Unlocking files when Visual Studio can't

There's an option in Visual Studio that, on compile, will pull all of your XML comments out into separate files. These can then be combined into a help file using a tool like Sandcastle. Most of the time this feature works correctly. If you cancel a build in process, or the compile fails, VS occasionally fails to release the file lock. From that point on, the compile fails with an error stating the file is in use by another process. I've not found a way within VS to force an unlock short of closing the app.

There is, however, a faster way using Process Explorer. Start Process Explorer and select Find > Find Handle or DLL... from the menu. Enter all or part of the filename currently locked, then click Search. You should see the guilty process - devenv.exe in this case.


Double-clicking on the entry will display a list of handles for that app, with the selected handle highlighted. Right-click on the selection and choose Close Handle. You'll see a dialog warning about potential crashes or system instability (meaning don't try this with a system file.) Tell it to continue and the handle will be closed. VS will again compile without issue.