Every PC user has at least once wondered about “how to delete undeletable files.” Facing this problem is inevitable in some cases. Windows OS is designed in such a way that if some program or system process access the file, then delete it in this moment impossible. Sometimes viruses use this blocking mechanism to protect their elements from being erased.
Neutralize a non-deletable folder or separate file from the operating system using various methods. Manually, using standard functions, and automatically, using special unlocking utilities.
Despite the fact that the second method is more convenient and effective, it makes sense to consider the manual cleaning algorithm. It's not always required program may be at hand.
So let's get started!
Before deleting a file or folder, you need to find out:
1. Click on the element that cannot be deleted right click mouse, and then select “Properties” from the system menu.
2. In the properties window, on the “General” tab, in the “Description” line - name (program name), in “Location” - path to the file.
3. Go to the " Digital signatures" to view the name of the signatory.
4. Write down or remember the received data.
1. Close everything running programs- players, utilities, browsers, etc. Including those that are in the tray (via the context menu).
2. Open “Task Manager” (key combination - CTRL+SHIFT+ESC).
3. On the “Applications” tab, if there are any objects in the “Task” column with the status status “Running” (including open folders), also be sure to close: right-click → End task.
4. Go to the Processes tab. Stop processes that are or may be accessing the locked file. Focus on the received data about the properties of the object being deleted (name, signature, etc.), as well as on the “CPU” parameter in the manager (how much the active process loads CPU).
Advice! If it is difficult to determine the “origin” of a process, additionally analyze its data: hover over the name → right-click → click “Properties”.
5. After the object blocking file deletion is found in the Manager list, right-click on it and activate the “End process” command in the menu.
After completing all these steps, try again to delete the unremovable folder (or file). If unsuccessful, restart your PC in safe mode and repeat the procedure:
There are a huge number of programs that delete undeletable files. But in this article we will look at the best ones, which have earned the trust of a multi-million army of users.
The procedure for removing elements that do not want to “leave” the operating system through these programs is very simple. The user only needs to “drag” a file or folder onto work panel(window), select it through system explorer or right-click on it and activate the utility through the context menu (its icon and name will be in the list of options).
Free utility from Cedrick Collomb. Despite its tiny size (less than 1MB!), it can remove the most “capricious” files from the hard drive and flash drive. Promptly recognizes and eliminates the reasons for their blocking. Unlocker is easy to use: it integrates into the context menu and deletes the selected object in one click.
A professional “neutralizer” of system messages such as “access denied”, “cannot delete folder”, etc. One of best programs in its category. Distributed under the ShareWare license (shareware). Accurately identifies the source of the file lock (process, application). In addition to the delete function, it provides the user with the ability to rename, copy or move an unlocked object.
Free program from the Russian developer Crystal Rich Ltd. In addition to eliminating files that “refuse” to be deleted, it also helps the user fight viruses that maliciously block folders. Capable of unloading DLL from the active process. Deleted items are sent to the trash.
The utility received such an aggressive name (assassin - hired killer) for a reason. It is designed to remove malicious files, firmly rooted in the OS and, accordingly, do not want to go to the trash can. Does not require installation. Supports three deletion algorithms. Possesses in effective ways ending processes and unloading infected files from Windows.
Which program to remove is up to you. Each of the above solutions copes with cleaning “excellently”.
Hi all! Today I will tell you Howdelete a file or folder that cannot be deleted different ways, just in case you’ve already tried everything you could, but it still didn’t help. I decided to write this article because I myself once encountered similar problem that my themes that were in the folder did not want to be deleted or moved. Why, they couldn’t even be opened or renamed.
Often when PC users try to delete such files, The following messages may appear: the file cannot be deleted, access is blocked, the disk may be full or write-protected, the file is occupied by another application, this process is busy, the folder is not empty. These errors occur for many different reasons, which you must first understand and understand what the problem may be before you try to do anything. So, there are not many reasons for this, here are some of them:
— You are trying to delete a file that is used by other programs. For example, if you were watching a movie or listening to music, but before you had time to close the player, you are already trying to delete the file being played, then no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to do this until you close all the corresponding applications that use this file in PC operation ( Personal Computer). It also sometimes happens that this file or folder is used by other applications, but you do not see them, although they are displayed in the task manager, which will be discussed below.
— You are trying to delete a file that is used by other users. For example, you downloaded a game through a torrent tracker and then wanted to delete it, but for some reason it just doesn’t want to be deleted. The thing is that another user is downloading this game from you over the Internet, and until you turn off the Internet or exit the torrent program, the file will not be deleted.
