Fix CHKDSK Cannot Lock Current Drive Windows 10 – 7 Tips

When you try to run CHKDSK in Windows Command Prompt to scan and fix disk errors in Windows 10, it occurs an error “Cannot lock the current drive. CHKDSK cannot run because the volume is in use by another process”. How to fix this issue? This tutorial introduces several ways to help you solve this problem.

Tip 1. Restart Windows 10 Computer

CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error occurs when another process is using the drive. You can restart your computer to see if the error is fixed. Restarting computer can help fix many minor problems of your computer.

You can click Start -> Power -> Restart to reboot your computer.

Tip 2. Temporarily Disable Antivirus Software

The installed third-party antivirus software can sometimes interfere some computer processes. You can try to temporarily disable all installed third-party antivirus software, and run CHKDSK in Command Prompt again to see if the CHKDSK cannot lock current drive in use by another process error disappears.

Tip 3. Update Windows 10

If this error appears after a Windows Update, it may be caused by a bug in the Windows Update. Generally the bugs will be fixed in newer Windows updates. You can try to update Windows 10 to the latest version to see if it can fix CHKDSK cannot lock current drive Windows 10 problem.

You can click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update, and click Check for updates button. Windows will automatically search for and install available new updates in your computer.

Tip 4. Run chkdsk *: /f /r /x to Remove Disk Write Protection

If the hard disk is write-protected, the CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error may occur. You can follow the guide below to force dismount the volume, remove write protection and fix this error.

Step 1. You can click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt app, and choose Run as administrator. Click OK to open elevated Command Prompt.

Step 2. In Command Prompt window, you can type chkdsk *: /f /r /x command, and hit Enter. Replace “*” with the drive letter of the target volume you’d like to scan.

The “/f” switch will find and fix disk error. The “/r” switch will locate the bad sectors on the hard disk and try to recover readable information from the bad sectors. The “/x” switch will force dismount the target hard drive. (Related: chkdsk /f or /r)

If you don’t need to check bad sectors on the disk which may cost a long time, you can just type chkdsk *: /f /x.

Check if CHKDSK can run smoothly. If you meet the “Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process. Would you like to schedule this volume to be checked the next time the system restarts? (Y/N)” message, type “Y” and press Enter. Then you can restart your computer and CHKDSK should run on the startup.

If this method doesn’t work, then try other solutions below.

Tip 5. Run CHKDSK in Safe Mode

You can try to run CHKDSK in Safe Mode to see if it can fix CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error in Windows 10. Check the how-to guide below.

Step 1. You can click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Recovery. Click Restart now button under Advanced startup, and your computer should restart into Windows Recovery Environment.

Step 2. In Windows RE, you can click Troubleshoot -> Advanced options -> Startup Settings -> Restart.

Step 3. Choose a Safe Mode option in Startup Settings window. You can press F4 to start Windows 10 in Safe Mode.

Step 4. Next you can press Windows + R, type cmd, press Ctrl + Shift + Enter, click OK to run Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 5. Then you can type chkdsk *: /f /r /x in Command Prompt, and hit Enter. Replace “*” with the letter of the target drive.

Check if CHKDSK cannot lock current drive Windows 10 error has been solved. If you want to exit Safe Mode, you can restart your computer, and it will go back to normal mode.

Tip 6. Run CHKDSK through Advanced Startup Options

You can also enter into Advanced options screen in Windows 10, and boot into Command Prompt in Windows 10. Then check if CHKDSK can run smoothly.

Step 1. You can click Start -> Settings -> Update & Security -> Recovery, and click Restart now button under Advanced startup.

Then click Troubleshoot -> Advanced options to access Advanced options in Windows 10.

Click Command Prompt in Advanced options window. Select the administrator account, and enter the account password to open Command Prompt.

Step 2. After you are in Command Prompt window, you can type the command chkdsk *: /f /r /x, and press Enter. Replace “*” with the actual drive letter.

