How to delete a folder if it says that. How to delete a folder on a computer if the system says that it is open in another program

Unable to delete a folder or separate file applications - a common problem in OS Windows, from the old XP version to the new "tens". If you're trying to delete a file without closing the program, that's one thing. In this case, it is enough to close a running application, for example, a game, and the issue will be resolved. Well, in other cases, it will be necessary to apply certain actions to solve the problem using system or software methods.

Often there are such errors when trying to delete a file or an entire folder:

• the file cannot be deleted because it hangs in the task manager (busy with the process);
• the file cannot be deleted because it is open in some program;
• Administrator permission is required to perform the action.

There are a number of ways in which you can remove desired file or folder. This can be done both by means of the system and by special utilities and programs.

Before starting the process, make sure that remote file will not cause instability operating system. When cleaning your computer from unnecessary "garbage", do not delete system files, without which its stable operation is impossible.

Files occupied by the process can be deleted both by means of the system itself and third party programs. In the article, we will tell and show in screenshots how such files will be deleted in Unlocker, DeadLock and Live CD. The first two programs are free and suitable for unprepared users.

If you are trying to delete such files, such as hiberfil.sys, the methods discussed in this article do not apply to them. In this case, you need to read the instructions for disabling "winter hibernation", the energy-saving mode of the PC operating system, or setting up the hidden system paging file pagefile.sys. Deleting the Windows.old folder may also help.

Deleting a file without additional programs

If the file cannot be deleted because it is in use by the process, the system will inform you about it. In this case, the notification will contain the name of the process, due to which the deletion is impossible. Most often, the files are "busy" by the main process Windows programs explorer. And if the file is "released", it will be easy to delete it.

You can close the process in the task manager. To run it, do the following:

• If you have Windows XP or "seven", press the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Del.
• If you have an "eight" or "ten", press Win + X and select the task manager.

See what process is occupied by the desired file. Once you remove the task, you can easily delete it.

But to delete the file occupied by the main process of the Explorer program, it is not enough just to remove the task. It will have to be removed only using the command line. First, run it, remove the explorer.exe task, and only then delete it by typing del full_path_to_your_file.

Now, to return the standard view of the Desktop, it is necessary to restart the main Windows Explorer process. This is done in the task manager. On the "File" tab, select "Run a new task" and in the window that opens, select "explorer.exe".

The process is running again, and the desktop looks standard.

Removing a locked file using a bootable USB flash drive or disk

Boot the operating system from any Live CD, such as bootable flash drive, USB flash drive, from the OS recovery disc. When booting from a Live CD, either the command line or the standard operating system GUI can be used. When you boot the OS from any USB drive, the hard drive partitions may have different letters. In order not to make a mistake when deleting a file, it is better to use the dir command. For example, the "dir d" command will show all the folders stored on that drive.

If you boot the system from a flash drive or installation disk for "seven" and "eight", after loading the language selection window or at another stage, run command line using a combination Shift keys and F10. But you can also use System Restore. Here you can see a similar situation with changing drive letters, so don't forget to use the dir command as well.

Using DeadLock to Unlock and Delete Files

Many users who have previously resorted to help free program Unlocker, are gradually moving to an alternative option - DeadLock. In the last year, along with the Unlocker distribution, extra programs are also downloaded that are installed on a computer without the user's knowledge. Also, the program is perceived ambiguously antivirus programs and browsers.

The free utility DeadLock works on the same principle: it releases the lock and deletes files. In the declared functions, there is also the ability to change the owner of the file, but we have not tested it.

So how does the program work. If the file cannot be deleted because it is being occupied by a program process, launch DeadLock and select File. Now add your file to the program list and click the mouse. Now three actions are available to you: unlocking (Unlock), removal (Remove) moving (Move).

The peculiarity of DeadLock is that after unlocking the file, it does not add this action to the Explorer program.

Free Unlocker to Unlock Files That Can't Be Deleted

Until some time, we already wrote above, the Unlocker program enjoyed great love from users. It easily, without problems and quickly deleted any file occupied by the process.