-You don't have enough rights to do this. What does this even mean? Am I the owner of my computer or who? The fact is that you probably, like me once, could have placed your files or folders in the system folders Windows operation, to which access is prohibited for your own safety. This restriction was created to prevent you from ruining your computer by deleting some important file from the Windows operating system.
— Files or folders that you wanted to delete were quarantined by your antivirus program. In other words, your antivirus program didn’t like something about them, so it blocked them so that they could not harm your PC in any way.
Ok, we figured out the reasons. Now all that’s left for you to delete your non-deletable file is to simply try all the methods that I described for you below.
Method 1. Just restart your computer, in most cases this will be enough.
Method 2. Turn on task manager. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete if you have Windows 7 or Windows + X if you have Windows 8-10. A window will appear in front of you, go to “processes”.
All programs that are currently running on your computer will be displayed here. Try to find exactly the one that might use your file. If it doesn’t work, then just select any one at random and click “end process” each time trying to delete the file again.
Method 3. Turn off your computer and turn it on again. During the boot process, press the F8 key many times. A black screen will appear in front of you, where there will be several options to boot your PC. Select " safe mode" As soon as the computer boots, try to delete the file or at least move it to another location.
Method 4. If the file is simply not deleted, but can be transferred, then you can proceed as follows. Just drag your file onto an empty flash drive and format it. Be careful, after this process everything will be deleted from it!
Method 5. Open your computer and find your non-deletable file on the desktop. At the top of the window, click “service”, then “folder options”, go to the “view” tab and uncheck the box if it is next to “use simple” general access to files" and save the changes. Try deleting your file or folder.
Method 6. Change administrator rights. Right-click on our file, select “property”, then in the window that opens “security” and click “advanced”.
Another window will appear, click on “owner”. Here simply select another administrator and click “apply”. Personally, this operation helped me remove restrictions from my WordPress templates.
Method 7. Disable all processes associated with this file. This procedure is very similar to the task manager, but it has a more effective effect. Click "Start" on your desktop, then "Run." In the window that appears, enter msconfig and click ok.
Another window will appear in front of you. Here go to the “startup” tab and in the list of running processes try to find the name of your non-deletable file and uncheck it, and click ok.
Method 8. To solve this problem, a very cool and at the same time simple program“UnLocker”, which is capable of deleting non-deletable files in 90% of cases. You can download the program from the official website. During the installation process, be careful and uncheck the box where you are offered to install another application in addition to the program. If you don’t do this, then at the end of the installation your antivirus program will swear for a long time.
Ok, now just right click on your file and select “UnLocker”. A window will appear in front of you where all processes that use this file will be displayed. Select it and click on “unblock”, then “delete”.
When deleting some files through the OS, a notification appears that the operation cannot be completed because the file is in use by another program. Next, you will learn why this happens and what tools you can use to successfully remove unnecessary files.
In fact, each of these processes is important and necessary, but it happens that the file to be deleted is not opened by any program, and at the same time the OS does not allow it to be deleted. As a rule, this is due to the following reasons:
After a short wait, you can usually safely delete the folder. If Windows asks for access rights again, try repeating the described procedure.
Important! Old versions of Unlocker may not work on 64-bit operating systems - Windows 7, 8, 10. Do not download old versions on unknown sites where the content has not been updated for a long time.
During installation, it is possible to install Unlocker Assistant. This assistant program is constantly visible in the “Taskbar” and will automatically launch in cases where problems arise with uninstallation.
Working with the portable version of the program is very simple:
Instructions for using the program:
So, if a situation arises where it is impossible to delete a file by ordinary means, because operating system(more precisely, some visible or hidden process) believes that the files are still in operation, you can use the above instructions to successfully perform the deletion and get rid of the unnecessary file.
Good day everyone!
It happens that you click on a file, press “Delete” and.. nothing! After a few seconds, some error will pop up about the impossibility of carrying out the operation...
In this case, as a rule, without additional special. programs are indispensable (as usual, Windows simply does not have the tools to delete such files).
Actually, in this article I wanted to present the best of what can now be found among software. I recommend having one of these utilities on your system (by the way, they can also help out when removing various viral add-ons, which often have a blocking module that prevents their “normal” removal through Explorer).
So what to choose?..
