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 talk about how to delete a folder that cannot be deleted.
Method number 1. Close the program that uses files from this folder.
If you're trying to delete a folder but it won't delete, 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. Usually in such cases, the message "The operation cannot be completed because these folders or files are open in another program" appears.
If you have suspicions that the program can use files from this folder, then such program should be closed. Then you need to try to delete the folder again.
Separately, it must 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 in which such a file is located, then you will also fail. In order to delete a file blocked by an antivirus, you need to pause the antivirus protection.
Method number 2. Rename the folder.
Another easy way is to rename the folder. Not infrequently, the system does not allow deleting a folder, but allows you to rename it. However, after renaming, you can delete it.
Method number 3. Disconnect the computer from the network.
If files from a 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 #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 in to the administrator account and try again to delete the folder.
Method number 5. Restart your computer.
If the previous methods did not work, then just restart your computer. In most cases, after a reboot, locked files and folders are deleted without any problems.
Method number 6. Delete a folder using a special program.
There are programs for deleting 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 essential components of the operating system. Therefore, in Safe Mode, most likely, the folder will not be locked and you can delete it.
To provide the ability to catalog data in Windows, as well as in other operating systems, a tree structure is used, which is a set of nested special file container objects called folders. In Windows, folders can be system folders that store files of the operating system itself, they can be user and program folders, that is, those created by third-party applications.
As a rule, the user can do anything with folders of the second type, he also has a lot of powers when working with program directories, for example, he can manually delete the folder left on the disk after uninstalling the application, but there are cases when the folder cannot be deleted with the usual way. There may be several reasons for this. Most often this happens because the user does not have the necessary access rights, the directory can also be held by some process, it can have an incorrect name, the path is too long, etc.
Folder not deleted due to lack of admin permission
Let's look at how to delete a folder if the action asks for permission from the administrator. This problem is most often encountered by users working under a regular or guest account, but this is also possible when you yourself are an administrator of the computer.
In the first case, to delete the folder, you will have to enter the password for the PC owner account, since the system will constantly ask you for it, or use the universal method, which will be discussed at the end of the article.
But what if the folder is not deleted when working under an administrator account?
The reason may be that you either do not own it or do not have the appropriate access rights. Open the folder properties, switch to the "Security" tab and click the "Advanced" button in the window that opens.
In the new window, opposite the "Owner" line, click on the "Change" link.
In the next window, click the "Advanced" button. Another window will open.
Leave the object type in it as "User", then click the "Search" button and select the user you want to make the owner of the directory in the list that appears below.
Click OK and OK again.
After the owner is changed, check the checkbox "Replace the owner of subcontainers and objects" and save the settings.
Next, you will need to give the new owner full access rights to the folder. Click in the properties window "Edit", select the desired user in the window for changing permissions, give him full access rights and save the settings.
After that, the folder should be easily deleted.
Note: folders owned by the system service are deleted in the same way. First, the owner of the folder is replaced, then he is granted (if necessary) full rights and the folder is deleted.
The folder is being used by another program
Like any other file system object, a directory may not be deleted because it is being used by some process. How to delete the folder in this case? The first thing to try to do is to identify the holding process, the second is to force it to terminate using the Task Manager or other specialized utility. In most of these cases, when the folder is not deleted, Windows writes that it is being used by another program, and the name of this program is usually indicated in the message box.
But it may also be that the name of the program will not appear. In such a situation, the utility can help out great. Process Explorer, which is part of the Sysinternals Administration Toolkit. Run the utility (it's portable), select from the main menu Find - Find Handle or DLL.
Enter the name of the folder to hold in the "Handle or DLL substring" field and click "Search". After a couple of seconds, you will get the process name, its PID in the Task Manager, and the full path to the object used by the process.
By the way, using the utility, you can complete the process and then delete the folder itself.
The system writes that it could not find this item
Among the folders that cannot be deleted, there is a special group that belongs to the so-called ghost objects. The difficulty here lies in the fact that it is not always possible to identify the cause of the appearance of such an object. This may be an incorrect (long or reserved) name, the action of a malicious program, blocking it by another process, or damage to the file system. We already know how to check if the process is blocking, now let's try to figure out what to do if the folder is not deleted from the desktop with the message "could not find this item."
