How to delete a folder if it is not deleted. Complete the process manually. Using Task Manager
Greetings to experienced computer users and beginners who visited my project site! The topic of this article is quite funny at first glance. Why? Now you'll find out. 🙂 I want to tell you about several ways to delete a file that is not deleted . If you have not yet encountered such a situation, I hasten to congratulate you. But in fact, this case is very popular and it is better to know in advance how it should be resolved.
The more you work on a personal computer and the more often you install various utilities, you will be faced with the need to clean up the memory of your equipment. Most programs can be removed simply, through a special section in the control panel, but there are also malicious utilities that are not completely removed or do not want to leave your equipment at all.
In this case, you have several options for a solution without programs. If we are talking about a program, then first try it in a known way by going to the “ Programs and components » and further, as shown in the figure below.
Questionable programs from unreliable sources after clicking the " Delete» slow down the computer with all their might, and the uninstallation process drags on for a long time and does not seem to move. In such cases, users independently find the folder with installed documents on the disk and manually delete the files. If the contents immediately went into the trash, then this is almost a success.
It also happens that some files are not deleted and no matter how many times you move them to the trash, an error message constantly appears or, for example, that the file is being used by other programs (even if this is not the case).
Be sure to read the message carefully about why the document is not deleted. To check if it is open in another application, go to the task manager:
- for Windows 7 and XP use the keys " Ctrl+Alt+Del »;
- for Windows 8, click " Windows + X» and select task manager.
Find the file you are using in the list, click on it once and click “ Cancel task " Try deleting the file again.
If the file is open in a browser, before going to the DZ, call the command line by pressing " Windows+R" and cancel the task with the command " del full_path_to_file».
Solving the problem on your own
The first thing you can do is restart your computer. In most cases, this method helps resolve the problem. And when the equipment starts up immediately, you can easily delete the desired document.
Don’t forget to use a reliable antivirus program; it will protect you from installing programs from dubious sources, will not allow them to be installed, which means you won’t have to waste time uninstalling such utilities.
Need I remind you that the process of deleting a file itself should be conscious? If you decide to clean up disk space " WITH" and went into the program folder, keep in mind that deleting local folders and documents can lead to irreversible consequences. Then don't be surprised if your computer stops working.
If you are not the only computer user, the file may not be available for you to delete. Then you should give up trying, because it is possible that the document is intentionally protected from deletion because someone needs it.
Using third party media
To delete using this method, you will need to boot from any storage device, for example, from a flash drive. If you will be using a LiveCD, use the standard Windows GUI or command line. To avoid making the situation worse, use the command " dir c".
Using a bootable USB flash drive and a Windows installation disk, to enter the command line, click " Shift+F10" Find the file to uninstall in the list and click on it.
Choosing a free Unlocker utility
This program is in special demand because it copes well with the main task, and it is also free. You can download it here. After installation, you can use it as follows. Click on the file you want to delete and select the " Unlocker" The utility has a portable version, which is also convenient.
The task is resolved quickly, and you can save time, since there is no need to look for the reason why the system refuses to delete.
File manager to help
So which file manager do you use? And do you use it? I've been using Total Commander for a long time and sometimes . How do such utilities help in solving the mentioned issue? It's simple. Open the file manager and find the desired file in the directory, delete it. That's all! What is noteworthy is that such programs display hidden files and folders, which can also become reasons for denying the ability to uninstall a document.
A simple effective way
There is another option for resolving the deletion issue - moving the document to another folder. Then you can try again to perform the desired actions. You can move the file to removable media, and then format it.
Tell us in the comments about your methods of solving the problem mentioned in the article or write down which option you use in which situations.
Subscribe on the news!
P/S
Best regards, Alexander Sergienko.
One of the most common problems that novice users encounter is that some object on the computer cannot be deleted. Sometimes these files interfere with your work or simply cause aesthetic inconvenience. If you don't know how to delete an unremovable file from your computer, this article is for you.
Why isn't it deleted?
There are several reasons why you cannot delete an object on your computer:
- being used by another application or process;
- engaged by the user on the network;
- access is blocked because you do not have administrator rights;
- Write protection is enabled.
For example, if you open a file, the antivirus software will begin scanning it. The process often takes a long time, so you will not be able to delete it until the scan is completed.
Deleting a file
If you encounter one of the problems described above, do not worry - you can fix the situation with standard tools and third-party programs.
No additional programs
When a file is occupied by another process and you cannot delete it, a warning indicates which program is using the object (for example, Explorer.exe).
If you need to stop the Explorer.exe process, first launch the command line (right-click on the Start menu → Command Prompt (Administrator)).
