Gaming is an integral part of a lot of people’s lives times today. And Steam has plays a massive role in today’s gaming trends. But Steam can sometimes be a real headache. It is very prone to recurring errors which although most of the times are very simple but appear very complex to the users.
At times, during the update of a Steam game, people encounter an error that says “An error occurred while updating (game) [Content file locked].
This error implies that Steam is unable to write update files into your hard disk. There are numerous solutions to resolve this issue. One of the most effective ways to fix this error is to uninstall the Steam along with the entire local game content and then reinstall it back. Although this method has instantly fixed this problem for a lot of users, it is a tedious and time-consuming job.
This is why we have compiled a number of easy and quick fixes to this issue that you can utilize before jumping onto the exhausting process mentioned above. This includes diagnosing and troubleshooting small issues which may have caused this error.
Ways to Fix Steam Content File Locked Issue
Given below are some of the most basic and efficient ways to fix this issue in the simplest way. We suggest you read the entire article properly before carrying out any of these methods. Doing so will save you from messing around with your hard disk and will save your time as well. Let’s get started!
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Solution 1 – Check Antivirus
In majority of the cases, the antivirus is the root of the problem. It is very common for the antivirus to mark the Steam files as threats and quarantine them. Below we have discussed various ways to disable your antivirus till the time you update the game.
McAfee Antivirus
Unfortunately, McAfee Antivirus cannot exclude certain data from the real time scanning. This leaves us with only one option, that is to disable McAfee completely till your game is updated. To do so, launch McAfee and click on “Virus and Spyware Protection”. Now you will see an option that says “Real-time Scanning”. Click on it and then turn it off. After that, carry out the instructions given below in order to verify the integrity of your game files.
Step 1 – Start by restarting your PC. Then, relaunch Steam.
Step 2 – Then, go to the library section and right click on your game that is causing issues.
Step 3 – Now, click on the properties. Then, click on the local files tab.
Step 4 – Finally, select the verify integrity of game file option and Steam will then verify that game within a few moments.
Hopefully now Steam won’t cause any troubles for you.
ESET NOD32
NOD32 is well known for marking certain files and apps as malacious which it mostly quaratines within your system. This leads to errors popping up during a game updates. Navigate to the current Steam directory and then copy the address. In case you are wondering, the default location for your Steam directory is “C:\ProgramFile\Steam\SteamApps\common.
Once you have copied this address, launch ESET NOD32 and then paste this location in the “exclude from real time scanning”. Now, follow all the “verify integrity of game files” steps that were mentioned in the previous section and you are good to go.
Kaspersky AV
It may flag Steam as a threat or intruder at times and would prevent the program from carrying out any functions involving your hard drive. In order to resolve this, navigate to “threads and exclusions”. Now, head over to the “trusted zone” and then add Steam.exe as a harmless or trusted app. Don’t forget to change settings to “Do not scan opened files” and “Do not restrict application activity”. After that, carry out the “verify integrity of game files” steps given above and then reboot your PC.
Solution 2 – Reset Winsock
Winsock Catalog is another reason behind the failure of your game update. But don’t worry, you can try execute the command in order to reset it and then in turn, it will go back to the original default settings.
Step 1 – At first, press the Windows + R key combination in order to open the Run window.
NOTE: Ensure that you are logged in as the administrator.
Step 2 – A dialogue bar will appear. Type n”netsh winsock reset” this dialogue bar.
Step 3 – Finally, execute the command and then reboot your PC.
Solution 3 – Repair Corrupt Files
If the above two solutions did not work for you then you can just troubleshoot which file went missing or corrupt and then try to download that entire file again.
Step 1 – At first, exit Steam and then go to the Steam directory. The default location for it is “C:/Program Files(x86)/Steam”. In case you have some other custom location for it’s installation, then navigate to that place.
Step 2 – Now, go to the folder called “logs” and then open “txt“.
