What is causing the action cannot be completed because the file is open in windows explorer error?
We investigated this particular issue by looking at various user reports and the repair strategies that they used to get the issue resolved. Based on what we gathered, there a couple of common scenarios that are known to trigger this particular error message: If you’re struggling to resolve the ‘action cannot be completed because the file is open in windows explorer‘ error, this article will provide you with a couple of verified troubleshooting steps. Down below you’ll find two methods that other users in a similar situation have used to get the issue resolved. If you want to be efficient, we encourage you to follow the methods below in the order that they are presented.
Method 1: Turning off File previews in Windows Explorer
Most of the users encountering the ‘action cannot be completed because the file is open in windows explorer‘ error has managed to get it resolved by disabling file preview on Windows Explorer. As it turns out, this feature is known to sometimes glitch on all the recent Windows versions and prevent the user from handling PDF and various image-type files. Affected users report that the issue was resolved once they followed a set of instructions to disable thumbnail previews from folder options. Here’s what you need to do: If you’re still struggling with the error, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Identifying & closing the process that has the file open
A couple of users struggling to resolve this particular issue have managed to do so by using Resource Monitor to locate the processes that are using the file triggering the error and closing it down. This process is all done from Windows (no additional software is needed). Here’s a quick guide on identifying and closing the process the is triggering the ‘action cannot be completed because the file is open in windows explorer‘ error:
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