Sometimes Windows shows a foreign error message when you lot try to delete a file. The message reads "could not discover this particular" and it prevents y'all from deleting the file. It's pretty obvious you're trying to delete something that already exists on your machine but the fault says otherwise.

At that place are many reasons why your automobile is failing to notice the file every bit it should and letting you delete it. Once you gear up these underlying issues, you lot can get rid of the file from your figurer.

Utilize Command Prompt To Fix "Could Not Detect This Item"

If you're having trouble using File Explorer to delete your file, one choice is to employ the Command Prompt. It has several commands to work with your file system and one of these lets you lot delete files from your storage.

You can use these commands to retrieve your directory contents and then go rid of your chosen file from the list.

  1. Search for Command Prompt using Cortana search and click on Run as administrator to open information technology in admin fashion.
  1. In your Control Prompt window, get to the directory where the file yous desire to delete is located. Utilise the CD control followed by the directory path to get to your directory.
  2. One time you lot're in your selected directory, run the following control to view a list of all files in it.

    dir

  1. You should encounter the name of the problematic file in the list.
  2. Type the following command, press Space, type the name of the file you lot want to delete, and hit Enter. So to delete a file named myfile.txt, yous would enter:

    del myfile.txt

  1. If you're deleting a file that has spaces in its proper noun, enclose the file name with double quotes.
  1. The file will be deleted without a prompt.

Rename The File Using Command Prompt Before Deleting Information technology

Sometimes the reason you get the "could not find this item" mistake is considering your file name is likewise long to be handled past your organisation. In that case, you can first shorten the proper noun to delete the file.

Y'all can use the Command Prompt to rename your file every bit follows.

  1. Launch a Control Prompt window with admin privileges on your PC.
  2. Use the CD command to get to the directory where your file is located.
  3. Note downward the full name of your file as yous'll exist using it in a control.
  4. Type the following command into the Command Prompt and press Enter.

    ren oldname.ext newname.ext

    ren – the curt class for rename
    oldname.ext – replace this with the current proper name of your file
    newname.ext – replace this with the new name for your file

  1. In one case the file is renamed, apply File Explorer to access and delete it. It should delete without any issues this time around.

Delete Files That Have No Extension

Some problematic files have no extensions and this makes it really difficult to delete them from a Command Prompt window. Luckily, in that location's a command you can employ to delete all the files within of a folder without knowing their extensions.

  1. Open up a Command Prompt window on your computer.
  2. Navigate to the folder where your file is located using the CD command.
  3. Blazon in the following command and printing Enter.

    del *.*

  1. All files inside the folder will exist removed.

Delete The Folder Containing The File

If you lot yet tin't delete the file and it keeps throwing the "could not find this item" error, you can effort deleting the binder instead. It removes the folder as well as all files in information technology, including the problematic file.

  1. Open a Command Prompt window on your PC.
  2. Type in the following command, press Space, enter the full path to the folder you want to delete, enclose information technology with double-quotes, and hit Enter.

    rmdir /due south

  1. You'll get a prompt asking if y'all really desire to delete the folder. Type y and press Enter to ostend your activity.
  1. You can use the /q parameter with the above command to skip the deletion prompt. It removes the file without request if you really want to practice information technology.

Impale The Process That May Exist Using The File

In that location may be a programme running on your computer that is using your file in some way. To ensure it's not the culprit, you should kill the program process using Job Managing director and then endeavour to delete the file.

  1. Correct-click on your taskbar and select Task Manager.
  1. Click on the Processes tab at the top.
  2. Observe the process that yous think is interfering with your deletion process. Right-click on information technology and select End task to kill the procedure.
  1. Yous tin attempt deleting your file and it should delete without issues.

Create An Archive & Delete The Files

If y'all've used WinRAR to create archives on your figurer before, you probably know it allows you lot to delete your files after an archive is fabricated. You can use the same option to delete the file that keeps throwing the "could non find this item" error.

The idea here is to make a new archive using your problematic file and let WinRAR delete your file after the archive has been fabricated.

  1. Download and install the WinRAR app on your figurer.
  2. Right-click on the file that you want to delete and select Add together to archive. It lets you create a new archive using selected files.
  1. The post-obit screen lets y'all configure how your archive is to exist created. You'll discover an option at that place that says Delete files subsequently archiving. Tick-marking the box, customize other options equally you like, and click on OK at the lesser.
  1. Information technology'll create a new archive containing your file and your actual problematic file will be deleted. You lot can now delete the annal as well by right-clicking on it and selecting the Delete pick.

It'due south an out-of-the-box thought and should work in nigh cases.

Use DelinvFile To Get Around The "Could Not Find This Item" Error

File deletion problems take long existed on Windows computers and there have been several apps to help you deal with them. I of these is DelinvFile and it lets y'all delete files that y'all can't delete by yourself.

You lot can apply information technology to get rid of the problematic files from your PC.

  1. Install the DelinvFile app on your PC.
  2. Launch the app and navigate to the directory where your file is located. Click on your file so it's selected.
  3. Click on the push that says Delete File or Folder to start deleting your file.
  1. Y'all'll see a prompt asking to confirm your activeness. Click on Yeah to continue deleting your file.

Information technology gets frustrating when you're constantly bombarded with the "could not find this particular" error while deleting a file. Take you ever had to go through this fault on your PC? How did you overcome it? We'd like to know in the comments below.