FIX: Could not find this item error on Windows 10/11

by Aleksandar Ognjanovic
Aleksandar Ognjanovic
Aleksandar Ognjanovic
Troubleshooting Expert
Aleksandar's main passion is technology. With a solid writing background, he is determined to bring the bleeding edge to the common user. With a keen eye, he always... read more
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The main question we look forward to answering today is ”How to delete the undeletable folder or file in Windows?”. The common error or bug that’s quite present in various Windows iterations informs users that the item can’t be found. It claims that the folder or file isn’t located on the following path even though you can see it and even access it or run it on some occasions.

In case you’ve bumped into a hurdle and there’s no obvious solution for the problem at hand, make sure to check the steps we provided below. They should help you.

How to delete the folder that’s there but can’t be found

  1. Rename folder or file
  2. Use Command Prompt

1. Rename folder or file

This peculiar is mostly provoked by, believe it or not, unsupported characters in files or folders name. Even though it seems like a minor inconvenience, Windows won’t be able to access the files it can’t read. Therefore, most of the time, the presence of an awkward sign or letter can, so to say, corrupt the path, thus preventing you from deleting the folder or file.

Of course, you can’t use unsupported signs or letters while naming file or folder, but that doesn’t apply to downloaded files or files you transfer from other systems.

For starters, let’s try and rename the file in a usual manner. If that fails, you can move to Command Prompt solution that proved to be the best-suited for the job.

  1. Right-click on the troubling folder or file and select Rename from the contextual menu.
  2. Name it whatever you want and try deleting it again.

In addition, you can use Command Prompt to rename the file, too. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Type cmd in Windows Search bar, right-click on Command Prompt and run it as an administrator.run command prompt
  2. Find your way to the folder or file location.
  3. Click on the blank space in the Address bar and press Ctrl + C to copy the path. We’ll use C:UsersLenovoZ570Downloads as an example. Don’t forget to replace our path with yours.
  4. In the command line, type the following lines and press Enter after each:
    • cd C:UsersLenovoZ570Downloads
    • dir /xcould not find this item this is no longer located in
  5. You should see the list of all available files stored in the following folder. You should look at DOS names in the first column and locate the troubling folder or file.
  6. Enter the ‘ren’ command first, then the current name and afterward the new name. That should look like this example:
    • ren TEST1~1 TEST2could not find this item this is no longer located in
  7. Press Enter and you should be good to go.

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If you’re unable to rename it this way, move to additional steps.

2. Use Command Prompt

There’s no better way to communicate with your Windows system than Command Prompt. Everything that gets stuck within the standard interface is easily addressed within the elevated command line. Now, the usage of commands requires certain knowledge, but for the error at hand, you’ll be needing only mere essentials.

Follow the instructions below to delete file or folder with Command Prompt:

  1. Type cmd in Windows Search bar, right-click on Command Prompt and run it as an administrator.could not find this item this is no longer located in
  2. Navigate to the folder or file location.
  3. Click on the blank space in the Address bar and press Ctrl + C to copy the path. We’ll use C:UsersLenovoZ570Downloads as an example. Don’t forget to replace our path with yours.
  4. In the command line, type the following lines and press Enter after each:
    • cd C:UsersLenovoZ570Downloads
    • dir /x
  5. You should see the list of all available files stored in the following folder. Concentrate on DOS names in the first column. Those are shortened names and we’ll need them to delete the folder or file that’s bothering us. If we’re referring to a file, type the following command and press Enter to delete it:
    • del /f /q 180571~1.JPGcould not find this item this is no longer located in
  6. In this example, we deleted a file with the JPG extension. Again, don’t forget to replace the file name after the ”del /f /q” command with the name of your own file. Now, in case a resilient folder refuses to leave, here’s the command you should use:
    • rd /q TEST1~1could not find this item this is no longer located in
  7. Press Enter and you’re good to go.

With that, you should be able to remove the file or folder permanently. Have in mind that the deleted files aren’t stored in Recycle Bin after the Command Prompt deletion. After that, you should be in the clear. We’re aware that this second method isn’t exactly what you usually want to do any time a file won’t delete. Luckily, there are not many files acting weird and repellent, or it would be quite a drag using Windows, wouldn’t it?

That should conclude it. We hope this helped you overcome the problems with the bug that can be quite annoying. Make sure to share your experience or give us your insight on the subject in the comments section below.

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