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So whenever I'm in a file explorer window and I want to delete a file(eg PDF) I get a "File in use" message.
I've figured out that this is caused by the preview pane. No preview pane no message and the file deletes.
I want to know how I can delete a file with the preview pane active because I want to check the contents to make sure it's the correct file I want to delete?
Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.
Hi Gianluca,
This thread has been created on 2015 and was previously resolved. There has been a lot of changes since then and the resolution provided here may not be applicable anymore. Hence, we recommend you to create your own thread regarding your concern for assistance from our community.
If there's anything else, feel free to reach out to us.
While my biggest frustration was the inability to rename a file while a preview pane was open, I am happy to say adobe or microsoft seem to have finally gotten this bug fixed because since the new release of adobe acrobat reader DC, this is no longer a problem for me. No "work arounds" needed anymore...
Thank you for showing the Shift+Del combo! That was useful
Hello,
Thank you for the update on this issue.
It seems like even after closing Adobe applications, some of its services runs in the background due to which you have facing this issue. I recommend you to perform Clean Boot and try again.
Boot the computer in a **clean boot** state and check the status. A clean boot helps to verify if any third party application service or startup item is causing this issue.
Note: After you have finished troubleshooting, follow steps under “How to reset the computer to start as usual after troubleshooting with clean boot” in the article to boot to normal startup.
If issue persists, please reply with the following details.
Note: To know the KB numbers of the failing updates, follow the underlying steps:
Hope the information helps. Let us know if you need further assistance with Windows related issues, we’ll be glad to assist you.
Your personal attacks on this person are unwarranted.
I'm trying to find a solution to the proposed problem, and your workaround doesn't work. I tried it.
When I depress the almighty shift key in addition to pressing the delete button when I have a file selected, I am still prompted with the inquiry of whether or not I want to delete the file. No force deletion happens.
Furthermore, as I said, this is a workaround. Not a solution.
The problem at hand is in using windows 8, when a user has a the Preview Pane option available, any PDF that uses Adobe reader normally, can't then be deleted after it's been "previewed".
Workarounds instructing people to stop using Preview Pane and to force delete the file are just that, workarounds, and not solutions.
Force delete doesn't work for all computers, apparently.
Telling users to simply stop using a feature is not a viable solution.
Switching to another PDF reader to avoid the problem is not a viable solution.
Microsoft Support, please review this problem and suggest a real solution. This is unacceptable for the time the issue has existed. I need to use preview pane, I need to use Adobe software. I do not want to force delete objects. Please provide a solution.
