Why does Windows sometimes say a file is ‘in use’ even when I’ve closed the app that was using it?
Windows files stay locked by antivirus scans, network references, or DLLs mapped into a process's address space.
“if the file is loaded into a process as a DLL, it doesn't show up as a file handle. It shows up as an in-memory reference.”
A Microsoft developer explains why Windows reports files as 'in use' even after closing an app, citing antivirus scans, network references, and DLLs mapped into process memory, plus workarounds using SysInternals tools. This is a Windows OS troubleshooting tip with no meaningful AI industry signal.