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Click: How to Delete a Locked File

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Table of Contents

This updated guide examines Click: How to Delete a Locked File and organizes the essential facts, background, and practical takeaways in clear American English.

Method 1of 4:

Using Safe Mode on Windows

  1. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 1 Open StartClick: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 2. Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
  2. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 3 Open SettingsClick: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 4. Click the gear-shaped icon in the lower-left side of the window.
  3. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 5 ClickClick: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 6Update & Security. It's near the bottom of the Settings window.
  4. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 7 Click theRecoverytab. You'll find it on the left side of the window.
  5. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 8 ClickRestart now. It's near the middle of the page. Doing so will restart your computer into the Advanced Options menu.
  6. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 9 ClickTroubleshoot. This option is near the top of the screen.
  7. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 10 ClickAdvanced options. You'll find this in the middle of the screen.
  8. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 11 ClickStartup settings. It's on the right side of the screen.
  9. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 12 ClickRestart. This button is near the bottom of the screen.
  10. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 13 Select the "Enable Safe Mode" option. Press4orF4on the "Startup Settings" window.
  11. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 14 Wait for Windows to finish restarting. If you use a password on your account, you'll need to select your account and enter the password before proceeding.
  12. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 15 Find your file. Open Start Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 16, open File Explorer Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 17, and locate the previously locked file.
  13. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 18 Delete the file. Click the previously locked file, click the Home tab, and click Delete in the toolbar that appears.
    • Alternatively, you can click the file to select it and then press theDeletekey.
  14. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 19 Empty the Recycle Bin. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, then click the Manage tab and click Empty Recycle Bin in the toolbar. Your file should be deleted.
    • Once you've deleted your file, you can restart your computer to exit Safe Mode.

Method 2of 4:

Using Process Explorer on Windows

  1. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 20 Open the locked file. In order for the file to show up in Process Explorer later, you'll need to have the locked file open.
    • Simply double-clicking the file will be enough to place it in the "Running" category of your computer's Task Manager.
  2. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 21 Open the Process Explorer page. Go to https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer/ in your browser.[1]XResearch source
    • Process Explorer is an official Microsoft app.
  3. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 22 ClickDownload Process Explorer. This link is near the top of the page. Doing so will prompt the Process Explorer ZIP folder to download onto your computer.
  4. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 23 Open the ZIP folder. In your computer's download folder (e.g., the desktop or the Downloads folder), double-click the "ProcessExplorer.zip" folder to open it.
  5. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 24 Click theExtracttab. It's at the top of the window. A toolbar will appear at the top of the window.
  6. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 25 ClickExtract all. You'll find this option in the Extract toolbar. Clicking it prompts a new window to open.
  7. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 26 ClickExtract. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. This will install the Process Explorer app and open its installation folder.
    • By default, this will install the Process Explorer in its current download location.
    • If you want to change the installation location, first click Browse... and select a new folder.
  8. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 27 Open Process Explorer. Double-click the procexp64 item in the folder if your computer uses a 64-bit processor.
    • If your computer uses a 32-bit processor, you'll double-click procexp here instead.
  9. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 28 ClickAgreewhen prompted. This will open the Process Explorer main window.
  10. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 29 ClickFile. It's in the top-left corner of the window. A drop-down menu will appear.
  11. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 30 ClickShow Details for All Processes. This option is in the middle of the File drop-down menu.
  12. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 31 ClickYeswhen prompted. The Process Explorer window will close and re-open.
  13. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 32 ClickFind. It's a tab at the top of the window.
  14. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 33 ClickFind Handle or DLL…. You'll find this option in the Find drop-down menu. A search box will pop up.
  15. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 34 Enter the locked file's name. Type the name of the locked file into the text box, then click Search to the right of the text box.
  16. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 35 Select the locked file. Click the name of the locked file in the search window.
  17. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 36 Find the highlighted file name in Process Explorer. In the Process Explorer window (not the search window), you should see the file's name highlighted near the bottom of the window.
  18. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 37 Right-click the file name. A pop-up menu will appear.
    • If your mouse doesn't have a right-click button, click the right side of the mouse, or use two fingers to click the mouse.
    • If your computer uses a trackpad instead of a mouse, use two fingers to tap the trackpad or press the right side of the trackpad's mouse.
  19. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 38 ClickClose Handle. It's in the right-click pop-up menu. Doing so unlocks the file, making it possible to delete the file.
  20. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 39 Find your file. Open Start Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 40, open File Explorer Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 41, and locate the previously locked file.
  21. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 42 Delete the file. Click the previously locked file, click the Home tab, and click Delete in the toolbar that appears.
    • Alternatively, you can click the file to select it and then press theDeletekey.
  22. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 43 Empty the Recycle Bin. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, then click the Manage tab and click Empty Recycle Bin in the toolbar. Your file should be deleted.