Using the program is easy: click on the file you want to delete and unlock it.

The program works in the same way as DeadLock: kills the process and then deletes the file. But it also has distinctive advantages: the program is able to capture even those processes that are not shown by the dispatcher.

Why the file or folder is not deleted

The official website of the operating system developer corporation gives little information about why it is sometimes impossible to delete certain folders and files.

What can prevent deleting a file or folder

Perhaps you do not have enough rights to change the file and folder, and then delete it. The file may not be deleted also due to certain PC administrator settings.

Another option is also relevant - when the file works in a specific program. Perhaps the problem will be solved if you close all running applications.

Why does Windows say the file is in use when I try to delete a file?

If, when deleting a file, the system gives an error about its use by the program, you must close it. For example, you want to delete a folder with Word, but you can't, because in this moment you are working with the document of this program. Therefore, if you close the document, the folder will be deleted. Or you are trying to delete files while someone is working on them (if you have a home network).

After deleting all files, an empty folder remains

The solution to the problem is to close all programs or restart the PC.

Good day.

Working at a computer, almost all users, without exception, have to delete various files. Usually everything goes quite simply, but sometimes ...

Sometimes the file just won't get deleted no matter what you do. Most often this happens because the file is being used by some process or program, and Windows is not able to delete such a locked file. I get asked such questions quite often and I decided to dedicate this short article to a similar topic ...

How to delete a file that is not deleted - several proven methods

Most often, when you try to delete a file, Windows reports in which application it is open. For example, in fig. 1 shows the most common mistake. In this case, deleting the file is quite simple - close Word application and then delete the file (sorry for the tautology).

By the way, if you do not have the Word application open (for example), you may just have a process that is blocking this file. To end the process, go to the task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc - relevant for Windows 7, 8), then in the processes tab, find this process and close it. After that, the file can be deleted.

Rice. 1 - a typical error when deleting. Here, by the way, at least the program that blocked this file is indicated.

Method number 1 - using the Lockhunter utility

In my humble opinion, the utility Lockhunter- one of the best of its kind.

Pros: free, conveniently integrated into Explorer, deletes files and unlocks any processes (deletes even those files that Unlocker does not delete!), Works in all Windows versions: XP, Vista, 7, 8 (32 and 64 bits).

Cons: no support for Russian (but the program is very simple, for most this is not a minus).

After installing the utility, simply right-click on the file and select "What is locking this file" from the context menu (which locks this file).

Rice. 2 lockhunter will start looking for processes to unlock the file.

Next, simply choose what to do with the file: either delete it (then click on Delete It!), Or unlock it (click Unlock It!). By the way, the program supports deleting files even after restarting Windows, to do this, open the Other tab.

Rice. 3 selection of options for deleting a non-deleted file.

Be careful - Lockhunter deletes files easily and quickly, even system files Windows files no problem for him. If not handled carefully, you may have to restore the system!

Method number 2 - using the fileassassin utility

fileassassin

Official website: http://www.malwarebytes.org/fileassassin/

Very, very good utility for easy and fast file deletion. From the main disadvantage, which I would highlight - the lack of a context menu in the explorer (each time you need to run the utility "manually".

To delete a file in fileassassin, run the utility, and then point it to the desired file. Next, simply check the boxes next to the four items (see Fig. 4) and click the button Execute.

Rice. 4 deleting a file in fileassasin

In most cases, the program easily deletes the file (although sometimes it reports access errors, but this happens very rarely ...).

Method number 3 - using the Unlocker utility

A widely advertised utility for deleting files. It is recommended literally on every site and every author. That is why I could not but include it in such an article. Moreover, in most cases, it still helps to solve the problem ...

Unlocker

Cons: none official support Windows 8 (at least for now). Although Windows 8.1 was installed on my system without problems and it works quite well.

To delete a file - just click on the problematic file or folder, and then select the "magic wand" - Unlocker from the context menu.

Rice. 5 Deleting a file in Unlocker.

Now just choose what you want to do with the file (in this case, delete it). Next, the program will try to fulfill your requirement (sometimes Unlocker offers to delete the file after Windows restarts).

