Quick Answer: How to Force Delete a File Windows 10?

TO DO: Press Windows logo key + X, and hit C to open the command prompt.

In the command window, type the “cd folder path” command and press Enter.

Then type del/f filename to force delete the file that is in use.

How can I force delete a file?

In the dialogue that appears, type cmd and hit Enter again. With the command prompt open, enter del /f filename , where filename is the name of the file or files (you can specify multiple files using commas) you want to delete. There are more details on advanced deletion methods here.

How do I force delete a folder in Windows?

Tap on the Windows-key, type cmd.exe and select the result to load the command prompt.

• Navigate to the folder that you want to delete (with all its files and subfolders).
• The command DEL /F/Q/S *.* > NUL deletes all files in that folder structure, and omits the output which improves the process further.