If the folder has a system reserved name, such as COM or PRN, you can delete it using the command line. Launch the CMD console as an administrator and run the following command in it:
rd //./Drive:/full path to the folder
In order to delete a "non-removable" folder with a too long name, you first need to know its short alias name. This is done again using the command line. team cd /d (path) change to the parent directory of the problematic directory and list the names of all the objects it contains with the command dir /x /n.
Note: if the folder is on drive C, the key /d do not need to be used in the jump command.
In our example, a folder with a name consisting of many dots has a short name 782F~1. Knowing the alias, we can safely remove it:
rd C:/Users/Computer/Desktop/782F~1
Special attention deserves the case when the folder is not deleted, not because it has an incorrect name or is held by the system process, but because it simply does not exist, which may be indicated by the absence of an object in the command line list or the LiveCD file manager. This may indicate damage to the file system, therefore, before taking any further action, the disk must be checked for errors with the command CHKDSK.
Action of viruses
Less likely, but viruses that have entered the system are capable of creating a similar problem. Their action may be indicated by the constant automatic re-creation of the folder after it is deleted using LiveCD or special utilities, as well as the presence of suspicious hidden files, executable or configuration files in the folder itself. The solution to the problem in such cases is standard - a complete scan of the computer with at least two anti-virus scanners, preferably performed offline before loading the operating system.
Invalid attributes
Another possible reason why the folder is not deleted is the system and read-only attributes set for it. It is not difficult to check the presence of such “holding” attributes; it is enough to execute the command attrib [full path to the folder] in the command line. The presence of the S or R keys will indicate that the folder is read-only or system. To unlock a directory, run the following command from an administrator command prompt:
attrib -r -s D:/Private /d /s
In this example, we removed the "Read Only" and "Hidden" attributes for the Private directory in the root of drive D. After changing the attributes, the folder can be deleted.
If the folder is not deleted from the desktop or any other location, you can try using the free Unlocker utility. This lightweight and extremely easy-to-use tool allows you to delete files and folders locked by system and third-party processes, it can also be useful when deleting objects that require higher access rights than local administrator rights, file and folder sharing problems, and other errors .
How to delete a folder in Windows 7/10 using Unlocker? Very simple. During the installation process, the utility is built into the Explorer context menu, so to delete an object, you just need to right-click on it and select the “Unlocker” option from the menu. If the object is not deleted immediately, a window will appear in which you can select the desired action, such as deleting, renaming, and moving. If a file or folder is locked by a system process that cannot be closed immediately, the utility will prompt you to delete the object during the computer restart.
Above, we figured out why the folder may not be deleted from the computer, and at the same time we considered the main ways to solve the problem. In conclusion, we suggest considering another way to delete locked folders. Its main advantage lies in its versatility, since it allows you to get almost unlimited access to the computer's file system. To do this, you will need any LiveCD based on Linux or WinPE with a built-in file manager. Having set the appropriate priorities in the BIOS, boot from such a disk, find the blocked object using the built-in Explorer and delete it.
You can delete a folder by right-clicking on it and selecting delete from the context menu. But sometimes this method does not help and I cannot delete the folder, so I will describe several ways to delete the folder.
Deleting a folder using the command line
To delete the Windows folder, do the following. Click "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "Command Prompt". A window will appear in which if you add Help and press "Enter", then a list of commands and a description about each command will appear, the RMDIR command is deleting a folder through the command line. To learn how to prescribe the command you need, for example, deleting a folder, you need to add Help RMDIR. The system answered us how to write a command to delete the folder. RMDIR [drive:]path. I want to delete the remnants of the game paradise in the RAI folder and I got this command. RMDIR /S /Q C:\Games\RAI.
Delete folder via command line
Press "Enter" and the folder will be deleted immediately.
