How to delete a file if it is used by another process?

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Hi I am uploading a excel file to insert the record into table. I am saving the file on server to insert the record and my all records are successfully uploaded. After the uploading the file i want to delete the file from saved location but when i trying to delete the file an error occur "The file is being used by another process".

C#

try
{                   
   System.IO.File.Delete(tPath);
}
catch (System.IO.IOException ex)
{
   Console.WriteLine(ex.Message); 
}

Please help how i can do it?

Posted 12-Feb-14 2:52am

Vi(ky

Updated 12-Feb-14 2:53am

v2

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3 solutions

Solution 2

You can't delete the file for very good reasons. Suppose that an accounting process is busy reading from the file to create ledger entries and you take the file out from underneath them - all of a sudden the ledger will not balance. In this case, Windows is trying to protect you.

If you must delete the file, then theoretically you could issue a DEL filename command (the equivalent of calling DEL at the command prompt) through Process.Start. The alternative is to kill the lock on the file using a much more complex process which involves a lot of p/invoking.

Posted 12-Feb-14 3:10am

Pete O'Hanlon

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Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov 12-Feb-14 13:04pm

All correct, a 5.
I added more useful information to it. OP cannot delete the file, but can take care about the situation. Please see my answer.
—SA

Solution 3

You cannot delete such files, but you can take care about it. Please see my past answer:
File used by another process exception[^].

—SA

Posted 12-Feb-14 7:03am

Sergey Alexandrovich Kryukov

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Vedat Ozan Oner · Accepted Answer · 2014-02-12T03:08:00

Solution 1

you cannot. when a file is open, it is locked by os. you cannot rename, delete, move that file. As I understand, you don't close that file after using it. first close file and all references to it, then you can delete it.

Posted 12-Feb-14 3:08am

Vedat Ozan Oner

Updated 12-Feb-14 3:09am

v2