Method 3of 4:

Using the Info Menu on Mac

  1. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 44 Open Finder. It's the blue, face-like app icon in your Mac's Dock.
  2. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 45 Find the file that you want to delete. On the left side of the Finder window, click the folder in which your locked file is stored.
  3. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 46 Select the file. Click the file that you want to delete.
  4. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 47 ClickFile. It's a menu item in the upper-left side of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear.
  5. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 48 ClickGet Info. This option is in the File drop-down menu. Doing so opens a window with the locked file's information.
  6. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 49 Unlock the Get Info menu. If the lock icon in the bottom-right corner of the window is closed, click it, then enter your administrator password.
  7. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 50 Uncheck the "Locked" box. In the middle of the "Get Info" window, there will be a checkbox with the word "Locked" next to it; uncheck this box to unlock the file.
  8. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 51 Close the "Get Info" window. Click the red circle in the upper-left corner of the window.
  9. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 52 Move the file to the Trash. Select the file, click the Edit menu item at the top of the screen, and click Move to Trash . The locked file will be sent to the Trash.
  10. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 53 Empty the Trash. Click and hold the Trash icon in your Mac's Dock, then click Empty Trash when prompted. Doing so will delete anything in the Trash, including your locked file.

Method 4of 4:

Using Terminal on Mac

  1. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 54 Move the locked file to the Trash. Click the locked file to select it, then click the Edit menu item at the top of the screen and click Move to Trash in the resulting drop-down menu.
  2. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 55 Open SpotlightClick: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 56. Click the magnifying glass icon in the top-right corner of the screen. A text box will appear.
  3. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 57 Type interminal. This will search your computer for the Terminal app.
  4. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 58 ClickClick: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 59Terminal. It's a black box with a white ">_" icon on it. The Terminal app will open.
  5. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 60 Type in the force-empty command. Typesudo rm -Rinto Terminal, making sure to place a space after "R". Don't hit⏎Returnjust yet.[2]XResearch source
  6. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 61 Open the Trash. Hold downCtrlwhile clicking the Trash icon to do so.
  7. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 62 Find the locked file. If there are multiple files in the Trash, find the locked one that you just deleted.
    • In instances where your Trash won't empty even though you've unlocked the files, select all files in the Trash by clicking one file and then pressing⌘Command+Ainstead.
  8. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 63 Copy the file into the Terminal window. Click and drag the locked file onto the Terminal window, then release the mouse.
    • If you selected all of the files in the Trash, clicking and dragging one file into Terminal will prompt all of the files to copy into Terminal.
  9. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 64 Press⏎Return. Once the files have copied into Terminal, pressing⏎Returnwill request permission to run your force-delete command.
  10. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 65 Type in your Administrator password. This is the password that you use to log into your Mac.
    • You won't see letters or characters appear as you type your password in Terminal.
  11. Click: How to Delete a Locked File — contextual image 66 Press⏎Returnagain. Doing so runs the force-delete command and empties the Trash. You should no longer have any locked or persistent files in the Trash.

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