AOMEI Partition Assistant
[Effectively Solved] Can’t Delete A File in Windows 10
If you can’t delete a file in Windows 10, please read this article carefully. We’ll explain why the file cannot be deleted and share methods to deal with it effectively, such as running CMD, Task Manager, Safe Mode and a trusted disk manager.
By Tina / Updated on May 12, 2023
Help! Why can't I delete a file in Windows 10?
"A few days ago, I found that my computer was running out of space, so I started to delete unnecessary files from it. But I can't delete a file in Windows 10, why? Is there any way to force delete this file that cannot be deleted? Looking forward to your help."
As mentioned in the example, sometimes you will encounter some files that cannot be deleted in Windows 10 no matter how many times you try. Why does this happen?
When a file is opened by another program, you cannot delete it, because it will become locked. Besides, corrupted files, write-protection or file directory and viruses are also reasons why you can't delete a file in Windows 10. In order to completely delete these annoying files, you can try the following solutions.
How to force delete a file that cannot be deleted on Windows 10
If you want to force delete those files that cannot be deleted on Windows 10, please read the following carefully, choosing the method that suits you best according to the actual situation.
│Option 1. Press Shift and Delete key
There're two easy ways to delete files in the Windows system. One is clicking the file and selecting "Delete", another one is pressing "Shift + Delete" to permanently delete the selected file. If you can't delete a file normally, you can try to press "Shift + Delete" to do it.
│Option 2. Run Task Manager
When you still can't delete a file in Windows 10, you can use Task Manager to forcibly end the program that is using the file. The detailed steps are as follows.
Step 1. Type "Task Manager" in the "Start" taskbar, and click "Task Manager".
Step 2. Locate and right-click the application that is currently using the file, select "End Task".
Step 3. Delete files that cannot be deleted before.
│Option 3. Force delete in safe mode
Deleting files that cannot be deleted on Windows 10 in safe mode is also a solution that can be considered. Safe mode is a mode that can help users fix various PC errors under a fairly safe circumstances.
Step 1. Restart your PC and press any one of the "F1"-"F8" keys, click "Troubleshoot" in the new interface and select "Advanced Options".
Step 2. There are many computer repair options in the advanced options interface, select "Startup Settings" and "Enable Safe Mode" in turn.
Step 3. Find out the undeletable files in the computer, delete them and restart your PC.
│Option 4. Force delete using CMD
If you cannot delete file on Windows 10, the Windows built-in tool CMD can also forcibly delete stubborn files in the computer. Please operate according to the steps below.
Step 1. Press "Windows + R" on the keyboard, then type "cmd" and select "Run as administrator".
Step 2. Input "del+ the target file path" and press "Enter" to execute it, the command needs to be included the file extension. Here, we take "del C:\Users\mini\Desktop\test.txt" as an example.
Solve "can't delete a file in Windows 10" with a reliable tool
When you are stuck in the dilemma of can't delete a file in Windows 10, apart from the above methods, you can also try a more convenient file manager - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.
This powerful file cleaning expert can use the "Shred Files" function to forcibly shred files that cannot be deleted. In addition, you can also use the "Delete Large Files" function to fully scan the computer, filter and safely clean up unnecessary large files to free up space.
More important, its function is not limited to cleaning the computer, it also has advanced functions such as migrate OS to SSD, clone the disk, allocate free space, app mover to effectively manage the disk.
Let's see how to delete file that cannot be deleted on Windows 10.
│Case 1. Shred file
Want to completely delete files that cannot be deleted? Free download the Demo version of AOMEI Partition Assistant to try "Shred Files".
Step 1. Open this professional file cleaner, click "Wipe" and then "Shred Files".
Step 2. In the pop-up window, click "Add Files" to add files that cannot be deleted or directly drag the target files into the window.
Step 3. There are four shredding methods here, including Write Zero, Random data, DoD 5220.22-M and Gutmann, here we choose "Write Zero".
Step 4. Click "Shred" to start forcibly deleting the target files.
│Case 2. Delete large files
If you want to clean up your PC, large files cannot be ignored. You can take the following measure to deal with some unwanted large files.
Step 1. In the main interface, click "Free up" and "Delete Large Files" in turn.
Step 2. Choose the partition you want to scan for large files and click "Start Scan".
Step 3. Choose the target large files in the listed files, then click "Delete". Please note the red files.
Step 4. Click "Delete Now" to totally delete all the target large files.
Verdict
In this article, we have shared 6 ways to solve the problem of can't delete a file in Windows 10. In contrast, we recommend the practical AOMEI Partition Assistant.
If there are files that cannot be deleted in Windows Server PC, you can use the Server Version to delete them; the Unlimited Version, which is convenient for multiple use, is also released.
