Force delete files in use

Make sure it's not checked. Click Apply to save any changes. If the option was unchecked in the first place, you could try if checking it to see if it solves your issue. Previews in the File Explorer can cause conflicts, like the "file is open in another program" error.

The screenshot below shows an open preview pane on the right. After closing the preview pane, try the operation again and see whether the "file in use" error has disappeared.

First, we need to track down the file path directory in File Explorer. To navigate to the file directory of your file in use, enter cd [directory path you copied] and hit Enter.

Before we can proceed to force delete the file in use, we have to temporarily kill the File Explorer process. This will cause your Taskbar, wallpaper, and open folders to disappear. But don't worry, you can restart File Explorer again and get everything back. Return to the Command Prompt. Enter this command to delete the file, replacing everything between the quotes with your actual file name:.

This should restore your desktop to its usual appearance. Sometimes, the file in use remains locked, even though it shouldn't be. If trying to delete it through the Command Prompt didn't work or if that task is too daunting, use one of these tools.

Microsoft's Process Explorer is a more powerful File Explorer. When I delete it, I just receive a prompt that it is in use. How can I force delete the file in use in Windows 10? When you are stuck with the trouble that you can't delete some undeletable files in Windows 10, you can try the several tricks here to fix the problem firstly.

If the stubborn files are still undeletable, you can use the following 3 ways to force delete files in Windows Tips: If you aren't good at operating the Windows OS or want to force delete files as easily as possible, Way 2 is strongly recommended for you.

Step 2: Enter del and location of the file you want to force delete e. The first thing you need is the file path. Open the file explorer and go to where the file is stored.

Next, click on the address bar and copy the path. In the command prompt window, execute the below command while replacing X with the actual drive letter. For example, my file is stored in the E: drive. So, I entered E in the below command. Once you are in the target drive, execute the below command while replacing the dummy path with the actual path you copied earlier.

Any suggestion on force delete the file? Write-protection, corrupted drive, virus infection, etc. Under different situations, you can take corresponding measures to fix cannot delete files issue. Or you can choose one among the three ways to force delete file or folder. Force delete file using a GUI file shredder. It can complete many operations, including force delete file, format partition, etc.