Cannot delete files, folders or icons in Windows 10 [Solved]
- If you can't delete files, folders, and icons in Windows 10, the problem is pretty hard to pinpoint.
- In this article, you will learn how to force delete a folder in Windows 10 and many more.
- When you're not allowed to delete a folder, a possible solution is just to restart your system.
- Another fix for this annoying issue is to use a third-party tool to solve the problem.
One of the problems users are noticing in Windows 10 is that they’re unable to delete some files or folders. And if you’re facing the same issue, we’ll show you a few solutions to this problem.
We frequently remove files from our PCs, but sometimes you cannot delete a folder, file, or icon in Windows 10.
This can be an annoying problem, and speaking of file removal, many Windows 10 users reported the following issues:
- How to delete a folder that won’t delete
- Sometimes you might encounter a folder that youâre unable to delete.
- This can be a big problem, but you should be able to fix it using one of our solutions.
- Can’t delete folder in use
- In some cases, you might get a message that the folder youâre trying to delete is in use.
- To fix the problem, you need to close all applications that might be using this directory.
- We covered a similar problem in our File in use error article, so be sure to check it out for more information.
- Cannot delete file access denied
- This error message can appear if you donât have the necessary privileges to delete a certain file or folder.
- Simply change your security permissions and youâll be able to delete the file.
- Can’t delete folder open in another program
- By default, Windows prevents you from deleting files that are currently used by other applications.
- To fix this error, make sure that other applications arenât using that file.
- Can’t delete files with long names
- Windows canât work well with files that exceed a certain character limit.
- If thatâs the problem, the best solution is to rename the problematic file
- We explained how to do that in our The filename or extension is too long article, so be sure to check it out for more information.
- Can’t delete files need permission
- This is just a variation of this error, but in most cases, you can fix it simply by changing your security permissions.
- Force delete folder windows 10
- These solutions act by overwriting any protocols so that the data is forcefully deleted.
How can I delete files, folders or icons on Windows 10?
1. Reboot your system
Sometimes, all you need to do is to restart your machine and the problem will be gone.
Unresponsiveness doesn’t just happen in this case, for example, a lot of people reported that they’re unable to open the start menu sometimes, but when they restart their computer, everything works fine.
But if restarting your PC didn’t solve the problem, you can try one of the following solutions.
2. Use a dedicated third-party cleaner
- The third-party software recommended by us can unlock and remove locked files from your PC. You can choose specific files, file types, and folders to be included in Cleaner operations.
- To include files and folders in the cleaning process, you must select the Custom Files and Folders check the box on the list of options screen.
- You can then add separate Include statements (as many as necessary) by following these steps each time:
- Click the Options icon from the left sidebar.
- Hit the Include button.
- Add a new include statement by clicking Add.
- Complete details in the Include dialog box.
IObit Uninstaller
Fix your PC so that you can finally delete files, folders and icons with the help of the worldâs #1 PC cleaner.3. Delete the file/folder using Command Prompt
- Go to Search and type cmd.
- Click on Run as administrator to open Command Prompt with full permissions.
- In the Command Prompt, enter del, followed by the path of the folder or file you want to delete, and press Enter (for example del c:\users\JohnDoe\Desktop\text.txt).
4. Check your antivirus
Antivirus software is a necessity, and many antivirus tools have a useful feature that can protect your files. Thanks to this feature, malicious applications and users wonât be able to delete your files.
Even though this feature is useful, it can also prevent you from removing certain files.
To fix this problem, you need to check your antivirus settings and see if this feature is enabled. If so, disable it for the files that you want to delete and check if that solves the issue.
If you canât find this feature, you can remove your antivirus and check if that helps.
If removing the antivirus solves the problem, you should consider switching to a different antivirus solution. There are many great tools available, but you should always choose the best.
â Get Bitdefender
5. Change the Ownership of the file/folder
- Right-click on the file you want to delete and choose Properties.
- Under Security tab, click the Advanced button.
- The Advanced Security Settings window will appear, and you’ll spot Owner.
- In some cases, SYSTEM is listed as the owner, and in some it is TrustedInstaller, click on Change option, next to the name of Owner.
- Enter the username you want to become the owner of the file, press Check Names to make sure if it’s okay, and press OK.
- You’ll notice that the name of the Owner has changed, and you’ll also notice a checkbox called Replace owner on subcontainers and objects, check that checkbox and click Apply.
