A file-in-use message can stop a rename or move even after its visible document window has closed. PowerToys File Locksmith can show which accessible processes are using the selected file. Use that information to identify the owner of the work before deciding how to release it.

First record the exact filename and location. Distinguish a file-in-use message from access denied or a missing file; those point to different problems. Avoid changing folder ownership merely because an application still has a document open.

Inspect the smallest useful target

Enable File Locksmith in PowerToys. In File Explorer, select the affected file, open its context menu and use Unlock with File Locksmith, under Show more options where required. Selecting an entire directory includes its descendants, so begin with the individual file when that is sufficient.

Expand a result to inspect its details. A familiar application name is a lead, not an instruction to terminate it immediately. Return to that application, check for unsaved documents or an active export, and close the relevant work normally when it is safe to do so.

Verify that normal closing released the file

Use Reload in File Locksmith and repeat the original rename or move once. If the operation now succeeds, inspect the resulting file and its location. Keep the note of which application was involved if the same behaviour recurs.

Microsoft explains that processes belonging to another user may be absent from an ordinary scan. An empty result therefore does not prove that no process holds the file. On a shared or managed computer, ask the responsible person to investigate the wider process scope rather than ending unfamiliar tasks.

The utility offers End task, but forced termination can discard work or interrupt an operation. Reserve it for an understood, justified recovery step after the relevant work is protected. If the process is a system component or you cannot identify what it is doing, preserve the evidence and seek support before forcing it closed.

Source: Microsoft PowerToys documentation.