How To Repair File Explorer

How to Gear up 'The action cannot exist completed because the file is open in another program' Problem in Windows 10?

When you try to rename, delete, or movement a file or folder, you might receive the bulletin, "The activeness cannot be completed because the file is open up in some other programme." This guide describes several possible ways to resolve this trouble.

The message gives no information regarding the program that has the file or folder open and might be displayed fifty-fifty if you have closed the programs that were previously accessing the file.

This error message tin can be very frustrating if you lot cannot motility or delete the file or folder y'all are working with. This error message is generated when the folder or files within the binder are locked because they are beingness used by Windows or some other program running in Windows.

The "The activeness cannot be completed because the file is open up in another program" error message can cause many issues since information technology prevents access to and removal of specific files.

Video Showing How to Fix 'The action cannot be completed because the file is open in another program' Error

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Restart File Explorer
• Remove Thumbnails Using Deejay Cleanup
• Disable Thumbnails Using File Explorer Options
• Disable Thumbnails Using Functioning Options
• Disable Thumbnails Using Registry Editor
• Disable Preview Pane
• Launch Folder Windows In A Split up Process
• Cease Problematic Procedure
• End COM Surrogate Process
• Update Your .NET Framework
• Remove Thumbs.db File Using Control Prompt
• Optimize Folders
• Perform A Clean Kicking
• Update Your Windows
• Empty Your Recycle Bin
• Video Showing How to Set up 'The action cannot be completed considering the file is open in another program' Error

Restart File Explorer

For this one, you will need to utilize Job Managing director. Job manager is a organisation monitor program used to provide data nigh the processes and programs running on a computer and the general condition of the estimator. Some implementations can also be used to finish processes and programs and alter processes' priorities.

To open up Task Director, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete on your keyboard or right-click the Kickoff menu and select "Task Manager."

In Task Manager, roll downwards to find "Windows Explorer," right-click on it and select "Restart" from the drop-down menu, or simply select it (by clicking it) and click "Restart" on the bottom-right corner.

Restarting File Explorer (Windows Explorer) is one of the easiest solutions. Still, information technology is only temporary - "The action cannot be completed because the file is open in some other program" problem might reoccur. Nevertheless, we recommend you try this solution first.

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Remove Thumbnails Using Deejay Cleanup

"The action cannot be completed because the file is open in another program" mistake can be acquired by thumbnails. Windows keeps a copy of all of your moving picture, video, and document thumbnails so they can be displayed quickly when y'all open a folder.

If you delete these thumbnails, they will be automatically recreated when needed. Y'all tin can fix this trouble past removing thumbnails with Disk Cleanup.

To run Disk Cleanup, type "disk cleanup" in Search and click the "Disk Cleanup" result.

You will run across a listing of files to be deleted. Find "Thumbnails" and mark the checkbox near it. Click "OK." Disk Cleanup will remove thumbnails and other selected files. The problem should now be fixed. If it appears again, attempt to remove thumbnails using Disk Cleanup again.

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Disable Thumbnails Using File Explorer Options

This thumbnail cache is used to store thumbnail images for Windows Explorer'due south thumbnail view on Microsoft Windows operating systems. This speeds up the display of images, as these smaller images do not demand to be recalculated every fourth dimension the user views the folder. Windows stores thumbnails of graphics files and certain document and film files, in the Thumbnail Cache file, including the post-obit formats: JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, TIFF, AVI, PDF, PPTX, DOCX, HTML, and many others.

You tin disable thumbnails entirely by adjusting File Explorer options. Type "file options" in Search and click the "File Explorer Options" result to open information technology.

Become to the "View" tab and check the "Always prove icons, never thumbnails" checkbox. Click "Utilize" and then "OK" to exit File Explorer Options and save the changes.

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Disable Thumbnails Using Performance Options

Yous tin can too disable thumbnails by adjusting Performance options. Type "advanced system settings" in Search and click the "View advanced system settings" result to open it.

In the Organisation Properties window under the "Advanced" tab, click "Settings...". This volition open the Performance Options window.

In the Performance Options window, you lot will see a list of visual effects available on the Windows ten operating system. Discover "Bear witness thumbnails instead of icons" and uncheck this option. Click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes. Check if the error message even so appears.

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Disable Thumbnails Using Registry Editor

Windows Registry usually referred to as just the registry, is a collection of databases of configuration settings in Microsoft Windows operating systems. A wide multifariousness of advanced settings can only be changed by straight editing the registry. Some other settings may be accessible through Group Policy – but the Grouping Policy editor is but included on Professional editions of Windows. The registry allows y'all to modify most settings that tin can exist accessed through Group Policy.