Step 3 – Then, reach the bottom of the text file. Next, search for the recent error.
Step 4 – Now, go to the root folder. In this case, it will be 576371714. This folder has a certain file size. It’s because different root folders of different games have different size.
Step 5 – At last, restart Steam and then go to the downloads folder. The Steam will ask you for an update for the game here. Update the relevant files and you are done.
Solution 4 – Relocate Steam Installation and Game Files
If the above solutions didn’t do any justice to you, then another great way is to relocate the Steam Installation along with the game files. This solution comprise of two parts. The first part includes relocation of the Steam assuming that it will open and run smoothly.
In case, an error pops up, you have to reinstall Steam. Steps to do so are given below. However, it is to be noted that any disturbances during this process can corrupt your files. Thus, user will have to resort to reinstalling it again.
Step 1 – At first, go to the Steam client. Then, click on Settings.
Step 2 – Now, click on Downloads and then select “Steam Library Folders“.
Step 3 – Next, select the option “Add Library Folder“. After that, select the path where you wish your Steam to be located. This defines the future path for all your installations to happen. Next, we will focus on moving all the existing Steam files to the new path of Steam.
Step 4 – Exit Steam. Go to the current Steam directory. By default the location is “C:\Program Files\Steam“.
Step 5 – Now, delete all the folders and files except the ones that says SteamApps and UserData. Here, ensure you don’t delete exe.
Step 6 – After that, cut the remaining folders and then paste them in the new directory you created in the previous steps.
Step 7 – At last, open Steam and re-login.
Incase you face any problems during moving your Steam folder or after you launch it, carry out the steps given below.
Step 1 – Exit Steam. Navigate to the place you relocated Steam.
Step 2 – Now, cut the folder that says “SteamApps” and paste it on the desktop.
Step 3 – Next, uninstall your Steam in order to remove all the old Steam settings from the system. Then, install it again in the initial location which you chose.
Step 4 – Then, relocate the SteamApps folder within your new Steam directory. Doing so will copy all the settings, gaming content and saved games.
Step 5 – At last, open Steam and login. Then, verify the integrity of the game files and problem solved!
Solution 5 – Check Disk Scan
A lot of times, a corrupt or damaged hard disk can be the reason behind this error. The hard disk that contains all your game installations may also have bad sectors. If it has bad sectors then it will slow down which will make certain areas of the hard drive inaccessible. Therefore, users can run a simple “Disk Check” scan in order to ensure that the hard drive is working efficiently. For doing so:
Step 1 – First of all, press the Windows + R keys combination.
Step 2 – Now, a dialogue box will appear. Type “cmd” in the dialogue box and then press the Enter key.
Step 3 – After that, type “chkdskc:/5” and hit the Enter in order to initiate.
Step 4 – Press “Y” in order to confirm the disk check scan. After the scan completes, check if the issue still persists.
Solution 6 – Run as Administrator
In certain cases, Steam asks special consent in order to gain access to some files and folders. In case the permission is not granted, it can be blocked by the Operating System from getting access to the folder. Here a message will show up saying “Content File is locked”.
Therefore, in this solution we have to run “Steam” as an Administrator. Follow the steps given below to do that:
Step 1 – First of all, you have to right click on Steam icon. Then, click on the Properties option.
Step 2 – Now, select the Compatibility tab and clock an option that says “Run as Administrator“.
Step 3 – After that, click on Apply. Then, click on OK.
Step 4 – Finally, run Steam and see if the error has resolved or not.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, this was all you need to know about this particular error in Steam. This situation is not complex. Once you go through the article patiently you will realize its only a matter or common sense and hit and trial.
Read the entire article before jumping onto the process. This way you will be able to diagnose the root of the problem more efficiently and use the solution which will instantly work for you.
If you are confused about the whole thing then you can start with the first solution and work your way down from there. We hope this article proves useful in fixing this error. Thank you for reading. Happy gaming!