If the drawer doesn t slide smoothly then it may have fallen off the track that lets it open.
File cabinet drawer won t open all the way.
Look in the back for any contents in the drawer box that might be sticking up or out the back of the drawer box preventing it from completely closing.
The drawers have to be closed but there is a stop tab at the back of each drawer if the tab or tabs for that drawer is missing and the drawer or drawers go in too far then it goes past the mechanism and it s the same as if it were open line all the drawers up flush with the face of the cabinet and one drawer will open.
Some file cabinets have a makeup that won t allow you to pry at them but others are easier to slip tools into.
Remove anything that might prevent the drawer from closing all the way.
Pull down gently on the file cabinet drawer if you cannot get it to open at all.
Pulling down as you pull the drawer open helps dislodge those stuck papers and allows you to pull the drawer open and rearrange the paperwork.
Open the drawer as far as possible.
Papers often become lodged in the top of the drawer especially if the file cabinet is very full.