Deleting a folder using bat file command
So we figured out what the command for deleting a folder looks like. There are folders that reappear after a while. Here, to remove them, you can create a BAT file on the desktop, because this folder, which we do not need, will be deleted when the bat file is launched.
how to make bat file
Right-click on an empty spot on the desktop and select "New" - "Text Document" from the context menu. Open this text document that appeared on the desktop. Enter the RMDIR /S /Q C:\Games\RAI command there, where C:\Games\RAI is the path to your folder. The entire path must be in English, since the bat file does not start if there are words in Russian in the written bat file. Now click "File" - "Save As". In the window that appears, in the file name line, write 1.bat and click "Save".
In 1.bat rename the file An example bat file will appear on your desktop. Now run 1 bat file and bat delete the folder instantly.
Deleting the Windows old folder
Some put the system by skipping formatting the disk and they have a folder with old windows system files, usually this folder is called Windows old. Many do not know that the Windows old folder can be deleted. You can delete the old windows folder by cleaning up the disk in Windows 7. Click "Start" - "All Programs" - "Accessories" - "System Tools" - "Disk Cleanup". A window will open in which you need to select the drive on which the Windows old folder is located and click "OK". The disk will be scanned and a window will appear in which we click "Clean up system files". In this window, put a tick in the item "Previous installations of Windows" and click "OK". The message “Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files” will appear, click “Delete files”.
Removing windows old System files will be removed from the Windows old folder and now you can simply delete the Windows old folder.
Delete folder with admin rights
Sometimes the folder is not deleted and the message “You need permission to perform this operation” appears, and in order for the folder to be deleted, you need to allow full access in the folder properties. To do this, do the following. Right-click on the folder and select "Properties" from the context menu. Go to the "Security" tab and click "Advanced". In the new window, go to the "Owner" tab and click "Change".
We will change the owner of the folder An owner window will open in which you need to select your administrator name (but not administrators), check the box "Replace the owner of subcontainers and objects" and click "Apply".
Changing the Owner of a Folder In the message that appears, confirm and become the owner of this object. From the "Owner" tab, go to the "Permissions" tab and click "Change Permissions". In the window that opens, select the name of your administrator and click "Change". A window will open in which we put a tick in the item "Full access" and click "OK" this window will close, and in the open window we put a tick in the items:
"Add Permissions Inherited from Parent Objects."
"Replace all permissions of the child object with permissions inherited from this object" and click "OK".
Allow full access to the folder Again, a message will appear with which we agree by clicking "OK" and close all windows by clicking "OK". The folder can now be deleted.
Deleting a folder in Total Commander
Permanently deleting a folder in Total Commander is very easy. You need to find the folder you need to delete and click on it with the left mouse button, and then click the delete button at the bottom of Total Commander or press F8 on the keyboard and a message will appear in which we click “Yes” or “Delete”, depending on whether the folder is empty or what that is.
Search and delete empty folders in total commander The folder will be deleted along with all its contents.
Program for forced deletion of folders
I like Unlocker folder remover.
Install and the program for deleting undeletable folders will be in the context menu. Right-click on the folder to be deleted and select Unlocker from the context menu. A window will appear in which set the action "Delete" and click "Unlock all". The folder will be deleted.
When you try to delete a particular folder in the usual way, the system may display a message stating that deletion is currently not possible. The notice usually states the reason why the section cannot be moved to the Trash. Consider the types of errors and take the necessary measures.
Why are some folders not deleted in Windows 10
The system resists the deletion of certain objects for the following reasons:
- files located in this directory are currently being used by some applications. Completely close the utility and try deleting the file folder again; You won't be able to delete a folder if it contains a file that is currently in use by some application
- the user does not have enough permissions to send the folder to the Trash. As a rule, this applies to system folders, which require administrator rights to delete;
Admin rights are required to delete some folders - the file folder is used by the user on another computer if your PC is connected to a local network. In this situation, it remains only to wait for him to finish working with her;
- the folder contains incorrect or incomplete files. If the process of writing to the hard drive is interrupted, the files are only partially saved and often do not start. As a result, they become "dead weight" for Windows: the OS does not know what to do with them, and closes access to them;
Unforeseen errors during deletion of folders may occur due to the presence of corrupted or incorrectly written files - the files in the folder have been quarantined by an antivirus utility. Delete the quarantined file through the antivirus itself, and then try to delete it again.
