1- Steam should be turned off.
  • Step 2- Navigate to the spot where Steam was relocated.
  • Step 3- Move the ‘SteamApps’ folder to your desktop from that directory.
  • Step 4- Remove Steam from your computer (this is done to remove your old Steam settings from your PC).
  • Step 5- Install Steam in the same spot where you first installed it.
  • Step 6- In the new Steam directory, copy the SteamApps archive. This will copy all of your saved games and settings, as well as the content of your game.
  • Step 7- Start Steam and sign in with your account details.
  • Step 8- You’ll be able to play after verifying the integrity of Steam game files.

Solution 5: Steam content file locked? Try checking disc scan!

It’s likely that the game installation’s Hard Drive has been compromised or contains bad sectors. A hard drive with “Poor” sectors slows down and prevents access to some parts of the drive. As a result, you can try running a “Disc Search” scan to see if the drive has any bad sectors. As a result:

  • Step 1- Simultaneously press the “Windows” and “R” buttons.
  • Step 2- In the dialogue box, type “cmd” and click “Enter.”
  • Step 3- To run it, type “chkdsk c: /f” and click “Enter.”
  • Step 4- To confirm the scheduling of a disc check scan, press “Y.”
  • Step 5- Wait for the Disk Check scan to finish before checking to see if the problem still exists.

Solution 6: Steam content file locked? Try running as administrator.

Steam can need special permissions to access those folders and files in certain cases. If the special permissions are not issued, Windows can prevent you from accessing the folder, and the message “Content File is Locked” may appear. As a result, we’ll run “Steam” as Administrator in this step. As a result:

  • Step 1- Pick the “Properties” option from the right-click menu on the steam icon.
  • Step 2-Check the “Run as Administrator” option under the “Compatibility” tab.
  • Step 3-After that, click “Apply” and then “OK.”
  • Step 4-Restart Steam to see if the problem still exists.

TIP:

If none of the above methods have worked, we suggest using Restoro Repair Tool, which can search repositories and replace corrupt and incomplete data. This works in the vast majority of situations where the problem is caused by a system flaw. Restoro will also maximize the efficiency of your machine.

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