What to do if a file or folder is not deleted from the computer: a simple solution

As a rule, this happens when you have finished working on a program or a document, and it is still busy with some system process.

How to delete an undeleted file / Photo ua.depositphotos.com

One of the most common problems faced New PC users – This or that file or folder to be deleted will not be deleted.

As a rule, this happens when you have finished working on a program or a document, and it is still busy with some kind of system process. At the same time, an annoying error pops up saying “The operation cannot be performed because this file is open [….]”.

Deleting a file without additional programs

When you can’t delete the file using another process, the error tells you which process it’s working on – be it a media player, a torrent client, or some other program.

To find out for sure, launch “Task Manager” (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), find the process using your file or document, right-click on it and select “End Task”.

For example, if you can’t delete a file or folder with a movie, make sure you close the media player that launched it (in our case, KMPlayer).

Special utility

Among the software designed to unlock files, are the most popular Lockhunter And Unlocker.

Both of them are distributed free of charge, and their principle of operation is to automatically detect background processes that use an undeleted file and delete them.

If you get an access denied error

Sometimes a file cannot be deleted because the user does not have administrator rights. In such cases, Windows reports that access is denied. As a rule, this reason applies to game content downloaded from the Internet (in particular, repacks).

To fix the problem, you need to change the owner of the file. To do this, right-click on the undeleted file, then “Properties” → “Security” → “Advanced”. Next to the “Owner” item, click “Change,” then “Advanced” and “Search.” Select your current account from the list → OK.

Union has previously said which files and folders can be deleted on C drive without damaging the computer. This post is primarily Useful for owners of ultrabooks with a small amount of memory.

They also shared tips What to do with an old USB flash drive?. These mini drives have more to offer than you might first think.