\u201cA couple days ago I downloaded a .mkv file which can\u2019t be deleted from hard drive. Every time I attempted to delete it I get error saying \u201cThe action can\u2019t be completed because the file is open<\/a> in Windows Explorer. Close the file and try again\u201d. When I delete it with Command Prompt and still get error messages \u201cThe process can\u2019t access the file because it is being used by another process\u201d \u201cAccess is denied\u201d. I can\u2019t delete or remove file for no reason. I\u2019m at a loss for what to do. Please help!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n If folder in use cannot delete, you can manually end running process or application that holds the file you cannot delete in Task Manager. If that works, you can delete a file that is in use without rebooting system.<\/p>\n Windows requires all folders with visual media have a database of thumbnails to provide thumbnail images for files. If you open the folder to view content in it, Windows will loads the thumbs.db file into Windows Explorer. When you want to delete the folder and you\u2019ll get error message telling the action can\u2019t be completed. That\u2019s because the thumbs.db file is in use by Explorer, so you cannot delete file.<\/p>\n You can use free partition manager \u2013 PartitionGuru Free<\/a> to delete file in use or corrupted files that Windows can\u2019t delete.<\/p>\n It\u2019s common to delete file by accident, thus it is necessary to know the way to undelete files and recover deleted files. Eassos free recovery software can help retrieve deleted and lost data from emptied Recycle Bin or USB disks. The recovery process is easy and simple. Let\u2019s have a look at the recovery guide:<\/p>\n Step 1<\/span>: Install and run Eassos Recovery Free and choose Recover Deleted File from the main interface. Step 2:\u00a0Select partition where deleted files were stored and click Next button to search for lost data. Step 3: View and preview files. Recoverable files are put in two parts: Directory and File Type. You can preview files in both parts by double clicking which can open file and view file content. Step 4: Recover files you need. Select files by ticking the check box next to files or folders and click Recover button. Then you\u2019ll be asked to select a location to save recovered data. Do not save data to the partition that is suffering data loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This instruction talks about causes and solutions to issue that you can\u2019t delete a file or folder in Windows. Usually it\u2019s easy to delete files, but some files just can\u2019t be deleted due to various reasons: file is in use, … Continue reading Reasons why you cannot delete file or folder<\/span><\/h1>\n
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What to do when you cannot \u00a0delete file or folder?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
Method 1: Close program via Task Manager<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Method 2: Disable Thumbs.db access<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Method 3: Delete file or folder in use with third-party software<\/span><\/h2>\n
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![\"Cannot](\"https:\/\/www.eassos.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/delete-file-in-use.png\")
<\/li>\nHow to recover deleted files with free recovery software?<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n
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