Why does Windows sometimes say a file is ‘in use’ even when I’ve closed the app that was using it? @MicrosoftDeveloper
Why does Windows sometimes say a file is ‘in use’ even when I’ve closed the app that was using it? @MicrosoftDeveloper
Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
That mysterious "file is in use" error isn't always what it seems. Mark Russinovich breaks down why Windows locks files, what might actually be using them, and how developers can investigate the cause.

More from Mark: https://msft.it/6054vqVcE

#windows #developers #sysinternals #softwareengineering #debugging
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Why does Windows sometimes say a file is ‘in use’ even when I’ve closed the app that was using it?

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