How to delete a file being used by another program Here are some practical ways to dodge the pop-up and delete files that are in use by a program on your Windows PC.

Windows won't let you delete, move, or rename a file if a program is using it. Frustratingly, it also won't tell you which program is using the file so that you can solve the problem.

Learn how to delete residual files, folders, registry keys & traces after uninstalling software on a Windows 11/10 computer.

How to delete files and be sure they're really gone Regardless of whether it's an SSD storage device (pictured) or a classic hard drive, data is only properly deleted if it has been overwritten.