How to force the deletion of a locked file that has no locking handle on Windows?



As an IT administrator, you may find yourself facing the challenge of trying to delete a locked file on a Windows operating system with no locking handle. This can be an incredibly frustrating problem because it means that the file cannot be accessed or deleted in the usual ways. Fortunately, there are a few methods that you can use to force the deletion of a locked file that has no locking handle.

The first and most common way to force the deletion of a locked file is to use the “Take Ownership” feature in Windows. You can find this feature by right-clicking on the file or folder and then selecting “Properties”. Once you are in the Properties window, you will see a tab labeled “Security”. Click on this tab and then click “Advanced”. In the Advanced Security Settings window, you will see a button labeled “Change”. Click on this button and then select the user account you want to take ownership of the file or folder. Once you have done this, you should be able to delete the file or folder.

Another method to force the deletion of a locked file with no locking handle is to use a third-party tool such as Unlocker. Unlocker is a free utility that can be used to unlock and delete locked files or folders. It allows you to select a file or folder and then delete it without any prompts or warnings. This is a great way to quickly and easily delete a locked file with no locking handle.

Finally, you can also use the command-line to force the deletion of a file with no locking handle. To do this, you need to open a command prompt window and then type in “del /f ”. This will force the deletion of the file even if it has no locking handle.

These are the three main methods for forcing the deletion of a locked file with no locking handle on a Windows operating system. While these methods can be useful in certain situations, it is important to note that they should only be used as a last resort. If possible, you should always try to access the file in a normal way before attempting to force its deletion.

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