How to delete a file being used by another program Here are some practical ways to dodge the pop-up and delete files that are in use by a program on your Windows PC.

To make sure a deleted file can't be recovered, you'll need to use a third-party shredding tool. Here's a look at three such free programs: Eraser, File Shredder, and Freeraser.

Deleting files in Windows 10 does not really delete the file. Security best practice requires deleted files to be completely overwritten more than once.