Rice. 6 Selecting an action in Unlocker.

Method number 4 - delete the file in safe mode

All operating rooms Windows systems support the ability to boot in safe mode: i.e. only the most necessary drivers, programs and services are loaded, without which the operation of the OS is simply impossible.

For Windows 7

To enter safe mode, press the F8 key when turning on the computer.

You can generally press it every second until you see a selection menu on the screen, in which you will be able to boot the system in safe mode. Select it and press the Enter key.

Rice. 7 Safe Mode in Windows 7

For Windows 8

In my opinion the simplest and fast option Entering Safe Mode in Windows 8 looks like this:

1. press the Win + R buttons and enter the command msconfig, then Enter;
2. then go to the boot section and select boot in safe mode (see Fig. 8);
3. save settings and restart your computer.

Rice. 8 Starting Safe Mode in Windows 8

If you boot in safe mode, then all unnecessary utilities, services and programs that are not used by the system will not be loaded, which means that our file will most likely not be used by any third-party programs! Therefore, in this mode, you can fix incorrectly working software, and, accordingly, delete files that are not deleted in normal mode.

Method number 5 - using bootable LiveCD

Such disks can be downloaded, for example, on the websites of popular antiviruses:

LiveCD/DVD- this is boot disk, which allows you to boot into the operating system without resorting to booting from your hard drive! Those. even if your HDD clean, the system will still boot! This is very convenient when you need to copy something or look at your computer, but Windows has crashed, or there is no time to install it.

Rice. 9 Deleting files and folders using Dr.Web LiveCD

After booting from such a disk, you can delete any files! Be careful as in this case, no system files will be hidden from you and will not be protected and blocked, as it would be if you were working on your Windows operating system.

That's actually all. Using several methods above, you can delete almost any file from your computer.

The article has been completely revised since its first publication in 2013.

Successful work!

An overview of the Unlocker program for Windows, as well as its analogues. Detailed instructions how to delete files and folders that are not deleted by force: by closing processes that block deletion.

Description of Unlocker

Unlocker is an effective program for deleting undeletable files in the Windows OS environment. It bypasses system restrictions and points the user to processes that are blocking access. These processes prevent deletion, which causes non-removable in the usual way files and folders.

Unlocker is one of the few utilities that has a clear interface in Russian. This is partly why the program is very easy to use. In Unlocker, you can drag files into the window and immediately delete files by killing unnecessary processes. The right column displays the current status of the file or folder:

• "not blocked" - you can delete a file that cannot be deleted without forcing other processes to close.
• "blocked" - Unlocker will tell you which processes are preventing you from forcibly deleting a folder (file), after which you can forcefully close them and perform the desired operation.

Main features of the Unlocker program

• forced deletion of files and directories on disk
• deleting both folders and multiple files at the same time
• view processes that are blocking deletion in the usual way

Scenarios when the Unlocker utility can be useful

• access to the file or folder is denied (the program is being used by another process)
• there are connections to the file by local network
• source or destination path is in use by another application
• the file is occupied by another system process

In general, if a folder or file is not deleted, the Unlocker program is a universal and simple tool for forcing deletion.

Further, in the instructions, we will tell you how to delete undeletable files quickly and safely. Note that we are talking about a program called IObit Unlocker. There is an application of the same name on the Internet (Emptyloop Unlocker), but it has not been developed since 2013, and the official website is not available. As for Unlocker by IObit developers, this product is under development and can be downloaded from the link below.

Where to download the Unlocker program

You can download Unlocker - a program for deleting undeletable files - on the download page. Link on the right.

Although latest version Unlocker 1.1 was released in 2015, there are no compatibility issues on new versions of Windows. The list includes Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP.

The Unlocker program is available in two versions: Portable and standard installation (IObit Unlocker 1.1 Final). The Portable version can be installed anywhere. At the same time, the standard Unlocker version will be installed in the Program Files system folder.

There is not much difference from where to download the program: in both cases, Unlocker can be downloaded for free.

