Proven Solutions to Remove Lock Icons from Files

Have you noticed that the file is covered with a yellow lock icon? In this case, you cannot open the file in the normal way. But does this mean you cannot access the file? Of course not. This MiniTool article will show you some tested ways to remove the lock icon from the file.

Why does a lock icon exist on the file?

Files with lock icons mean that they have been encrypted by other users using Windows Encrypted File System (EFS). Such files can only be opened and edited by users who lock them. If you need to use these files, you need to remove the lock icon on the file by decrypting it.

How to remove the lock icon on a file?

Method 1: Change the ownership of the file

The most convenient way to make a file accessible is to change its file ownership. This method works best if you have only one or several files locked.

You can right-click on the target file and select File Ownership > Personal to remove the lock icon on the file.

If you have a large number of files that need to be decrypted, you can try the next two methods.

Method 2: Remove the lock through advanced attributes

You can change the encryption properties of a folder by following the steps below.

Step 1: Right-click the folder and select Properties at the bottom of the context menu.

Step 2: Click the Advanced button under the General tab.

Step 3: Uncheck Encrypted content to securely protect the data and click OK .

Step 4: Return to the Properties window, you need to click OK . Then, in the prompt confirmation window, select Apply changes to this folder, subfolders, and files , and click OK to confirm.

After performing these operations, you can decrypt the file and successfully open the file.

Method 3: Use the command prompt to decrypt the file

The last method is to use a command prompt (a built-in tool for Windows) to remove the padlock on the file.

Step 1: Press Win R to open the "Run" window.

Step 2: Type cmd in the text box and press Shift Ctrl Enter to run the command prompt as administrator.

Step 3: Type the following command line and press Enter to execute.

cipher /d /s:“文件路径”

Additional Tips

Sometimes, your files may be locked by ransomware. Locked ransomware may block you from entering the desktop, while encrypted ransomware can lock your important files. If your files are locked due to virus attacks, you cannot decrypt them using the above methods and you need to seek help from professional data recovery software.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery is a powerful free file recovery tool for all Windows systems. This tool is able to recover lost or deleted files under a variety of circumstances, including when the computer fails to start. Additionally, you can use it to recover files from SD cards, hard drives, USB flash drives, and other data storage devices.

If you need to recover deleted files, MiniTool Power Data Recovery is worth a try.

Summarize

This article shares three ways to remove padlock or lock icons from files. All of these methods are easy to master. Hopefully you can successfully decrypt the file using the information in this article.

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