Tip: If you want to run CHKDSK to check system drive, after you open Command Prompt in this method, the system drive letter may not be C, and it may be D. To verify the system drive letter, you can use Windows Diskpart tool.

Type diskpart in Command Prompt, and press Enter to open Diskpart. Type list volume, and hit Enter to list all drives. Then you can check the drive letter of each partition. Type exit, and press Enter to close Diskpart screen.

Then you can type chkdsk *: /f /r /x, and replace “*” with the exact drive letter, and hit Enter to check and repair hard drive errors. It should fix the cannot lock current drive DHKDSK Windows 10 error.

Tip 7. Use MiniTool Partition Wizard to Check and Fix Disk Errors

If all the above solutions don’t work, then you can try another free tool to check and fix hard disk errors.

MiniTool Partition Wizard free edition allows you to check and fix disk errors, as well as check bad sectors with ease.

This top hard drive partition manager also lets you create/resize/extend/format partition, copy disk, migrate OS, convert disk format, test hard drive speed, analyze hard drive space, etc.

Free download MiniTool Partition Wizard Free on your Windows 10 computer, and check how to use it to check and fix disk errors, and check bad sectors.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard to enter into its main interface.

Step 2. Select the target partition on the target disk, right-click it and choose Check File System. Then you can select check & fix file system error option, and click Start. MiniTool Partition Wizard will start examining and fixing the detected disk errors.

Step 3. If you want to find out if there are bad sectors on your drive, you can right-click the target partition, and select Surface Test. MiniTool Partition Wizard will scan and mark the detected bad sectors.

If you meet the CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error when running CHKDSK in Windows 10, you can use this best alternative to check and repair disk errors.

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Recover Data from Windows 10 PC with MiniTool Power Data Recovery

If the hard disk has some problems or is really damaged, you may lose some data.

You can use MiniTool Power Data Recovery to try to recover data from hard drive (incl, corrupted/formatted hard drive).

MiniTool Power Data Recovery not only helps you recover deleted/lost files from Windows computer, but also allows you to recover data from external hard drive, SSD, USB drive, SD card, etc. It can tackle various data loss situations for you.

Download MiniTool Power Data Recovery on your Windows 10/8/7 computer, and follow the instructions below to recover data from hard drive.

MiniTool Power Data Recovery TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Power Data Recovery. In the main UI, you can choose This PC. Then choose the partition in the right window which contains your lost data. Click Scan button, and this smart data recovery software will start scanning the chosen hard drive.

Step 2. After the scan process finishes, you can browse the scan result to find needed files and check them. Click Save button to select the destination path to store the recovered files. You should choose a new device to save the recovered files to avoid data overwriting. Remember it’s almost impossible to recover overwritten files.

Back up Important Data Before Running CHKDSK

You can try the 7 tips above to fix CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error in Windows 10, and then run CHKDSK to check and fix disk errors. Before you run CHKDSK, it’s advised you backup important data first. You may lose some data if CHKDSK tries to recover readable information after it finds some bad sectors. (Related: Recover data after CHKDSK)

MiniTool ShadowMaker is a free file and system backup software compatible with Windows 10/8/7.

You can use MiniTool ShadowMaker to easily backup files, folders, partitions, disk to external hard drive, USB, network drive, etc. Support automatic schedule backup and incremental backup.

It also supports Windows system backup and restore.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Open MiniTool ShadowMaker. Click Keep Trial button, and click Connect under This Computer.

Step 2. Next you can click Backup button at the top. Then click Source section to choose source files or partitions you’d like to backup, and click Destination section to choose a destination path to store the backups.

Step 3. At last, you can click Back up Now button to start backing up selected files or partitions.

Conclusion

Hope you can solve CHKDSK cannot lock current drive error in Windows with one of the tips in this post.

If you have problems with how to use MiniTool software, please contact [email protected].

CHKDSK Cannot Lock Current Drive FAQ

Also read: Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or a casual computer user, this article on hard drive data recovery service is a must-read to safeguard your data and regain peace of mind.