How to forcefully delete a file or folder that cannot be deleted

Let's understand together how the program works. It consists of one window. To force delete a folder or file:

1. add files by clicking on the "Add" button at the bottom of the window
2. alternatively, you can drag files or folders to the Unlocker window

In the list you will see the added files and the status - "blocked" or "not blocked". Accordingly, unblocked data can be deleted without using Unlocker "a. We are more interested in the second option.

So, how to delete a folder that is not deleted?

1. Highlight the line with the file or folder.
2. Check the option "Force"
3. Click the "Unblock" button.
4. Unlocker will terminate processes that block access to file operations

How to delete an undeletable file yourself without harming other processes

Advice. The Unlocker program is not omnipotent. If you add the system path, a message like "can't delete folder" will appear. In addition, you must soberly assess the danger of deleting files and clearly understand what you are deleting.

If the file is not deleted, it is not necessary to kill the processes forcibly. Let's say you're editing text and want to delete a file. Unlocker will figure out that to unlock you need to close the Word.exe process ( word processor). As a result, you will lose the file currently being edited. In fact, there may be other scenarios, but the essence is the same: if you massively kill processes, this can lead to negative consequences.

The best way to delete a file from your computer is to add it to iObit Unlocker, look at the processes that interfere with deletion and complete them correctly: close applications with saving open documents. This is a definite plus of Unlocker "a: you can always control the process.

Lockhunter

Developer: Crystal Rich Ltd.
Website: http://lockhunter.com/

Lockhunter is a program for deleting folders and files that are not deleted for some unknown reason. Often (as you could see in the case of Unlocker) this is due to the fact that processes block access to deleted objects. Lockhunter is able to detect processes that are blocking access to files. Unlike similar tools, files and folders are deleted to the trash, so you can restore them at the right time. By the way, the main purpose of this utility is to remove viruses and malware: these harmful applications like to block access to themselves for the sake of self-preservation.

How to Force Delete a Folder or Files with Lockhunter

This method will allow you to delete a system folder or file occupied by other processes. The technique will be useful in the forced destruction of viruses.

1. Specify in the main window of the program the location of the folder (file) for forced deletion. The list will show the processes that are blocking the items.
2. Remove processes that lock files by clicking on the UnlockIt!
3. Select the folder and press the DeleteIt! for complete removal.

Malwarebytes FileASSASSIN

Website: https://www.malwarebytes.com/fileassassin/

FileASSASSIN- useful program to delete files that are not deleted in a standard way without stopping processes. Here is a list of errors that this program can solve in your favor:

• File not deleted: access denied
• Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected
• File is currently in use
• The source or destination of the file can be used
• The file is being used by another program or user

Sysinternals Process Monitor

Website: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/processmonitor.aspx
Developer: Mark Russinovich

To a greater extent, this tool is designed for in-depth research Windows processes and is only recommended for experienced users. However, this professional task manager monitors not only processes, but also threads, the file system and the Registry. If the file is not deleted, Process Monitor will help you identify dependencies and then delete, for example, a system file or folder, without any problems.

Deleting non-removable files: questions and answers

The file in the Windows folder is not deleted. What to do?

Answer. If you want to delete an element with a system path from this folder, then you won't be able to do it even with iObit Unlocker. As I already said, the program cannot delete Windows system files - powerful protection at the kernel level works.

Files are not deleted from the flash drive. Do I need to download Unlocker in a portable version to a flash drive?

Answer. Not necessary. standard version Unlocker" is quite suitable for these purposes. You can drag files into the program window, kill processes and then safely delete the files.

I downloaded Unlocker from the official site, but the program differs from that described in the instructions. What to do, how to delete a folder that cannot be deleted?

Answer. The fact is that you downloaded another program (from the developer of Emptyloop), although it has the same name. In principle, the trouble is small, this program has a similar functionality. If it does not suit you, just download iObit Unlocker from the link provided at the beginning of the article.

To provide the ability to catalog data in Windows, as well as in other operating systems, a tree structure is used, which is a set of nested special file container objects called folders. In Windows, folders can be system folders that store files of the operating system itself, they can be user and program folders, that is, those created by third-party applications.

