How do I remove a file that is running in Windows?

Method 1: Close the program that uses it

Let's start with the most obvious places. Did you just use a program to open the file and forget to close it? If you shut down the file but the program is still running, turn off the program and try again.

Method 2: Reboot the computer

Restarting is almost a panacea, and it is likely to help you solve the problem! Although this is a bit of a hassle, it doesn't require any skill, nor does it require you to fiddle with Task Manager or Third-party tools. The reboot also empties your memory, which is likely to be solved with other problems. So, if you don't want to bother to investigate the cause, try restarting it!

If you've tried to reboot and still don't work, skip the steps below and go directly to the Third-party tool.

Method 3: Close the program by using the Task Manager

The reason the reboot works is that the system starts completely from scratch, and all processes currently running in Task Manager are closed. If you don't reboot, you can also try to end the process or program that hijacked your file manually.

The easiest way to start Task Manager is to press CTRL+SHIFT+ESC. Alternatively, you can either right-click the taskbar or press Ctrl+alt+del when Windows is in any state, then select Task Manager, then switch to the Process tab and find the program for the file you want to delete. For example, if you're watching a video, look for Windows Media Player.

Once you've found the culprit, right click on it and choose "End Process Tree". This closes all instances of the program, and some programs-such as chrome---run multiple instances. If you can't find the program, do you want to try it again?

Method 4: Unlock the file with a third party tool

Sometimes the damn file is locked up, even when it's not supposed to be. You can unlock it by closing the explorer and then delete it with the command line. Wait a minute?! If you can use some tools to get rid of it, why bother? One of the options is unlocker. When you install, make sure you choose a custom installation, so you can avoid the annoying bundled software, for the unlocker is the "iminent tool bar."

Unlocker will add itself to the Windows context menu, or the right-click menu. Right-click the file you want to delete and select Unlocker from the menu. This will load the file into the unlocker. Now you can select an action from the Drop-down menu-Copy, move, rename, and delete-but that's not necessary. Then click "Kill Process" (kill procedure) or "unlock/Unlock All" (Unlock/unlock all). Killing processes will also turn off the corresponding applications. So no matter what you are entangled in the end of what is the problem, should have been solved.

You can also use Microsoft's own process Explorer. Another tool for deleting locked files is filexile. The tool does not add itself to the context menu, instead you need to select the file you want to unlock. Filexile can also be used to delete files that are too long for a path to be deleted.

Method 5: Boot to Safe mode

If none of the above methods work, or if you are not interested in installing a software to solve the problem, then the ultimate trick we can come up with is to reboot into Safe mode. The file you want to delete may be automatically loaded by an application. Unlocker should still work in this case, but if malware is involved or you don't want to use a third-party tool, you can try this option.

If you are running Windows 7 or later Windows, restart your computer, and then press F8 until you have advanced startup options.

Windows 8 users need to press the key combination windows+i to open the sidebar, the Electrode power button, and then hold down the shift point to reboot. Then follow the order of the Troubleshoot>advance options>startup settings and select "Allow Safe Mode"

Once you've booted into Safe mode, find the files you want to delete and try your luck!