If the file moves from folder to folder without any problems, drag it onto an empty flash drive (read the article “How to remove the write protection of a flash drive if you can’t copy information to it?”). After this, run formatting, which will delete all data on the removable media.
Using a bootable USB flash drive or disk
Start your computer using any LiveCD, bootable USB flash drive or disk (also read “Create a Windows 10 installation USB flash drive in various ways”). When using a LiveCD, a menu will open with a graphical interface or command line access.
Important! Please note that when using these utilities, different drive letters may be assigned.
When using bootable media, during the process of selecting a language, press Shift+F10 → this will take you to the command line, using which you can delete the file. Remember the difference in the names of the disks.
Changing administrator rights
If the object is not deleted due to lack of access to it, change the administrator rights.
Unlocker utility
Among software designed to unlock files, the Unlocker program is considered the most popular. It's free and easy to use:
The advantage of the utility is that it finds background processes that are using a non-deletable file. In addition, all programs and services stop automatically.
In the video you can see the Unlocker program in action, and also look at other options for deleting objects that cannot be deleted by third-party programs.
Conclusion
You can delete a file from your computer that is being used by another program or is blocked using standard Windows tools or using a third-party program. The utility will do everything automatically, quickly and without disturbing the stability of the system.
Surely, almost every user of a home computer or laptop has encountered a situation where they cannot delete a file or folder from their computer. When you try to do this, a window with error information pops up on your desktop. Naturally, the file that you deleted has not gone anywhere and lies quietly in its old place. So how do you delete a file that won't delete?
Using different programs
Often the user is unable to delete a file because it is open and used in some program, and it does not allow the file to be permanently deleted. For example, you decide to delete a Microsoft Word text file, but the document itself is open at the same time, and the deletion operation is not completed. Or there is another example: by the way, after watching a movie, the user wanted to delete the video file from the computer, but before that he did not turn off the utility with which he played the video. Naturally, the video file was not deleted. To resolve the problem, you need to close all programs that are using the file to be deleted and try again. This way you can delete files that cannot be deleted. This is the simplest situation, and, unfortunately, it is not the only one. There are other situations when a file is not deleted. What to do?
Computer RAM
So, all your dances with a tambourine around the file did not bring any results. And you still don't know how to delete a file that won't delete. This can only mean one thing: the processes associated with the application being removed are still active or remain in the computer's RAM. Visually, the application is closed and is nowhere to be seen, but the computer system does not think so. There are two ways to solve this: either end the process through the task manager, or simply restart the computer. If you have never worked with the task manager or have never even heard of it, then it is better to just reboot, and you can learn how to use the manager later. So what, the file is still not deleted? Go ahead.
Unacceptable symbols
Invalid characters in the name sometimes become the main reason for the question of how to delete a file that is not deleted. Usually the system does not allow you to name the file incorrectly and warns the user about this in advance with a pop-up error window. But sometimes system malfunctions happen, and you may accidentally give a file or program an incorrect, incorrect name. This can only happen when the program in which you opened or edited the file crashes. This often happens when unpacking a rar or zip archive. Try renaming the file, this may fix the problem and the file will be deleted. If the file is not deleted from the computer even after this, try “safe mode”.
Safe mode
If all of the above methods are ineffective, then you should try deleting the file in safe mode. This is easy to do, although it may seem at first glance the most difficult way. First we restart the computer and when the Windows logo appears on the screen, press the F8 key. The button sometimes does not work, so it is better to press it several times in a row or even hold it down and hold it. After this, the boot menu will appear, and in it you need to select the “Safe Mode” option, then press the Enter key. Next, the desktop loads, but in safe mode. Find the file and delete it. You can load “safe mode” in another way , inserting the disk from which the operating system was installed into the drive. That's all you need to know about how to delete a file that is not deleted.
Unlocker
But, of course, it may be that safe mode also could not help. You should use the Unlocker function when the following problems arise:
1. Access to the file is denied, it is impossible to delete it.
2. A file or folder is using a file, but when you close it, you still can’t delete it.
3. The disc is protected from writing and other changes.
4. A file sharing error appears.
5. Other reasons.
But no matter how hard the computer tries to prevent you from deleting the file, Unlocker will do a great job of resolving this issue. Unlocker is a special program that removes undeletable files and folders. It conveniently and quickly integrates into Explorer, and as soon as you receive a notification about the impossibility of deleting a file, you can easily delete it by right-clicking on the file and calling up the context menu. Unlocker masterfully shows all the processes and programs that are blocking normal deletion, and by ending them, you can get rid of the unnecessary file. You can also postpone the removal until the next boot of your computer's OS.