- Close Windows Security Properties (Windows will require a restart).
- Open the Properties again, by right-clicking on the file, click on Security, and then on Advanced.
- Under Permission tab, check Replace all child object permission entries with inheritable permission entries from this object.
- After that, click Edit.
- In Permission Entry window check Full Control and hit OK.
- Try to delete the file/folder again.
If you need further guidance on how to take full ownership of a file or folder, check out this comprehensive guide.
5. Enable the hidden administrator account
If you canât delete certain files, the problem might be the lack of security privileges. However, you can always try removing those files by using a hidden administrator account.
Windows 10 comes with a hidden administrator account, and you can use it to fix various problems.
We already wrote about this account in the past, and if you need more information, be sure to check our article on how to enable the hidden administrator account for more information.
6. Remove AMD Uninstall Utility
Sometimes, third-party applications can cause this problem to appear. If you canât delete files or folders on your PC, the issue might be caused by the AMD Uninstall Utility.
To fix this problem, find this application on your PC and remove it. There are several ways to do that, but the best way is to use an uninstaller software.
These tools are specially designed for removing applications, and they will remove all files and registry entries associated with the desired application.
There are many great uninstaller tools and you can see a selection with the best of them in our guide.
After completely removing the problematic application, the issue should be resolved and youâll be able to delete files once again.
7. Use Microsoftâs Troubleshooter
- Download the troubleshooter.
- Start the troubleshooter and click Next.
- Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the troubleshooting process.
After the troubleshooter is finished, check if the problem still persists.
8. Use Safe Mode
- Open the Start Menu.
- Click the Power button, press and hold the Shift key and choose Restart from the menu.
- A list of options will now appear. Select Troubleshoot, select Advanced options, click on Startup Settings, and select the Restart button.
- You should now see the list of options. Select any version of Safe Mode by pressing the appropriate keyboard key.
Once you enter Safe Mode, try to delete the problematic file or directory again.
Keep in mind that this is just a workaround, but it can be useful if you need to remove just a couple of files or folders from a specific directory.
Can’t boot into Safe Mode? Here are the best tips to solve this issue!
If you have some alternate solution for this problem, and you’d like to share it with us, please write it down in the comments below, our readers would love to read it.
Frequently Asked Questions
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You should start deleting its content files first. Then, you can delete the empty folder.
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If you can’t delete an icon from the desktop you can use the personalization settings in Windows. We have a complete guide on removing stubborn files folders and icons.
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Try deleting the folder contents or use dedicated software to force remove it.
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The File Or Directory Is Corrupted Or Unreadable >>folder WOULD NOT DELETE > CMD RUN AS ADMIN >ran CHKDSK /F >then yes TO RUN AT NEXT START > restart PC > open FILE EXPLORER AND DELETED FOLDER >>DOS IS YOUR FRIEND
Thank you! This how-to on permissions editing was the only sequence that worked out of all the forum advice I tried.
Tried them all none worked.
Have a folder called .Trash-999 13GB will not delete.
I have faced this problem once upon a time but when knowing about the LongPathTool program, at that time I am using this tools and all problem solve. so my personal suggestion you can use the LongPathTool program
may i know the program that you use?
This routinely happens on my computer but fortunately I dual-boot Linux and Windows so deleting the offending files or folders in Linux is a piece of cake. Some Linux distros will live boot and allow working with the computers main drives and may be a solution for those that do not actually want to have a Linux distro installed.
The solution that I found has to do with options in Windows Media Player. I had the destination folder for ripping set to C:UsersLenDesktopfolder name. This is the folder that kept reappearing even after deletion. All I did was change the ripping destination folder to C:UsersLenDesktop (deleting the name), deleting the folder on the desktop, then empty the recycle bin.
All of this unfortunately didn’t work for me đ I’m trying to delete all traces of Spotify even from my appdata directory so that I’ll be able to reinstall it since there has been a problem on my Windows 10 laptop in letting Spotify run. Nothing is working. Does anyone know how I’ll be able to completely delete Spotify off my laptop? I tried deleting it from Command Prompt, but my access was denied and it says “The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.” BUT IT ISN’T BEING USED ANYWHERE! I don’t understand. I’ve tried all of the tips on this website and all the other websites I can find. Nothing is working.
Figured I’d reply directly. This all wouldn’t work for me either but I found an application that finally did it. Posted above. gl.
nice information,please try long path tool.