How to Troubleshoot Steam ‘Content File is Locked’ on Windows PC

Steam is a digital video game distribution platform launched in September 2003 and developed by Valve Corporation. The platform was designed to automatically update its own games, but over time was expanded to include third-party games.

Blocking Steam content files is a widespread bug, so common that it is often misunderstood and seen as a complicated or confusing problem. But with the right, thoughtful approach, you can fix the Steam error without much effort.

What causes the “Content file is locked” in Steam?

Most of the messages about this error come after updating various games. In other words, Steam can’t access the files you need to update. This is usually due to permission issues. read more