As a rule, the user can do anything with folders of the second type, he also has a lot of powers when working with program directories, for example, he can manually delete the folder left on the disk after uninstalling the application, but there are cases when the folder cannot be deleted with the usual way. There may be several reasons for this. Most often this happens because the user does not have the necessary access rights, the directory can also be held by some process, it can have an incorrect name, the path is too long, etc.

Folder not deleted due to lack of admin permission

Let's look at how to delete a folder if the action asks for permission from the administrator. This issue is most commonly encountered by users running a desktop or guest account, but this is also possible when you yourself are the administrator of the computer.

In the first case, to delete the folder, you will have to enter the password for the PC owner account, since the system will constantly ask you for it, or use universal way, which will be discussed at the end of the article.

But what if the folder is not deleted when working under an administrator account?

The reason may be that you either do not own it or do not have the appropriate access rights. Open the folder properties, switch to the "Security" tab and click the "Advanced" button in the window that opens.

In the new window, opposite the "Owner" line, click on the "Change" link.

In the next window, click the "Advanced" button. Another window will open.

Leave the object type in it as "User", then click the "Search" button and select the user you want to make the owner of the directory in the list that appears below.

Click OK and OK again.

After the owner is changed, check the checkbox "Replace the owner of subcontainers and objects" and save the settings.

Next, you will need to provide the new owner with full rights folder access. Click in the properties window "Change", select the desired user in the window for changing permissions, give him full access rights and save the settings.

After that, the folder should be easily deleted.

Note: folders owned by the system service are deleted in the same way. First, the owner of the folder is replaced, then he is granted (if necessary) full rights and the folder is deleted.

The folder is being used by another program

Like any other file system object, a directory may not be deleted because it is being used by some process. How to delete the folder in this case? The first thing to try to do is to identify the holding process, the second is to forcefully terminate it using the Task Manager or other specialized utility. In most of these cases, when the folder is not deleted, Windows writes that it is being used by another program, and the name of this program is usually indicated in the message box.

But it may also be that the name of the program will not appear. In such a situation, the utility can help out great. Process Explorer, which is part of the Sysinternals Administration Toolkit. Run the utility (it's portable), select from the main menu Find - Find Handle or DLL.

Enter the name of the folder to hold in the "Handle or DLL substring" field and click "Search". After a couple of seconds, you will get the process name, its PID in the Task Manager, and the full path to the object used by the process.

By the way, using the utility, you can complete the process and then delete the folder itself.

The system writes that it could not find this item

Among the folders that cannot be deleted, there is a special group that belongs to the so-called ghost objects. The difficulty here lies in the fact that it is not always possible to identify the cause of the appearance of such an object. This may be an incorrect (long or reserved) name, action malware, another process locking it, or corrupting the file system. We already know how to check if the process is blocking, now let's try to figure out what to do if the folder is not deleted from the desktop with the message "could not find this item."

If the folder has a system reserved name, such as COM or PRN, you can delete it using the command line. Launch the CMD console as an administrator and run the following command in it:

rd //./Drive:/full path to the folder

In order to delete a "non-removable" folder with a too long name, you first need to know its short alias name. This is done again using the command line. team cd /d (path) change to the parent directory of the problematic directory and list the names of all the objects it contains with the command dir /x /n.

Note: if the folder is on drive C, the key /d do not need to be used in the jump command.

In our example, a folder with a name consisting of many dots has a short name 782F~1. Knowing the alias, we can safely remove it:

rd C:/Users/Computer/Desktop/782F~1

Special attention deserves the case when the folder is not deleted, not because it has an incorrect name or is held by the system process, but because it simply does not exist, which may be indicated by the absence of an object in the command line list or the LiveCD file manager. This may indicate damage to the file system, therefore, before taking any further action, the disk must be checked for errors with the command CHKDSK.

