Last Updated on October 13, 2026
There are many desktop virtualization programs you can use to create virtual machines on your home computer such as VMware Workstation, VMware Player, VirtualBox, Parallels, Hyper-V Desktop and so on. Out of the aforementioned virtualization platforms, VMware Workstation tends to be one of the better performing applications. It handles complex networking and storage tasks efficiently.
In practice, this “virtual machine appears to be in use” message is rarely caused by another human actually running the VM elsewhere. It is instead a side effect of how VMware Workstation manages lock files and host resources behind the scenes. An unclean shutdown, host sleep or hibernation, a crashed VMware service, or even aggressive antivirus scanning can leave stale lock information behind. This makes Workstation believe the machine is still active.
When this happens, repeatedly clicking Take Ownership doesn’t address the underlying condition. It may even risk file corruption if the VM genuinely was mid-operation. Understanding why Workstation raises this warning and what it is really protecting helps you resolve the issue safely rather than treating it as a simple nuisance dialog.
Diagnosing the Virtual Machine Error
1. Identify the Ownership Prompt
One common problem you may encounter when trying to start a virtual machine configured in VMware Workstation is a specific startup block. You may receive an error saying the virtual machine appears to be in use. The software wants you to click the Take Ownership button to remedy the problem. Most users click this button expecting an instant fix.
2. Review the Failure Message
Then when you click the Take Ownership button, you receive a secondary failure message. The prompt says Could not open the virtual machine, taking ownership of this virtual machine failed. The virtual machine is in use by an application on your host computer. You are now completely locked out of your guest operating system.
Removing the Stale Lock Files
1. Locate Your Virtual Machine Files
Fortunately, this is easy to fix. It takes one simple step to fix this VMware Workstation virtual machine appears to be in use error. To fix this problem, you will need to browse to the exact location of your virtual machine files on your hard drive. The software stores these critical files in a dedicated folder.
2. Find the Working Directory
If you do not know this location, you can find it right inside the application menu. Go to the settings of the virtual machine in VMware Workstation. Then go to the Options tab. Look in the General section at the path listed in the Working directory box. Copy this exact file path to your clipboard.
3. Identify the Locked Folders
Once you find the location of your virtual machine files, you can go to that location in File Manager. Look for any folders with the name of the VM that have the vmdk.lck extension after them. These are locked files associated directly with the virtual machine. They prevent concurrent access to the virtual disk.
4. Delete the Lock Extensions
You can then delete these specific folders from the virtual machine’s working directory. Highlight the .lck directories and send them straight to your recycle bin. Once you delete these folders, you can then try to power on your virtual machine once again. The error message should not come back. Your virtual machine will boot normally.
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