Method 3. Use Shift + Delete to Force Delete File/Folder – You can select the target file or folder and press Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to delete the file/folder permanently. This file deletion method won’t pass the Recycle Bin. Note: Need to mention that this post is not talking about deleting Windows system files.
- Windows system files are usually protected against deletion.
- Deleting system files can cause issues of your Windows 10 computer OS.
- So please do not delete system files randomly.
- If the file is corrupted or your Windows 10 computer reports that it can’t find the file, you may take some measures to conduct the disk repair process to see if it can fix this error and fix corrupted system files.
Quick Video Guide:
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How do I force delete a file that is in use?
Solution 2. Delete Files in Use From Command Prompt – This method requires you to open Command Prompt on your Windows PC. For the files used by some local processes (the processes that can be started and closed by a standard – non-administrator user account), opening Command Prompt on a standard user account would suffice.
However, if the file is used by any system process, the elevated Command Prompt must be initialized. An elevated Command Prompt is the command window that has all the administrator rights and all the administrative tasks can be performed via commands in its interface. This is what you need to do: Note: A Windows 7 PC is used in this example.1.
On your Windows PC, locate the folder that contains the file in use that you want to delete. (Do not enter into the folder.) 2. Shift + right-click the folder.3. From the advanced context menu that appears, click the Open command window here or press the W key on the keyboard. 
Note: This method does not allow you to open an elevated command window. Note: To start elevated Command Prompt, click the Start button, type CMD in the search box at the bottom of the Start menu, right-click CMD from the suggested programs’ list, click Run as administrator from the context menu, and on the User Account Control confirmation box, type the password for the admin account (or click Yes if Windows doesn’t ask you for the password) to provide your consent to continue.
After the elevated command window opens up, you must use the DOS commands like CD and DIR to locate the directory where the file you want to delete is placed and to check the presence of the file respectively.4. In the command window, type the DEL /F file name command and press Enter to force delete the file that is in use.
Note: In the above command, the file name must be replaced by the name of the file along with its extension that you want to delete. For example del /f TestFile.txt, WARNING!! – A file deleted using the DEL command does not move it to the Recycle Bin but deletes it permanently. 
5. Once the file is deleted, you can close Command Prompt by clicking the Close button from the top-right corner of the window or by typing EXIT in the command window and pressing Enter,
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How do I force delete a file in command prompt?
How to Force Delete a File With the Windows Command Prompt – The following steps will help you force delete a file with the del command. Step 1 : Open the Command Prompt by clicking on Start (or by hitting the Windows logo key on your keyboard), searching for “cmd”, then hitting Enter : 
Step 2 : Head over to the folder containing the file, click on the folder address bar, and copy the address: 
Step 3 : In the Command Prompt, type del, right-click to the paste in the folder address, and append the filename with its extension (,html,,txt,,py, and so on). This will look similar to del C:\Users\user\folder-name\filename.extension : 
Step 4 : Hit ENTER to run the command. Then check the folder again and you shouldn’t see the file anymore: 
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How do I force delete a file without permission?
2. Close File in Use – If some program is currently using the file or folder that you’re trying to delete on Windows 10, then you’ll get a ‘File in Use’ error. To remove that error, close the said program using the Task Manager. Also, if it’s a background process that prevents removing the file or folder, you can use the built-in Windows Task Manager to stop that process. Once closed, go ahead and see if you’re able to delete the file or folder.
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How do I force delete a file in Windows 10?
The easiest way to force delete a file in Windows is by deleting it using the del /f command in the Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
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How do I delete stubborn files and folders?
How to Delete Stubborn Files With ForceDelete – ForceDelete is a third-party program that provides a solution for erasing locked files you can’t delete in Windows 11. That software enables users to force delete locked files by dragging and dropping them into a Drop Files Here area in its window. This is how you can delete stubborn files in Windows 11 with ForceDelete.
Open the ForceDelete download page. Click the Download ForceDelete Now button. Bring up your browser’s download folder in File Explorer. Double-click the forcedelete.exe file to bring up the setup window for ForceDelete. Select Next in the setup wizard. If you prefer to select an installation directory, click the Browse option. Choose where you want to install ForceDelete, and click the OK button. 
Keep pressing Next to reach the installation option. Press the Install option to initiate the ForceDelete installation. Now open the ForceDelete software by clicking its desktop shortcut. If you can’t find a shortcut for it, type ForceDelete in Windows 11’s search tool to locate and start the app. 
Open whatever folder includes the stubborn file you can’t delete. Left-click the file you need to delete and hold the mouse button. Then drag the file from File Explorer into the black circle within ForceDelete’s window, and release the mouse button to drop it. Select Yes when asked to confirm you’re sure about deleting the file.
You’ll notice the ForceDelete window has some additional options. The Close Processes checkbox terminates the background programs that were using the file when selected. You can keep those processes running and delete the file by unchecking that option.
- The Permanently Shred Files (Unrecoverable) checkbox is another interesting ForceDelete option.
- Selecting that setting permanently erases the file.
- That option means the deleted file won’t be recoverable for even the best data recovery software when enabled.
- You can also select to force delete files from Explorer’s context menu.
Right-click a stubborn file to erase in File Explorer and select Show more options (for viewing the classic context menu). Select the Force Delete option there to erase the file. Alternatively, you can select an Unlock by ForceDelete option to unlock a locked file in use. 
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How do I delete a folder that won’t delete?
Method 3. Use Shift + Delete to Force Delete File/Folder – You can select the target file or folder and press Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to delete the file/folder permanently. This file deletion method won’t pass the Recycle Bin. Note: Need to mention that this post is not talking about deleting Windows system files.
- Windows system files are usually protected against deletion.
- Deleting system files can cause issues of your Windows 10 computer OS.
- So please do not delete system files randomly.
- If the file is corrupted or your Windows 10 computer reports that it can’t find the file, you may take some measures to conduct the disk repair process to see if it can fix this error and fix corrupted system files.
Quick Video Guide:
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Can’t delete file says its in use?
Using Windows Resource Monitor –
Press the on your keyboard, type resmon.exe and press, In the window that appears, click the CPU, In the third bar from the top, see the label Associated Handles, Type the name of the file you’re trying to close in the Search Handles bar, and then click the magnifying glass, Locate the program using your file. the program using the file in question and select End Process,
If you cannot find the file with the steps above, try the delete option in the next section.
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