Some files are not deleted. How to delete a file that is not deleted from your computer

Deleting folders and files is a fairly simple procedure that does not cause any difficulties even for novice users. However, sometimes there are situations when folders are not deleted. In this article, we will show you how to delete a folder that is not being deleted.

Method number 1. Close the program that uses files from this folder.

If you try to delete a folder, but it is not deleted, then the first thing to check is running programs. It is quite possible that one of the running programs is currently working with files from this folder. Typically, in such cases, the message "The operation could not be completed because these folders or files are open in another program" appears.

If you suspect that a program can use files from this folder, then such a program should be closed. Then you need to try again to delete the folder.

Separately, it should be said about antiviruses. It is not uncommon for antiviruses to block files that make them suspicious. Such files cannot be opened or deleted. If you try to delete the folder containing such a file, then you will also fail. In order to delete a file blocked by an antivirus, you need to pause antivirus protection.

Method number 2. Rename the folder.

Another easy way is to rename the folder. Not infrequently, the system does not allow you to delete a folder, but allows you to rename it. In this case, after renaming, you can delete it.

Method number 3. Disconnect the computer from the network.

If files from the folder are used by other users on the local network, then you will not be able to delete the folder in which they are located. In order to solve this problem, you can simply disconnect the computer from the network, and then delete the folder.

Method number 4. Use an administrator account.

Administrator rights are required to delete some folders and files. If the system reports that you do not have enough rights, then you need to log into the administrator account and try to delete the folder again.

Method number 5. Restart your computer.

If the previous methods didn't work, then just restart your computer. In most cases, after a reboot, locked files and folders are removed without problems.

Method number 6. Delete the folder using a special program.

There are programs for removing locked files and folders. The most popular programs of this kind are Unlocker, IObit Unlocker, LockHunter. Install one of these programs and try to delete the folder using it.

Method number 7. Delete the folder through Safe Mode.

You can also . Safe mode starts only the most essential components of the operating system. Therefore, in Safe Mode, most likely, the folder will not be locked and you can delete it.

In the process of working at the computer, a huge amount of unnecessary information accumulates, which reduces the performance of the PC, clogging up the RAM. It needs to be removed. Quite often, due to an operating system failure, a virus attack, the presence of hidden or system files, access blocking, and a number of other reasons, when deleting an object, a message appears that the folder is not being deleted. What to do in this case? There are several ways to help solve this problem.

Restart your computer

An operating system crash is often the reason that an empty folder is not deleted. In this case, a simple restart of the computer is enough - and the object can be deleted. If the reboot did not help, you will need:

Start your computer in safe mode.
... Delete problem folder.
... Return to normal mode.

Removing folders involved in one of the running processes

If a folder or a file contained in it is involved in some system process or is used by an application, they cannot be deleted. First of all, you need to stop the process and only then try to delete the directory again.

To do this, follow these steps:

Open the task manager with the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
... Switch to the "Processes" tab.
... Find the required file in the list that opens.
... Select it with the mouse.
... Click on the "End process" button.
... Delete a folder using the context menu or the Delete key.

How to delete a protected folder in the standard way

In some cases, the folder is protected and the user must have administrator rights to delete it. This requires:

Shut down the computer.
... Turn on the PC.
... Log in as an administrator.
... Delete the folder in the usual way.

Unlocker utility and its features

If this method does not help to solve the problem of how to delete a non-removable folder, then you will need to install an additional Unlocker utility. It is a handy program for deleting various objects, which takes up a small amount of hard disk memory and has an easy-to-use interface. Plus, it's completely free.

You can unlock and delete a folder using this utility as follows:

Download the utility to your computer.
Follow the standard software installation procedure, after which the program icon will appear in the system tray and in the context menu.
Select the folder to be deleted.
Click on it with the right mouse button.
In the pop-up menu, select the Unlocker item.
The program window will open.
At the bottom of the list of actions, select the "Delete" line.
If the folder is blocked by any process (it will be highlighted in the program window), first click on the line "Unblock" or "Unblock all", and then apply the action "Delete".

Unlocker may not always be able to immediately delete an object. In this case, a message will be displayed that the action will be performed at the next system boot.

Deleting a folder via the command line

In the event that a folder with a system name is not deleted, the command line can help. First, you need to run the CMD program:

Click the mouse on the "Start" button.
Find the Run dialog using the search bar on the main menu.
Start the Run program.
In the "Open" line, enter the CMD command.
Run the command line by pressing the Enter button.

To delete folders, use the command "RD \\. \ Drive C or D: \ Path \ Folder name".

Sometimes, when using this command, you might wonder why the folder is not being deleted. For an object with a long name, you need to know its short designation before deleting it. This can be done as follows:

Go to the drive containing the non-removable folder with the command: cd / d drive name: \.
Get a list of the short names of objects contained on the disk: dir / x / n.
Find the short name of the folder you want.
Delete a directory using the delete command.

