Can't delete a file

Question

Can't delete a file

Kathi Keeton 20

I am trying to delete a file. I get a message telling me it cannot delete it because it is open in the System and that is located on Drive L. The file it is not open. I do not have a Drive L.

Viorel 127.3K Reputation points

2026-05-09T15:05:24.1833333+00:00

Where (on which disk) is the problematic file located? Is this file possibly related to file sharing with the phone, or to a storage system similar to OneDrive? To get the cleanest environment and retry, try doing a Restart (not Shutdown).

Answer accepted by question author

John DeV 170.3K Independent Advisor

Please try to perform a Clean Boot of Windows first

Determine whether a background program or a software conflict is causing the issue.

Press Windows key+R to open Run then type: msconfig

Press Enter

Select System Configuration > go to the Services tab.

(Important) Select and make sure to put a check mark on "Hide all Microsoft services"

Click Disable all.

Go to Startup tab > Open Task Manager > Disable all the unnecessary services running there. Restart your computer.

Please check the support article at the link below for more details.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd#ID0EBBD=Windows_11

After that, please try deleting the MRI files using the method suggested in my first response.

Kathi Keeton 20 Reputation points

2026-06-09T22:42:22.95+00:00

Sorry it took so long to do. Just performed a clean boot and then used WinRAR to delete the files. Thank you so much.

4 additional answers

Your answer

Viorel 127.3K Reputation points

2026-05-09T15:05:24.1833333+00:00

Where (on which disk) is the problematic file located? Is this file possibly related to file sharing with the phone, or to a storage system similar to OneDrive? To get the cleanest environment and retry, try doing a Restart (not Shutdown).
Kathi Keeton 20 Reputation points

2026-06-09T22:42:22.95+00:00

Sorry it took so long to do. Just performed a clean boot and then used WinRAR to delete the files. Thank you so much.

Answer 1

Bulldog 4,740

Nobody knows what file you are trying to delete. It may be that the file in question cannot be deleted.

Shutdown your computer - don't restart. When you shutdown your computer, all processing stops. There are no files open in the system or anywhere else. Now start your computer and try again to delete the file.

Kathi Keeton 20 Reputation points

2026-05-09T00:36:06.7733333+00:00

I've been trying to do this for a few days now. I shut down my computer every day. I've emptied my recycle bin, I have nothing in the cloud. The files I am trying to delete are pictures from my MRI. I was able to delete some but not all. I had trouble downloading them so maybe I messed something up when I downloaded the ones I can't delete. The strange thing is the file indicates they are connected to a DVD. I don't have a DVD slot on my computer.

Answer 2

John DeV 170.3K Independent Advisor

Hi, good day!

Please try using WinRAR to delete an invalid file or folder

Download WinRAR and install

Right click the file or folder then select "Add to archive"

Make sure to check the box to "Delete the files after archiving"

Click OK

After that delete the archived file.

I look forward to your update and am happy to continue working with you until the issue is resolved. If you find the answer helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and consider upvoting it. Otherwise, please keep me posted by clicking "Add comment" below instead of selecting Yes or No.

Kathi Keeton 20 Reputation points

2026-05-08T23:03:34.9766667+00:00

Still getting the message that it cannot be deleted because it is being used by another process.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

The message indicates Windows believes the file is in use by a system process, not that it is literally open in an app. A file in use (held open by any process) cannot be deleted until all handles to it are closed.

Use these steps:

Close anything that might be using the file
- Close all apps that could access that file (including File Explorer windows showing that folder).
- If the file is on an external or network drive, safely disconnect and reconnect that drive.
Reboot and try again
- Restart the PC to force all handles to close.
- After restart, try deleting the file again from File Explorer.
Check if the file is actually in use
- The underlying cause matches “file is being used”: Windows will not delete it until the process releases it.
- Use a handle-inspection tool (such as those mentioned in Microsoft troubleshooting tools) to identify which process has the file open, then close or stop that process and delete the file.
Check for file system issues
- If the file still cannot be deleted, file system corruption may be preventing access.
- Run chkdsk on the volume where the file resides to repair file system errors, then try deleting again.
If the file name is unusual
- If the file name has trailing spaces or periods, or looks odd, Windows Explorer may not handle it correctly.
- Open a Command Prompt and delete it using the extended path syntax, for example:
```
     del "\\?\<full_path_to_file>"
```
- Replace <full_path_to_file> with the actual path shown in the error.

If the file is on an NTFS volume and has a problematic name plus permission issues, a specialized tool such as subinacl with the "\\?\" syntax can be used to take ownership and grant permissions, then delete the file.

References: