"File is open in another ..." warning after editing and closing a photo Windows 10

[Beachcolonist]

I edit a pic and save it to a folder, closing it out of Photoshop, which remains open. If I then try to change the name of the containing folder or move it via Windows Explorer, Windows 10 tells me: "The action cannot be completed because the folder or a file in it is open in another program. Please close the blah blah ...." I can however rename the file, but still not then move or rename the folder. Nor can I move the folder or rename it via Bridge. This is resolved if I close Photoshop.

Photoshop seems to retain some memory space or such so that Windows interprets as the file open. It does this even if within Photoshop: 1. I use edit/purge/all, 2. open another file (or create one) in Photoshop and save it somewhere (to occupy the program) or, 3. clear the "recent files" list.

The is very annoying as I must close Photoshop and reopen, breaking my workflow.

Any ideas?

{Thread renamed by moderator}

[Sahil.Chawla]

Hi there,

If I understand correctly, you edit an image in Photoshop, then save it in a folder, close the image in Photoshop and rename the folder which contains the image, then you see the error. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Also, what version of Photoshop you're working on?

Have you tried restarting the computer and then test the behavior to see if it helps?

Regards,
Sahil

[Beachcolonist]

Hi there Sahil thanks for your time.

1. I carefully reread my post for clarity, it exactly attends to your mistaken first point re the problem, please reread it.

2. I always have the latest version, but the same issue was true with the previous.

3. We needn't test novice approaches like rebooting, I know what I am doing. I understand you have no way of know that, but I hope the precision of my post would indicate some level of facility.

Thanks

[Djordje35582235lv4c]

Hello, it's been a while!
 Sicnce the Adobe "engineers" are hopeless (They really are, they can connect to your PC to find a simple solution, and you can see by the operator, they barely can use a computer and never resolving any issues), did you find any solution exept opening and saving a different file, or restarting the computer?
 Thanks a lot!

[r-bin]

This is a long-standing "feature" of Photoshop.
Open any file in another folder and close it. Then you can rename your folder.

[Beachcolonist]

Please reread my original post and review detail #2; "It does this even if within Photoshop: I ... 2. open another file (or create one) in Photoshop and save it somewhere (to occupy the program)."

So unless you have some special notion of opening a file that you failed to make clear, you have this wrong. PS, it's not something ridiculously simple, I've done some due diligence here before I brought it to this forum. My guess is that it is Windows setting concerning memory release.

[r-bin]

File in another folder !!!
It works for me. !! PS2020

[Beachcolonist]

1. Your stilted/shortcut writing style prohibits clear communication, 1a. you can't seem to read a post for content (I stated I created a file and saved it). You are making presumptions of what I did not do, and you are wrong as usual with presumptions. Thanks anyway.

2. You are wrong. Thanks anyway.

3. Thanks very much for your time. Please back away on this topin, just so that this topic does not get unnecessarily complicated.

4. Thanks, again.

[r-bin]

Well. Check it out and tell me that you didn’t succeed.

1. Open the file in folder A.
2. Save the file to this folder.
3. Close the file.
4. Try renaming folder A (-> error)
5. Open the file in folder B (not a subfolder of folder A).
6. Close the file.
7. Open the same file again in folder B
8. Close the file.
9. Try renaming folder A (-> OK)

[Beachcolonist]

Check out my last reply to you, please.

[r-bin]

You did this procedure on my points, and not on yours from the first post?

Starting with PS5 (not CS5 v12) and on the CC2020 everything works. I personally checked it just recently. Everything works.

[Beachcolonist]

Same as last reply, please reread it. Any more out of you is harrassment.

[Kukurykus]

I tried it few times on Windows 10 in Ps 22.3.1 and I always succeed at item 4.

[henryg83261975]

I tried this method, just worked for me

[scubaraven]

"feature" of photoshop? Try every freakin adobe product out there! Sooo sick of it... 

[Beachcolonist]

Moderator,

Would it be too much to ask how it is you determine to rename the thread? If you know about the problem's fundamentals, I'd love you to share that information. I would note the problem does not occur in other Windows applications. At any rate any solution is welcomed.

[jane-e]

“Would it be too much to ask how it is you determine to rename the thread?”

Hi

I checked the history and it was an employee who renamed your thread. He is the only one who can tell you why he renamed it. I don’t know what your original subject line was and cannot answer for this one, but I will rename threads with generic subjects such as “Problem” or “Photoshop”.

[tobylong]

Same problem here... Latest photoshop, latest windows 10.

[jaycee949]

Same problem. Cannot move or delete file until I CLOSE Photoshop. This is crazy. I close the file within Photoshop, and go to Windows Explorer to MOVE the file to another folder, but Photoshop will not let me move it until I actually CLOSE Photoshop.  (I noticed above that someone mentioned opening another file, close it, then you can move the original file. That's a crazy, crazy workaround.)  

[scott30841646s1w2]

Same problem.

[jaycee949]

Same problem here. When I close a file I've been working on, I cannot move the file or the folder it is in UNTIL I actually exit Photoshop. This is crazy.

[Chef Goyar-D]

YUP! Same here, it's 2023 and this is STILL a problem... 😩😩 plz fix this devs!!

[digitalwe]

same problem, 2024

[BerryTogard]

Problem exists in 2025. Corporate environment, corporate machine. Cannot copy folders following a simple image resize and save without closing Photoshop.