Terminating the explorer.exe process

Sometimes, in solving the problem of how to delete an unremovable folder, you need to stop the explorer.exe process. For this you need:

Leave the command line open.
Launch the task manager by selecting this action in the pop-up menu on the system tray.
In the "Processes" tab, find all the processes named explorer.exe.
Stop them by clicking on the "End process" button.
If everything is done correctly, the desktop will be cleared of icons, the taskbar, and only an open command line window will remain.

After that, you can start deleting the object through the command line. Returning the desktop to its previous state will help the explorer command, which should be entered into the command line and press the Enter key. You can also restore your desktop by simply restarting your computer.

FileASSASSIN folder remover

The FileASSASSIN utility will help you to delete any object, including those occupied by any process or application. It works in a similar way to the Unlocker program. To use this utility, you must:

Download and install it on your computer.
After installation, the program integrates into Explorer and becomes available in the context menu.
To delete a folder, right-click on it.
In the menu, find the FileASSASSIN item.
Select the method of deletion from the offered list.
Click on the "Run" button.

Removing non-removable objects with LockHunter

The LockHunter utility allows you to clear the computer's memory of unnecessary objects and solve the problem of how to delete an unremovable folder. Unlike other similar software, it is equipped with functionality that can protect the operating system and user data from misuse. In addition, deleted objects are stored in the system recycle bin for some time, and if you delete them by mistake, you can always restore them.

The LockHunter program works as follows:

After installation, you need to run the utility by double-clicking on the icon on the desktop.
The main program window will open.
Find the ellipsis button and click on it.
In the window that appears, select the desired folder.
The program will show the process preventing the deletion of the object.
Click on the button with the red cross.
The process will be completed.
Delete the folder in the usual way.

Restoring access to a folder

Sometimes the reason why a folder is not deleted is the closed access to it. You can restore access to the desired object as follows:

Change access rights settings - to do this, you first need to go to the "My Computer" section.
In the top menu, click on the "Service" subsection.
Find the "Folder Options" block and open it.
In the "View" tab, uncheck the checkbox opposite the line "Use simple file sharing (recommended)".
Press the "Ok" button.
Then right-click on the folder to be deleted.
In the functional menu, select the item "Sharing and Security".
Switch to the "Security" tab.
If a warning about the lack of rights appears, click the "OK" button.
In the "Security" tab at the bottom, click on the "Advanced" button.
In the advanced options window, find the "Owner" tab.
Select the required account from the list.
Check the box next to the "Change owner of subcontainers and objects" line.
Click the "Apply" button.
A change of ownership warning will appear.
Allow changes to be made by clicking on the "Yes" button.
Go to the "Permissions" tab.
Click on the line "Change permissions".
In the window that opens, select the owner's account and click the "Change" button.
Put a tick in front of the "Full access" item and click the "OK" button.
In the next window, check the boxes next to the lines "Add permissions inherited from parent objects" and "Replace all permissions of a child object with permissions inherited from this object".
Confirm the changes with the "OK" button.
Close all windows.
Delete a folder using the "Delete" function in the context menu or the Delete key.

Deleting an object with a bat-file command

If the folder that appears again is not deleted, you must create a bat-file and eliminate the directory by running it. This will require the following steps:

Right-click on an empty space on the desktop.
In the pop-up menu, select the function "Create" and the item "Text document".
Open document.
Enter the command into it: RMDIR / S / Q Path to a folder like C: \ folder name.
In the top menu, go to the "File" section.
Click on the "Save As" line.
Set the file name "1.bat" and click the "Save" button.
Run the created bat-file - and the folder will be deleted.

Using Total Commander File Manager

Permanently deleting a folder can be performed using the Total Commander program. For this you need:

Start the file manager.
Select a non-removable folder.
Press the "F8" key.
In the message that appears, click on the "Delete" button.

Folder not deleted? What to do? There are many ways to solve this problem. The choice of the removal method depends on the type of folder and the reasons that prevent you from cleaning your computer of unnecessary objects.

If you don't have time to get into the situation, just restart your computer. In many cases, after restarting, the problematic folder can be deleted in the usual way.

If, when trying to uninstall, Windows says that it cannot find the item to be deleted, an archiver can help you. 7Zip, WinRAR or a similar program will do. Run it and zip the problem folder, having previously checked the "Delete files after compression" option. The program should automatically erase the directory, and you just have to delete the created archive.

3. Delete the folder using the administrator account

The inability to delete a directory may be related to permissions. In such cases, the system requires a password from the administrator account or simply informs about the lack of the necessary rights. To bypass this limitation, you will either have to enter the requested password right away, or log in as an administrator and only then delete the folder.

Viruses and other malware can also prevent the folder from being deleted. using antivirus, then try to get rid of the directory again.

5. Check that there are no locked files inside the folder

Often it does not work to delete a folder due to the fact that the files attached to it are used by certain programs. It is very easy to check if there is such a conflict: open the directory, select the internal files and try to delete them. If the system refuses to delete one or more objects, using system tools or third-party programs. Then delete the folder itself.

