how to fix Cannot Delete File Because It Is Open in Another Program Windows 10 error

This article is about how to fix Cannot Delete File Because It Is Open in Another Program Windows 10 error .

When you delete a file, Windows 10 displays the file with a dialog indicating that the operation cannot be done because the file is open in another program?

Although you are sure that no program has opened the file, can’t it be deleted?

Of course, this error can be caused by some Windows settings or by the file itself, but it is often difficult to determine the cause.

how to fix Cannot Delete File Because It Is Open in Another Program Windows 10

But don’t worry. Now, this article lists several methods that can help solve the problem that the file cannot be deleted because it is opened in another program.

Tip: If you can’t force check the cause but want to force delete the file, see how to force delete a file that cannot be deleted. The file cannot be deleted because it is open in another program

Solution 1. Close the program and related processes

Some programs can open your files in the background without knowing about it. Quitting the program will release the file so you can delete it without any problems.

Step 1: Right-click any space on the taskbar and select Task Manager to open Task Manager.

Step 2: Select the Processes tab, right click on the program that can open the file and select End Task. Stop as many programs associated with the file as possible.

Step 3: Try deleting the file again and see if you can delete it successfully. If the “file opened in another program” continues, go to the next solution.

Solution 2: Restart your phone and computer

Before jumping into other solutions, try restarting your computer.

Although restarting the computer does not work, it turns out that it can solve many different problems.

Restart your contacts in the background, which can use your file. If the movement does not work, get something else.

Solution 3: Change File Explorer options

Step 1: Open File Explorer, then select the View tab and click Options > Change folder and search options.

Step 2: When the Security Options window opens,

select the View tab and ensure that the “Open window in a separate system” option is unchecked.

Selecting this option may cause a conflict between different processes causing the error “the program cannot be completed because the file is open in another program” when deleting a file.

So if that option is checked, uncheck it and click Apply.

Solution 4: Turn off the preview pane in File Explorer

The preview bar in File Explorer can also cause a “can’t complete program because the file is open in another program” error when deleting files. Disabling the view panel may resolve this error.

Step 1: Open File Explorer.

Step 2: Select the View tab and click the preview pane to close it.

Tip: When the preview pane is selected, its filler is blue, it means it is enabled. Click it and it will be removed and turned off.

Solution 5: Edit Group Policy

Step 1: Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

Step 2: Navigate to the location: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer.

Then, in the right pane, double-click on the option “Turn off thumbnail caching in the hidden thumbs.db file“.

Step 3: Now select the given option and click on Apply and then click on OK. select enabled
Step 4: Restart Windows 10 for the changes to take effect.

Then the “file is open in another program” error will be resolved and you can delete the file successfully.

Solution 6: Open the file in the application

If none of the above solutions work, try using a third-party opening tool to fix your problem files that cannot be deleted.

Step 1: Download and install Unlocker on your Windows 10.

Step 2: Install the program. Find the problem file and select it.

Step 3: If the program locked the file, the lock handle will be removed.

If you don’t see the lock icon,

select Delete from the drop-down menu and

click OK to delete the file.

Last words

The solutions above are the most commonly used solutions for the “action cannot be completed because the file is open in another program” problem. Of course, there may be more reasons for this problem.

If none of the above methods work, you can clean your hard drive or update your Windows 10 operating system.