Action of viruses

Less likely, but viruses that have entered the system are capable of creating a similar problem. Their action may be indicated by the permanent automatic re-creation of the folder after its removal using the LiveCD or special utilities, as well as the presence in the folder itself of suspicious hidden files, executable, or configuration. The solution to the problem in such cases is standard - full check at least two computers virus scanners produced preferably in offline before loading the operating system.

Invalid attributes

Another one possible reason, by which the folder is not deleted - the attributes set for it are system and read-only. It is not difficult to check the presence of such “holding” attributes; it is enough to execute the command attrib [full path to the folder] in the command line. The presence of the S or R keys will indicate that the folder is read-only or system. To unlock a directory, run the following command from an administrator command prompt:

attrib -r -s D:/Private /d /s

AT this example we have removed the "Read Only" and "Hidden" attributes for the Private directory in the root of drive D. After changing the attributes, the folder can be deleted.

If the folder is not deleted from the desktop or any other location, you can try using free utility unlocker. This lightweight and extremely easy-to-use tool allows you to delete files and folders locked by system and third-party processes, it can also be useful when deleting objects that require higher access rights than rights local administrator, malfunctions sharing files and folders, and other errors.

How to delete a folder in Windows 7/10 using Unlocker? Very simple. During the installation process, the utility is built into context menu Explorer, so to delete an object, you just need to right-click on it and select the “Unlocker” option from the menu. If the object is not deleted immediately, a window will appear in which you can select the desired action, such as deleting, renaming, and moving. If a file or folder is locked by a system process that cannot be closed immediately, the utility will prompt you to delete the object during the computer restart.

Above, we figured out why the folder may not be deleted from the computer, and at the same time we considered the main ways to solve the problem. In conclusion, we suggest considering another way to delete locked folders. Its main advantage lies in its versatility, as it allows you to get almost unlimited access to file system computer. For the case, you will need any LiveCD based on Linux or WinPE with a built-in file manager. Having set the appropriate priorities in the BIOS, boot from such a disk, find the blocked object using the built-in Explorer and delete it.

One of the most common problems that novice users face is that some object on the computer is not deleted. Sometimes these files interfere with work or simply bring aesthetic inconvenience. If you don't know how to delete a non-deleting file from your computer, this article is for you.

Why is it not removed?

There are several reasons why it is not possible to delete an object on a computer:

• is being used by another application or process;
• engaged by the user in the network;
• blocked access because you do not have administrator rights;
• write protection enabled.

For example, if you open a file, the antivirus software will start scanning it. Often the process takes a long time, so you won't be able to delete it until the scan is over.

Deleting a file

If you encounter one of the problems described above, do not worry - you can fix the situation with standard tools and third-party programs.

No additional programs

When the file is in use by another process and you can't delete it, a warning tells you which program is using the object (for example, Explorer.exe).

If you need to stop the Explorer.exe process, first launch the command prompt (RMB on the Start menu → Command Prompt (Admin)).

If the file moves from folder to folder without any problems, drag it to an empty flash drive (read the article “How to remove write protection of a flash drive if you cannot copy information to it?”). After that, start formatting, which will delete all data on the removable media.

Using a bootable USB flash drive or disk

Start your computer using any LiveCD, bootable flash drive, or disc (also read How to create a Windows 10 installation flash drive in various ways). When using a LiveCD, a menu will open with GUI or command line access.

Important! Note that different drive letters may be assigned when using these utilities.

Using bootable media during the language selection process, press Shift+F10 → after that you will be taken to the command line, with which you can delete the file. Be aware of the difference in disc names.

Changing administrator rights

If the object is not deleted due to lack of access to it, change the administrator rights.

Unlocker utility

Among the software that is designed to unlock files, the Unlocker program is considered the most popular. It's free and easy to use:

The advantage of the utility is that it finds background processes that are using a non-deleting file. In addition, all programs and services stop automatically.

In the video, you can see the Unlocker program in action, as well as look at other options for deleting non-removable objects by third-party programs.

Conclusion

You can delete a file from your computer that is used by another program or is blocked by regular Windows tools or using outside program. The utility will do everything automatically, quickly and without disturbing the stability of the system.