How-to: Delete undeletable files and folders

I’m sure you’ve encountered one of these error messages, one way or another:

  • Cannot delete file: Access is denied
  • There has been a sharing violation.
  • The source or destination file may be in use.
  • The file is in use by another program or user.
  • Make sure the disk is not full or write-protected and that the file is not currently in use.

If so, here’s an app I found, Unlocker, that will first unlock the files in use (if necessary), then allow you to either delete, move, rename, or not do anything with the file(s) or folder(s). 

Note: I’ve tried it on XP without issues; not sure about Vista or Windows 7.

Hope this helps. Keep on computing!

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