Note: Editing the registry is risky, and it can cause irreversible harm to your installation if you exercise not do it correctly.

We demonstrate how to disable Thumbnails on Windows 10, which also applies to other versions of Windows. Open up the Run dialog box by typing "run" in Search and click the "Run" result.

In the Run dialog box, type "regedit" and click "OK" to open Registry Editor.

In Registry Editor, follow this path: "HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/Avant-garde" on the left pane. When y'all attain the "Avant-garde" key, you will run across the listing "REG_DWORD" and other files. Detect the one named "IconsOnly" and double-click on it.

In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, enter ane nether "Value data:" to show icons or 0 to show thumbnails. If you want to disable thumbnails, enter i and click "OK" to salvage the changes.

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Disable Preview Pane

On Windows 10 File Explorer, you lot can enable or disable a Preview pane shown on the right side of the window. As the proper noun implies, you can use information technology to preview the contents of certain types of files. If you select an image file in File Explorer, yous tin can meet a preview, and if you select a text file, you can also preview its contents, and so on. Disabling the Preview pane might assistance fix "The action cannot be completed because the file is open in another program," since an enabled Preview pane is sometimes the reason for this error.

To disable the Preview pane, go to File Explorer past clicking the icon in the taskbar. Alternatively, press Windows Key + E on your keyboard. In File Explorer, become to the "View" tab and disable the "Preview pane" if information technology is enabled (it is enabled if selected and disabled if non). You can also employ the Alt + P keyboard shortcut to enable or disable the Preview pane.

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Launch Folder Windows In A Separate Process

By default, File Explorer opens windows in a single procedure. Enabling Explorer to open divide processes for the file browser can improve the stability of the Explorer shell, and this method might help fix the "The action cannot be completed because the file is open in some other program" error.

To make Windows File Explorer launch folder windows in a split process, go to File Explorer past clicking the icon in the taskbar or using a Windows Key + E keyboard shortcut. Once File Explorer is open, click the "View" tab, and Chen click on "Options." This will open the Folder Options window.

Go to the "View" tab in the Binder Options window and find "Launch folder windows in a separate process." Check information technology and then click "Employ" and "OK" to save the changes.

After making these changes, all folders will open as divide processes, resolving problems with the error message.

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Finish Problematic Process

If the error message specifies that a particular application uses the file or folder, try terminating its process using Task Director.

Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard or right-click the Offset menu and select "Task Manager." Notice the program, right-click on it and select "End task" from the drop-down carte. This will end the process, and the problem should be fixed.

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Finish COM Surrogate Process

The Microsoft Component Object Model (COM) is a platform-independent, distributed, object-oriented system for creating binary software components that can interact. COM specifies an object model and programming requirements that enable COM objects to collaborate with other objects. These objects can exist within a single procedure, in other processes, and can even be on remote computers. Sometimes ending the COM Surrogate procedure helps prepare the "The activity cannot be completed because the file is open in another program" mistake.

To end this process, go to Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete or Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard or right-click the Start menu and select "Chore Manager." Under the "Processes" tab list, notice "COM Surrogate" and right-click information technology, and and so select "End Task."

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Update Your .Net Framework

The .Internet Framework is a software development framework from Microsoft. It provides a controlled programming surroundings where software tin be developed, installed, and executed on Windows-based operating systems. Many Windows applications .Net Framework and this problem tin occur if you exercise not have the required .NET Framework installed on your estimator. Y'all can download information technology free from Microsoft's webpage here. Check if installing the latest .Net Framework helps you to solve this trouble.

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Remove Thumbs.db File Using Command Prompt

Equally mentioned earlier, the thumbs.db (thumbnail database) or thumbnail enshroud stores thumbnail images for Windows Explorer's thumbnail view. To fix the "The activity cannot exist completed because the file is open in another program" error, remove the thumbs.db file using Command Prompt. Command Prompt is the input field in a text-based user interface screen, a command-line interpreter application available in nearly Windows operating systems. Information technology is used to execute entered commands. Most of the commands are used to automate tasks through scripts and batch files, perform advanced administrative functions, troubleshoot and solve certain Windows problems.

To open Command Prompt, blazon "control prompt" in Search and correct-click the "Command Prompt" result. Select "Run as administrator" from the driblet-down carte to run it with ambassador privileges.