The non-deleted folder may contain files that are currently in the "Quarantine" section of the antivirus
Is it possible to delete such folders
You have the right to freely delete user files, which, as a rule, are located on the local drive D. When cleaning up directories on the system drive C, you need to be as careful as possible because of the risk of deleting files that are important for the system to work. Deleting folders needed by the OS can cause it to crash or crash and cause the computer to shut down prematurely.
You can't just delete system files. The OS will issue various messages, such as asking for administrator permission, etc.
Admin rights are required to delete most system folders Nevertheless, cleaning system folders from "garbage" is useful: it saves the OS from unnecessary files. But you need to know what can be deleted and what not. For example, you can delete folders from uninstalled programs in the Program Files section. For one reason or another, they could remain empty on the PC or with several files. In this situation, one of the following methods is suitable.
In the Program Files folder, look for sections with programs that have long been uninstalled and delete them, for example, using the "Command Line" Before cleaning the system hard drive from unnecessary folders, it is recommended to create a restore point. In case of unsuccessful removal, you can return the system to its original state.
If a message appears on the screen asking for permission from TrustedInstaller (protection from the removal of system components), deleting the folder is not recommended. If you are sure that it can be safely removed from the system, use the method with reconfiguring rights.
If you receive a message about the need for permission from TrustedInstaller, delete folders and files only when you are sure that the system does not need them If in doubt whether it is possible to delete a particular directory on the system disk, find information about it on the Internet.
Ways to delete folders that don't want to disappear
Depending on the type of problem, select one or more of the solutions detailed below.
Deleting Windows.old, folders with temporary files and other system directories
If you want to clean up the system partition from garbage, for example, delete old Windows installations from the Windows.old folder and temporary files from the Temp folder, but the system does not allow you to do this, use the Disk Cleanup tool:
- Open the "Control Panel" through "Windows Search", the "Start" menu, or in another way convenient for you. Click on the "Administration" section.
In the "Control Panel" window, find the "Administrative Tools" section and click on it once - Select Disk Cleanup.
In the list, click on the item "Disk Cleanup" - Select the system drive.
Select the drive you want to clean from the drop-down menu - Click on the "Clean up system files" button, because. in the current window, you can only get rid of some folders and their contents.
For deep cleaning, click on "Clean up system files" - Wait a while for the system to estimate the amount of memory that can be freed. A window will open with a list of possible partitions to clean up. Select the desired directories using the checkboxes, for example, the item "Previous Windows installations". Start the process of deleting files from folders through the "OK" button.
Select the items you want to clean up and click OK. - The system will ask if you are sure you want to uninstall all older versions of Windows. In this case, you will not be able to roll back to the previous update. If you really want to delete them and free up space on your system drive, click on "Yes".
Click on "Yes" if you want to remove previous installations of Windows - The removal will take a long time, so be patient.
Waiting for the deletion to complete
Restarting the computer as a solution to the problem
Deleting a partition on a hard disk may become impossible due to a single failure in the system or because it is currently using this file. In this case, you can simply restart your PC and the problem will disappear. Never use the Power button on your PC to turn it off.
Closing utilities associated with a folder in Task Manager
If you want to delete a folder with text documents that are currently open in Microsoft Office, the system will notify you that this action is not possible. She will ask you to close all utility windows and try again.
Close the window and try uninstalling again But if the utility is closed, and the folder is still not deleted, most likely the Microsoft Office Word process (or any other program through which the file was opened) is still hanging in the list of running processes. To shut down the application completely, you can restart your computer or end the task manually in the "Task Manager":
Video: how to end a process in the Task Manager
Changing Attributes
Incorrectly set folder attributes can prevent users from deleting them. To fix the situation, do the following:
- In Windows Explorer, open the directory that contains the folder to delete. For example, this is the user's "Photos" folder. Right-click on it and click "Properties".
