Photoshop won't let go of images it no longe edits

[Sven Korsgaard]

This is an old and persistent problem with several versions of Windows and Photoshop.

When editing an image with photoshop you save and close the image.

But the file can't be deleted or renamed before you close photoshop.

Any other program will let go of the file, but not Photoshop.

An unmistakeble program error!

Please correct it.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

This is a user Forum, so you are not really addressing Adobe here, even though some Adobe employees thankfully have been dropping by.

I am on Mac, so I cannot reproduce the issue. 

Are you working locally or across a network? 

I am dubious whether it is a Photoshop Bug but the place for Photoshop-related Bug Reports is

Photoshop Family

[jane-e]

I can rename, move, and delete the file while it's open on my Mac as well. Windows doesn't allow for that. What is your OS @Sven Korsgaard ?

~ Jane

[JJMack]

Why should Photoshop unlock the file if you have a document open for the files content in Photoshop.  Photoshop assumes the you may want to update that files or you  will want to be able to refresh revert the document.  Photoshop should hold a lock on the file as long as a document for it is open in Photoshop.  Other Application should not be able to delete or update the fie while it is open in Photoshop.   If Photoshop does unlock the file when you close out the document that would be an issue.  How have you determined that Photoshop has not release the file. If Photoshop crashes you system should release all locks photoshop had,  Over the years running Windows I have had files the have become locked that I could not get unlock when I had no open programs.  I was never able to determine what had the lock.  All I could do was sign out of Windows and sign back in.  I could not prove what Programs had locked the file. I closed ever program I  was running. I think some system background task for my user id must have held the lock. For when I sign back in it was unlocked.

[Sven Korsgaard]

Hi JJMack.

Late replay. I'm sorry.

The problem is, that the document already is closed in photoshop - no longer in use.

Nevertheless ...

I'm using Windows 10 latest update.

The problem dates back to at least CS5 and is also present in the latest 2021 version.

No other program as in NO OTHER PROGRAM that I know of behaves like this.

And I'm a very experienced user and programmer, so it must be by design. Why on earth ...

Sven