A simple and compact (only 2 MB) utility for unlocking and deleting almost any files from a disk, flash drive, etc. drives. I note that the entire deletion process takes place in 2-3 mouse clicks: first, right-click on the file that cannot be deleted, then select “IObit Unlocker” from the menu (see screenshot below).
By the way, at the bottom of the window the utility shows which process is blocking the file (it can suggest what needs to be stopped/disabled).
Peculiarities:
One of the most popular utilities for unlocking files (for further deletion or renaming).
The entire process of working with the utility is very simple: just right-click on the desired file/folder and select launch the utility from the menu (see screenshot below).
How to delete a folder in Unlocker / Clickable
I note that in some particularly problematic cases, the utility may “ask” for a reboot to delete the file (and will delete it immediately after the new OS boot, while no process has yet “occupied” the file).
I’ll also add that Unlocker also copes with “broken” system DLLs, the removal of which is blocked by Windows (many similar programs I just can't handle it).
Of the minuses: only very recently the developers corrected the “poor” compatibility of the utility with Windows 8/10 64 bits.
This is a free utility for removing locked files (which you already have trouble with this way and that, and don’t know what else you can do). By the way, LockHunter is very effective against potentially unwanted programs, against malware that are embedded in other applications.
Unlike other applications, LockHunter “sends” all deleted files to the trash, which means that in case of an error, you can always restore everything. Agree, very useful?!
Working with LockHunter / Clickable
Peculiarities:
Quite an interesting utility from the creators of the famous Malwarebytes programs(anti-malware). FileASSASSIN will be useful to you in cases where:
According to the developers of the utility, they use special. unique technology that unloads modules (blocking the file), closes handles, and gives you full access to the file.
I will note one drawback of the utility: the absence of the Russian language (although the program is very simple, and even those who do not speak English at all can quickly figure it out).
If the previous utilities did not produce results, then most likely, to delete the file, you need to resort to more radical methods:
By the way, pay attention to antiviruses. Often, when the security level increases, they are very zealous about any deletions (they can block such a simple operation). For example, Norton Antivirus 2011-2012 had this behavior when the maximum protection level was set.
If the utilities listed above could not help in deleting a file (folder), use one of my “old” instructions (it contains alternative options problem solving) :
Additions, as always, are welcome
Well, that's all, good luck to everyone!
Sometimes you may encounter the following situation: you want to delete a file, but Windows displays various messages about the impossibility of deleting this item. There may be several reasons for this, but standard means The OS problem is not always solved. But special software solutions created to force the removal of non-deletable files and/or those that were blocked by the system are quite capable of coping with this task.
IObit Unlocker is free program to remove everything that can be removed using standard means. It allows you not only to delete locked files, but also to apply a number of other actions to them: copy, rename, move. IObit Unlocker displays the location of the software that prevents you from deleting a particular item, so you can find out the cause of the deletion problem. The bad news is that the application cannot always correctly determine the status of the file. Sometimes blocked items appear as normal items. The advantages of the application are pleasant appearance and the presence of the Russian language.
Lock Hunter is another program for removing locked files. You will be able to delete, change the name and copy the problematic element. The application correctly displays all blocked files and also shows the reason for the blocking. The disadvantage is the lack of Russian translation of the application interface.
An application with a menacing name, which translates as “file killer,” will allow you to easily remove undeletable items from your computer. You can also disable the process that caused the removal refusal. The disadvantage of File Assassin is the lack of Russian Russification of the application.
Free File Unlocker is a free program for removing locked items. Like other similar solutions, it allows you to do several additional actions with the file, in addition to the actual deletion. The application also shows the path to the program that does not allow you to delete the element. Free File Unlocker has a portable version that does not require installation. The downside, again, is the lack of Russification.
Unlocker fully lives up to its simple name. The entire interface is 3 buttons. Select the action you want to perform with the file and click the “OK” button - that’s all you need to do to deal with the undeletable element in Unlocker. Due to its simplicity, the program suffers from a lack of functions, but it is very simple and suitable for novice PC users. In addition, the interface contains Russian.
Unlock IT is one of the best software solutions to forcefully delete files and folders. This is explained by the fact that this product displays detailed information about the reason for the blocking: which application is blocking, where it is located, what the load of this application is on the system and what libraries it uses. This helps a lot in the fight against file blocking viruses. The program allows you to do many actions on locked items, and also works with folders. The disadvantages include the lack of a Russian version and a slightly overloaded interface.
Using the programs presented in this article, you can easily delete undeletable files and folders from your computer. You no longer have to delve into the system and perform various settings– simply add the blocked item to the application and remove it.