Y'all need to switch to the desired drive to remove thumbs.db file. Type in your bulldoze's alphabetic character, for example, "C:" and press Enter. If you have just one partition on your computer, and then it should be set automatically. Now type in the "del /ash /s thumbs.db" command and printing Enter on your keyboard to execute this command.

Information technology volition delete all thumbs.db files from your bulldoze. If you have more than 1 division, switch to another one and repeat these steps until yous delete thumbs.db files from all drives. If the trouble with files and folders occurs only on a certain partition, in that location is no need to switch between partitions.

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Optimize Folders

You can optimize whatsoever folder for given types of templates: full general items, documents, pictures, videos, and music. The advantage of optimizing a folder based on a template is that when working with these folders, y'all accept specific options based on the type of binder in the pane. If it is a Music folder, the "Play All" option is provided, and if information technology is a Pictures binder, then a "Slide Show" option is provided, and so on. If you experience this fault while deleting a video folder, for example, using the "Optimize this binder for" choice might assist fix the mistake.

To optimize a folder, get to the specific folder where your problematic files are stored and right-click on the empty infinite. Then, select "Properties" from the drib-down carte.

In the folder'south properties window, get to the "Customize" tab. Under "Optimize this folder for:," select the option that suits best. Check the "Also apply this template to all subfolders" checkbox. Click "Apply" and "OK" to relieve changes. If there is more than than ane folder containing problematic files, repeat the steps and apply your preferred options to them.

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Perform A Clean Boot

When you outset Windows using a normal startup performance, several applications and services start automatically and and then run in the background. These programs include basic system processes, antivirus software, system utility applications, and other previously installed software. These applications and services can crusade software conflicts. A clean kick is performed to start Windows by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This helps eliminate software conflicts that occur when yous install a program or an update or when you lot run a program in Windows.

Type "organization configuration" in Search and click on the "System Configuration" event to perform a clean boot.

Click the "Services" tab in the Organization Configuration window and mark the "Hide all Microsoft services" checkbox. And then, click "Disable all."

So, click the "Startup" tab and click "Open Task Director."

Under the Chore Manager Startup tab, select the commencement application and click "Disable" - disable all applications one by one, repeating this stride. One time you have disabled all programs, close Chore Manager and click "OK" in the System Configuration Startup tab. And so, restart your estimator to see if this helps to fix the issue.

Your computer will run just with default applications and services. If this helps, so i of the third-party applications is causing the error. To detect that awarding, echo the steps higher up, and enable startup services and applications ane by ane until you detect it. You need to restart your computer after enabling the application or service to apply changes. Once you lot notice the problematic awarding, y'all tin keep it disabled, update it, reinstall it, or completely remove it from the Windows operating organization.

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Update Your Windows

You lot may wish to try this choice besides - checking all Windows operating organisation updates might help. Some Windows components might be corrupt, and Microsoft updates for Windows are often targeted to improve this expanse. To cheque for Windows Updates, go to Settings and select "Update & Security."

You should be automatically be directed to the Windows Update section. Click "Cheque for updates" - Windows will get-go checking for updates. If there are updates available, install them and check for updates once again (but to ensure that you have the latest updates on your operating organisation). Check if this helps solve the "The activeness cannot be completed because the file is open in another programme" mistake.

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Empty Your Recycle Bin

This might be a solution that yous have not considered - it has actually helped some people to fix the "The action cannot be completed because the file is open up in another program" trouble. Find "Recycle Bin" on your Desktop and right-click it. Then, select "Empty Recycle Bin" from the drop-down menu.

Once the Recycle Bin is empty, the mistake message should not appear. This, however, is a quondam solution - the error might appear again one time you add files to the Recycle Bin. If yous desire to delete your files permanently (and not add them to the Recycle Bin), employ the Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut or printing and hold the Shift central while clicking the Delete option. In our experience, deleting files permanently helped to fix this issue.

Nosotros hope that at least one of these solutions helps yous fix the problem and that you can now work with files or folders without problems.

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About the author:

Rimvydas is a researcher with over four years of feel in the cybersecurity industry. He attended Kaunas Academy of Technology and graduated with a Master's caste in Translation and Localization of Technical texts in 2022. His interests in computers and applied science led him to become a versatile author in the IT industry. At PCrisk, he's responsible for writing in-depth how-to articles for Microsoft Windows. Contact Rimvydas Iliavicius.

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Source: https://blog.pcrisk.com/windows/12202-the-action-cannot-be-completed-because-the-file-is-open-in-another-program

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