LOCK File Extension

What is the .LOCK file type?

Having historically evolved from the Unix world, the .lock filename extension generally belongs to so called 'lockfiles.' A lockfile concept involves presence of some kind of marker to signal that another file or resource is being currently locked, or used exclusively by a process or application.

A locked file is a file currently being changed and/or updated, with all other concurrent access attempts blocked to ensure data integrity.

Thus, a file with the .lock extension is a semaphore-type signal, communicating a certain status with its mere presence, so .lock files may have arbitrary content. Although, sometimes a .lock file would contain ID number of the locking process and other contextual data. LOCK files would be generally created at the same location with the file/directory being locked. Often, a .lock file would have the same filename as the file being locked with the .lock extension appended to it.

Many operating systems and applications use .lock files as a mechanism to declare locking of files, directories and devices.

In Mojang Minecraft, a popular open-model online/offline world building and landscaping video game, .lock files are used to ensure consistency of Minecraft worlds between game sessions. In Minecraft, a .lock file stores a 8-byte long timestamp of the moment the world was last accessed, vesting the world's ownership on the most recent session taken.

Software to open or convert LOCK files

VLC media player by VideoLAN

 

Notepad++ by Notepad++ Team

 

Windows 10 Manager - File Security

 

Mozilla Firefox by Mozilla

 

Windows Live™ Movie Maker

 

Free File Viewer Pro

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