The best part: Unlocker is a completely free program, so when using it, you don't have to worry about supporting cyber piracy. Your conscience will be clear. Reviews about Unlocker are very positive.
Unlocker Compatibility
The program for removing undeletable files works on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. The program has been translated into more than 40 languages, including Russian.
Problems with the flash drive
If files are not deleted from the flash drive, then the problem needs to be solved differently. The main difference in deleting files from a flash drive is that they are not moved to the trash, but are deleted from the computer completely, once and for all. This handy feature can be a major cause for concern when you find a file that can't be deleted. Although the file itself does not pose any inconvenience or any threats, it is still an eyesore.
Reasons for not deleting files from a flash drive
How to delete a file that is not deleted from a flash drive? Maybe this is due to mechanical write protection. Carefully inspect your flash drive or memory card. If you find a small mechanical switch, then you are on the right track. Look at the position he is in. The point is that this small lever protects the flash drive from unwanted recording of any information, deletion, formatting - almost any user activity in relation to the flash drive or memory card. If the switch is activated, then when you try to delete a file, the following notifications pop up: “Remove write protection”, “The disk is write protected”, “Cannot delete the file”.
Flash drive and viruses
Of course, a common cause may be that your computer is “sick” with various viruses. You can pick them up anywhere, mainly on the Internet. If the file was deleted and then reappeared, then you are one hundred percent sure you have a virus. If you have an antivirus installed, then you should check your flash drive with it; if not, then well, you will have to go through the process of downloading and installing the antivirus on your computer. Absolutely any antivirus will do, of course, with an up-to-date antivirus database.
Flash drive file system
The flash drive is controlled by utility programs, and they can also fail. Then formatting the flash drive will help. But at the same time it will be completely cleared of information.
Formatting a flash drive
This is the easiest and most effective way to get rid of files on external storage. But be careful, formatting will delete not only those files that you want to get rid of, but also all the others that are on the flash drive. Everything is quite simple, right-click on the flash drive in the “My Computer” window and select “Format”. Next, select the file system that suits you best and the cluster size. You can leave the default values, but if you have special preferences, you can customize the formatting to suit your needs. Then uncheck the box next to “Quick” and begin the removal process.
Errors
How to delete a non-deletable file from a flash drive? The media may contain errors that interfere with normal operation. To fix this, you need to right-click on the flash drive icon, go to “Properties” and go to the “Service” tab. Click the "Check" button and all errors will be found and corrected.
Negligence
Many computer users think: why bother with such a thorough removal of programs, let them lie around on the hard drive, there is no harm from them. This is wrong. If you leave everything to chance and leave cluttered hard drive compartments with all sorts of garbage, files, folders, archives and various programs, then over time your computer will become glitchy and not work properly. And this is not an assumption - this is a fact. Therefore, you should always clean your computer. An operating system that is handled with care, garbage is removed on time, the cache is cleared, and pirated content that may contain viruses is not used, will work much longer. Several years of uninterrupted operation are guaranteed. If, of course, you like to reinstall the system every three to four months, then please don’t delete anything.
Basket
If you simply clicked “Delete file” without using hot buttons, then the system throws it into the trash, from where you can later restore it if desired, you can also delete it again, but from the trash completely. If you are not deleting files from the Recycle Bin, then you don’t have to sit for several hours trying to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it. It is enough to simply delete the recycle bin along with all non-deletable files. Go to the "Start" menu - "Run-cmd. Code rd /s c:\recycler". The question pops up: “Are you sure you want to delete the trash can?” - press “Y” and thereby confirm the choice.
Bottom line
Here are almost all the most adequate ways to delete files from your computer. Almost all the ways you can delete a file are listed: both through the program and using “safe mode”. We figured out how to delete from a flash drive. But there are people for whom all of the above is real magic, worse than in Harry Potter, so for such people it is better to call programmers to solve their problems. There is nothing terrible in the fact that such people do not know what to do with undeletable programs and files. In life, things are not like that.
Hello everyone! On my blog I often write articles on computer literacy topics, so right away (before you start reading this post) I advise subscribe to my blog updates so as not to miss cool and interesting posts that will be very useful for you.
Here are some of them (the most popular):
Well, now to the topic of the post...
Have you ever encountered such a problem when, for some reason unknown to you, you cannot delete some file or folder, archive or program from your computer? I think we have. So today I will tell you about how to delete any files from your PC without problems.