In the context menu of the folder, click on "Properties" - An additional window will appear on the display. In the "General" tab, we find the "Attributes" section and uncheck all items. You need to uncheck the "Read Only" box.
Uncheck the attributes in the "General" folder - Click the "Apply" button. A third window will appear, in which check the second item "To this folder and to all subfolders and files." Click "OK".
Apply changes to the folder and to all files and sections nested in it - Try to delete the directory again.
Reconfiguring access rights
If the folder cannot be removed because the user does not have administrator rights, it is necessary to configure the system in such a way that the user becomes the owner of the folder and has full access to actions with it.
- Find the folder in Windows Explorer and right-click on it. Select "Properties".
- Go to the "Security" tab and click on "Advanced".
In the "Security" tab, click on the "Advanced" button - Click on the "Add" button.
Click on "Add" to go to the next window - Click on the blue link "Select a Subject".
Click on the first link "Choose a Subject" - Click on the "Advanced" button.
Click on "More" to see a list of accounts - Click on "Search" and select yourself from the list below (usually this is the very first item). Click "OK".
Click on the "Search" button and select your account from the list - Confirm the subject by clicking the OK button.
Click on "OK" to save the selected account - In the second part of the window there will be a list with permissions. Check the box to the left of "Full Control".
Check the item "Full control" in the list of general permissions - Click on the "OK" button to make changes.
Click on "OK" to save the permissions - Using the "Apply" button, we save the changes made. We put ourselves as the owner by clicking on the "Change" link.
Click on the "Change" link to change the owner of the folder - Select the owner also using the "More" and "Search" buttons.
- Check the box next to the "Replace owner of subcontainers and objects" option.
To save all changes, click on "Apply" - Click "Apply" again and then "OK" to close the window.
- Restart your PC and try deleting the folder.
Video: How to get full access to a specific folder
Using "Command Line"
You can get rid of the folder through the "Command line":
Video: How to Force Delete Folders Using Command Prompt
Removing in "Safe Mode"
An unnecessary partition may be deleted if the computer runs in "Safe Mode", in which the system starts only the most important components. The folder will not be locked, you will have access to it. This method may work if there are badly written files in the folder. To activate "Safe Mode" on Windows 10:
- Press the Win + R combination on your keyboard to bring up the Run window. In the Open box, type msconfig. It is best to copy and paste it so as not to make a mistake. Click "OK".
Enter the command msconfig in the "Open" field and click on "OK" - The System Configuration window will appear on the screen. Go to the "Download" section.
In the "System Configuration" window, check the box next to "Safe Mode" - Check the box to the left of "Safe Mode". Click on "Apply" first so that all changes are successfully saved, and then on "OK" to close the window.
Click on "Apply" and on "OK", and then reboot the device - Restart your PC. When you restart the OS, it will boot in the installed mode. Try deleting the annoying folder.
- If you want the PC to boot later in normal mode, go to this window again, uncheck the item and save the changes.
Video: How to activate "Safe Mode" in Windows 10
With the help of special utilities
Folders that cannot be deleted may contain locked program files that cannot be removed from the PC's memory even after the utilities have been completely uninstalled. Programs specifically block them so that the user can restore the utility if he wants to use it again. Special software can solve this unusual problem.
For example, let's take a small FileAssassin application from the developer Malwarebytes. It installs quite quickly on a PC and does not require much space. The downside is that the utility is in English, but following a simple instruction, you can easily unlock any folder and file in it:
- Go to the official website of the utility. Click Download. Open the downloaded installer and install the application following the simple prompts in the window.
Click on the download button to download the installer - Launch the software through the icon on the "Desktop". The main program window will open.
In the initial window of FileAssassin, check all the checkboxes in the list of options - Check the boxes next to all items in the list.
Click on the button with three dots and open the folder you want to delete - Click on the button to the right of the empty field with three dots. Select a folder in the additional window.
Click on Execute so that all the actions marked in the list are applied to the folder or file from it - Click the Execute button. A message should appear on the screen stating that the file was successfully deleted.
