Content File Locked Error on Steam – How to fix it

There have been many instances where users are getting the error of content file locked error on Steam, stating the inability to access game files on PC. To reverse the same, we have a fix for you!

1. Reset Winsock

Winsock is a program that handles input/output requests for Windows. Sometimes to fix the Content file locked error on Steam, you need to reset Winsock. To do this, follow the command below.

1. Press the Windows Key + R keys.
2. Type netsh Winsock reset and press Enter.
3. Restart your computer

2. Change Steam and Game File Location.

1. Go to Stream Client and click Settings.
2. Click Downloads and select Steam Library Folders.
3. Select the Add Library folder and select the new location for Steam.
4. Close the Steam Client.
5. Go to your Steam directory. The default location is C:\Program Files\Steam.
6. Delete the application exe and all the files except UserData and SteamApp folders.
7. Move these files to the location you specified in Step 3.
8. Open Steam and log in again.

If the error persists, move on to these steps:

1. Exit Steam.
2. Go to the new Steam location.
3. Backup SteamApps folder from the directory to any other location
4. Uninstall Steam and reinstall it in the new location
5. Move the SteamApps folder in the Steam directory.
6. Launch Steam and log in to check the issue is solved.

3. Add Steam to the Exception in Your Antivirus.

An antivirus may block access to the app in many cases, which may end up throwing up an error. In such cases, it is better to disable antivirus at first to check the issue. If Steam is working correctly, then it’s the antivirus that’s causing the problem. To fix that, open the settings of your antivirus, click on Exclusions/Exceptions, click on Add, and locate the application executable file’s directory to add it to the list of exceptions.

4. Run Steam as an Administrator

Initially, windows do not allow full access to any application unless it’s a system app. This can prevent apps from accessing their website and may not allow them to work properly. This can be solved by running Steam as Administrator.

1. First of all, terminate all the existing background processes running by Steam. To do that, open Task Manager (press the Windows key and type “Task Manager.”
2. Right-click on the Steam app, and select “End Task.”

3. Close task manager, now right-click on the application from which Steam is launched

4. Click on “Run as administrator.”

5. Opt-out of beta games

People opting for the beta have also reported this error. Since it’s an initial stage for the new version, it is better to opt for the stable version for better performance.

1. Launch steam
2. On the options displayed above horizontally, click on Library.
3. Right-click on the game that’s causing the problem, click on properties
4. Click on the betas option, then select none.
5. An update might be needed for the same, after the launch of the game to see whether the issue is fixed or not

These are some solutions that may help in fixing the error. Let us know in the comments section which solution has worked out for you.