It happens like this: you right-click on a file, click “delete”, and Windows gives an error like the file cannot be deleted, access is blocked, the disk may be full or write-protected, or the file is occupied by another application, etc. and so on. You sit and think what is the reason?
It’s clear when you try to delete a file, folder or program that is currently open (you haven’t closed it yet) and it is not deleted. Of course, we first close everything and then delete it, but there are times when everything seems to be closed, but you try to delete a file and it still won’t be deleted.
Here you already have to think about what to do, but it’s very difficult to think when you don’t know what to do =).
If you let everything take its course and leave all unnecessary files, folders, zip, rar archives, programs, etc. on your computer, then over time it will become clogged and begin to fail! Fact! Therefore, I advise you to always clear your computer of unnecessary junk. Windows, with normal care, will work smoothly for years! Well, if you want to change Windows every 3 months, then please, clog it.
What to do if the file is still not deleted?
So. How to remove undeletable files from your computer? Very simple. For this we need one cool utility that helps me all the time! It's called Unlocker.
- a utility for deleting files and folders that cannot be deleted in the usual way. You can download the utility for free using this link - download Unlocker
Now deleting a file is very easy. Run this utility (the program icon will appear in the system tray) and do everything the same way.
Right-click on the file that cannot be deleted and click “Delete”. First, some kind of error will probably come up, click “ok”, and then Unlocker will automatically work, it will find on the PC all programs, applications and tasks that use this file, disconnect them from this file and you can delete the file.
Sometimes you will need to restart your computer to remove more complex files. Files are not placed in the trash, but are deleted immediately and forever!
If you cannot move a file from one folder to another, then Unlocker will also help you with this! Right-click on the file to be moved and click - Unlocker.
In the small window that appears, select the action - move and specify the folder to which you want to move the file.
That's basically all for today. The utility is great, use it, it saves me all the time! By the way, I recently wrote an article about another useful utility, it’s called Uninstall Tools.
Many users encounter this problem when they need to delete a program or a separate file, archive, or folder from their computer, but for unknown reasons it is not possible for them to do this.
This article will tell you how to delete any files from your computer without any problems. This often happens: a user sits and right-clicks on a file, clicks “Delete”, and Windows gives him an error stating that the file cannot be deleted, access is blocked, or the file is open in some application, or the disk may be protected from recording, etc. The user sits and thinks what is the reason?
It’s clear that when you start deleting a folder, program or some file that is still open at the moment in the system, it is impossible to delete them without closing them. First, we close it all and then delete it. But there are cases when everything is closed, and you try to delete a program or file, and it doesn’t work. Here it is clearly necessary to think about what to do, and sometimes you have to think for a long time or turn to the Internet for information.
You can launch the task manager and look for this file among hundreds of similar ones, and end the process, it’s a little scary, you’ll agree. You can remember which program this file is used in and turn it off. Try deleting it again... If it doesn’t work again, then an easy, convenient and, by the way, free program will come to your aid - Unlocker!
You also need to remember that if you leave everything to chance, leave unused files, .rar archives, zip, folders, unnecessary folders, etc. on your computer, then over time it will become filled with electronic waste and begin to glitch. Therefore, clean your computer of unnecessary and unused junk more often. The Windows operating system, if you take care of it, will “fly” for years! Well, if you want to reinstall it every three to four months, please...
Now about the procedure itself, how to remove non-deletable files from your computer. Everything is very, very simple. As mentioned above, you will need one excellent utility that has made life easier for more than one user. Download the application, install it in the traditional way and you will forget about the questions “I can’t delete the file” or “I can’t delete the file” forever!
And you will also forget about the pictures you see below – forever!
The Unlocker application is a program for deleting folders and files that cannot be deleted in the usual way. After installing it, launch the application (a program icon will appear on the taskbar), and do the rest in the usual way.
Right-click on the selected but not deleted file and click “Delete”. You will probably see some kind of error, click “O.K!”, and then Unlocker will automatically launch. The application finds on the computer all tasks, programs and applications in which this file is involved, disconnects them all from the selected file, and then you can safely delete it. It is worth remembering that files are deleted immediately and permanently, bypassing the trash bin.
In addition, this program will help you move the necessary files from one folder to another. Right-click on the file you want to move and click on the Unlocker icon.
In the window that appears, select the required action, in this case “Move” and then specify the folder to which you need to move this file.
That's the whole process. The Unlocker application is a great assistant for any user, especially for beginners. Use it, it will always save you in hopeless situations.
In conclusion, it must be said that some files will be completely deleted after the system is rebooted. Therefore, there is no need to worry. Congratulations, now you know how to delete files that cannot be deleted normally from your computer.
| Like |