Click on "OK" to close the window and see if the folder has been deleted
The choice of such programs is quite large. For Windows 10, utilities such as IObit Unlocker, LockHunter, Far Manager and others are also suitable.
Using the file manager Total Commander
Total Commander is one of the most famous and successful file managers for Windows. The utility is paid, but at the beginning a trial period is provided for testing (1 month). With this application, you can forcefully delete a folder that is not erased in the usual "Windows Explorer":
- Go to the official resource of the utility. Download the program installer according to your system version (32-bit or 64-bit).
Download the Total Commander installer from the official site - Install the utility by following the simple instructions in the window.
- Run the program through the icon on the "Desktop". You will immediately be offered to use the free version of the product for a month.
You can use the program for free for a month - In the Commander window, find the folder that you couldn't delete before. Click on it with the left mouse button to select it. After that press F8.
We find in the program window the folder that we want to delete - Confirm deletion.
Click "Yes" to delete the folder - The delete option can also be launched in a more familiar way for all users. Right-click and select "Delete" from the large menu.
Select the "Delete" option in the context menu of the folder
There are a number of manipulations that can help in deleting a "stubborn" folder:
The problem of the impossibility of deleting certain folders is more than solvable. The way out of the situation depends on the type of error: closing the program in which the folder file is open; obtaining full access to sections; changing attributes and even a simple reboot of the system in the event of a single failure.
Let's start with the simplest and try delete undeleted folder. Probably every user on a computer or laptop has a WinRar archiver, if not, download it and install it. Next, click on the folder that is not deleted with the right mouse button and select the "Add to Archive" tab. In the window that opens, check the box "Delete files after packing" and click "Ok". If the folder or file is deleted after archiving, then everything is fine, take the created archive and simply drag it to the trash.
If this method did not help and the folder is still not deleted, then proceed to the next solution.
We transfer a non-deleted folder or file to another medium.
Let's try to transfer a folder or file to another medium. Insert a flash drive or external hard drive, right-click on the folder that is not deleted and select the "Cut" tab. Open the flash drive or external hard drive and in the window, right-click and select the "Insert" tab. If everything worked out, just delete the folder or format the USB flash drive. If there is no result, read on.
We use Safe Mode to delete the non-removable folder.
Everything is quite simple here, this method helped me personally, I think it will help you to delete the folder without resorting to third-party programs. Just go into Safe Mode, select the folder or file you want to delete and delete it in the standard way. How to enter safe mode read in. What gives Safe Mode? In simple words - To start in safe mode, the windows system loads only the functionality that is necessary to boot windows, practically kills all unnecessary processes, so folders and files that are not deleted are deleted with a bang (not counting the folders of the windows system). If you need to delete the system folder or windows file, read.
How to delete a non-deleted folder using programs.
And so let's try delete the folder that is not deleted with the help of programs. As you can see, this warning says - The folder is already in use "The operation cannot be completed because these folders or files are open in another program."
To get started, go to the "Windows Task Manager" to do this, press the key combination Ctrl + Shift + Esc or Ctrl + Alt + Delete. Click on the "Processes" item, then click on the "Display processes of all users" button, look for the process and click on the "End process" button, then delete the folder.
If you cannot determine which process occupies the folder that is not deleted, then we need the Revo Uninstaller Pro program, you can download it from this link from Yandex disk. After installing the program, open it and select the "Hunting Mode" tab.
A target will appear on your desktop. Hold down the Target with the mouse and hover over the folder or file to be deleted. In the drop-down menu, click on the "Uninstall" tab.
In the window that opens, you will see the process that occupies the folder. In my case, this is the Explorer.exe process, click the "Next" button.
In this window, click "End process and continue." After this procedure, the folder or file should be deleted.
In my case, this cannot be done, if I terminate the Explorer.exe process, then everything will disappear from the desktop, all files, folders and shortcuts. If you have the same situation as me, then read on. By the way, I recommend reading the article at the link below on working with the Revo Uninstaller Pro program.
Downloading the program Unlocker, in my opinion this is one of the best programs for deleting non-deleted folders and files. You can download from any site on the Internet, after installing the program, right-click on the folder or file to be deleted.