If standard explorer refuses to delete an object, try doing it in a third-party file manager. For example, in Total Commander (Windows) or Commander One (macOS).

7. Delete the folder in safe mode

If other methods do not help, find the problem directory and delete it.

Quite often, users of Windows systems are faced with the eternal problem of deleting files and directories, even those that, in theory, have nothing to do with system components. In such a situation, you have to look for some suitable solution. We will try to figure out how to delete a folder that cannot be deleted. Below are some of the simplest methods, for the application of which you do not need to have special knowledge.

Why and which folders are not deleted in Windows?

The simplest steps to remove directories

Initially, we will assume that it is impossible to get rid of the selected directory due to possible errors of the operating system or in the case when the files in the folder are occupied by other processes, but the user does not know which ones. In this case, it will not be enough to close all running applications that could theoretically use these files, but you need to perform a complete reboot of the system, and then try to uninstall again. However, this approach is applicable only if the program accessing the directory and its attached files is not registered in startup, since the application will start again after restarting, and the user will get the same problem. How do I forcefully delete the folder in this case? To do this, you will have to find out which process the directory files are occupied by.

How to forcibly delete a folder in Windows XP and higher if it is busy with some process?

Actions with attributes of directories and files in them

Now suppose that the directory and its attached files are not occupied by any system or user processes, but you still cannot get rid of them. How to forcibly delete a folder in Windows 8 and in other modifications, because there is no explicit involvement of the components? Very often, users overlook the fact that both the directories themselves and the files present in them can be set to read-only attribute.

As it is already clear, in the "Explorer" you need to go to the properties of the folder through the RMB menu, remove the corresponding attribute, and then agree to this action for all nested objects. After that, deletion will become possible.

How to force deletion of a folder in Windows 10 and below with change of permissions?

One of the most effective methods is changing the access rights to non-removable objects, although sometimes you may need to change the owner (for example, from TrustedInstaller to administrator). Let's see how to forcefully delete a folder using this technique.

Through the RMB menu, you need to go to the properties of the selected directory, then select a user or group, click the additional parameters button, double-click the buttons for changing permissions, and in the list it is mandatory to mark the items for deleting and changing the contents of the directory. After saving the options, in theory, you can get rid of the folder.

If this does not help or the specified permissions cannot be changed, you should go to the owner tab and change it to an administrator or a user with similar rights.

Note: when you try to change the ownership of system directories, some files (for example, in the Windows directory) may still be locked. But this only applies to system components, and when performing actions with custom directories, such errors usually do not occur).

You have chosen to delete files or folders on your Windows computer. When attempting to delete, the system reported an error: "This item could not be found."

Sometimes the folder name is something like "New Folder". If you look at the end of the title, you will notice a gap. If you have Windows 8, 8.1, or even 10, try to create a folder that ends with a space and you will see it disappear automatically.

This is problem!

In previous versions of Windows from Microsoft, such as XP or Vista, the system allowed users to create a file or folder with a trailing space.

For example, you have a "New Folder" (look at the end of the name!) And you decide to delete it in Explorer. Windows will try to erase the folder (no space), resulting in a "Could not find this item" error.

Deleting Undelete Files or Folders: The Easiest Way

So let's take a look at how to clean your computer of unnecessary and problematic junk:

So, you made the decision to remove the hated folder from the system, but the latter, as luck would have it, says that it cannot do it. There are several reasons for this.

The main one is the involvement of the folder data in any running process.

It will not work to delete the "screenshots" folder due to the fact that one or several of its files are currently used in the Windows system.

You probably don't know which one, so the only correct solution is to reboot the device.

Important! We advise you to reboot using the Start button. As a result, you will save important documents that were in work. If you choose to force restart using the "Reset" option, you will lose all data.

System check

In case of unwillingness to restart, we recommend that you check if a running program is present in the folder.

For example, you need to get rid of Skype. However, you did this not using the control panel, but by deleting the folder with all the contents of the program.

Let's take a look at this option.

Step 1. First thing you need to do is open the folder. Go to this address: "Disk C / Programm Files / Skype". As a result, the following picture will open.

Step 2. When you press "Delete", the system will report the following.

Due to the fact that the program is open and in a running state, you will not uninstall it. The system has blocked this possibility. In addition, it is present in the "Task Manager", more precisely in the process tab.

Step 3. First, close the program and clear the task. As a result, the message should not appear again.

To do this, log out of Skype, and then open the Task Manager using the keyboard shortcut "Ctrl + Alt + Delete". Find the program and select the "End Process" option.

A window will appear asking you to confirm the action (it is not available in the latest version of the system). Click on completion again. We hope this option will help you, but if not, then try running an antivirus scanner.

Note! Our advice will come in handy in all analog cases.

Viruses

It also happens that it is not possible to delete a folder due to the fact that the computer has come under the influence of a malicious program, Trojan or dangerous code.