Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Quite often, when trying to delete a folder, Windows reports that the file is being used by another program but does not show what program.
This error also happens with a file, when we tried to move a file, or delete those file. How we can find out which program or application is currently using it and preventing us to delete/move it? To get the process holding those folder or file, we can use the resource manager. For Windows 7 and above, you can use the built-in Resource Monitor.
1. Search resmon.exe in the start menu, or click on the button on the Performance tab in your Task Manager
2. From CPU tab, use the search field in the Associated Handles section to search for the folder or file.
3. When you've found the handle, you can identify the process by looking at the Image and/or PID column. You can then close the application if you are able to do that, or just right-click the row and you'll get the option of killing the process (End Process) right there.
Last Updated: July 11, 2022
