How to Open a Locked File When Another Program Is Using It
It’s actually pretty easy to do
Sometimes whiledeleting a file on yourWindows computer, you may come across an error that says “The action can’t be completed because the file is open in a program”. When this error pops-up, it means you’re dealing with a locked file and you can’t delete your file no matter what you do. Your PC will keep on throwing the same error on your screen letting you know the file is in use in some program.
Dealing with such locked file errors is actually pretty easy, although it may not seem so initially. You’ve probably guessed by now that the reason you aren’t able to delete the file is because an app on your PC is using it. How about you go ahead and close that program, and then delete the file?
There are several workarounds like this to help you successfully delete the locked file on your computer.
Close The Program That Is Using The Locked File
The most obvious solution is to close the program that’s using the file you want to delete. If it’s a Word file open in MS Word, close the program and you’ll be able to delete the locked file.
Similarly, whatever program the file is open in, simply close the program and it’ll free-up the file ready to be deleted.
Kill The Program Process Using Task Manager
It sometimes happens that the program that uses the locked file doesn’t respond to your actions and just stays stuck at some point. If this is the case with you, you might want to kill the process for the program so it can be forcibly closed on your computer.
Once the program is closed, your file should be free from any processes and you’ll be able to remove it from your machine.
Turn Off The Preview Pane In File Explorer
The Preview pane in File Explorer lets you see the previews of your locked file. It may be your file is being used in the preview and that’s what’s preventing you from deleting it on your Windows machine.
Disabling the pane should fix the issue for you.
You should be able to delete the file if Preview pane had occupied it.
Toggle The Folder Process In File Explorer
It’s possible that a File Explorer process is using your locked file and so you are unable to delete it. There’s actually an option that helps you create separate processes for each folder you open on your PC and it’s worth toggling it to see if it helps resolve your issue.
Launch & Close The Locked File
It could be the locked file wasn’t closed properly the last time you accessed it in your programs.
Restart Your Windows Computer
Rebooting your machine closes all the processes and this includes the one that’s using your file.
Use Command Prompt To Delete The File
You can try using the Command Prompt utility to delete the file that can’t be deleted in graphical user interface.
It’ll delete the file straightaway without any errors.
Use A Third-Party App To Unlock & Delete The File
For some reason, if none of the above methods work for you, you might want touse a third-party app to unlock the fileand then delete it.
Unlockeris a free app that helps you unlock your files so you can then delete them.
It’ll do what it needs to do to unlock your file and then get it deleted from your computer without any prompts.
Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio
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