Photo App

Why is it that every time I open a photo in the MS photo app and close it, if I try to move the photo or the photo's folder to another location I get an error that the photo or folder cannot be moved because it is open in another app.
It is not until a go into task manager and force close the photo app or reboot that I am able to move the folder or photo.

This issue has been going on for ages, why don't they fix this?

Does anyone know of a workaround or fix for this? I know a third party photo app would more than likely resolve my issue , but why download something else when I already have what I need?

SgtStanko said:

This issue has been going on for ages, why don't they fix this?

Click to expand...

I have no such issue and never have had it.

When a app or windows system process fails to release a file handle (such as Photos app locking a photo so you cannot edit, delete, or move even after closing the app), it is usually caused by background services, thumbnail indexing, cloud syncing, or a hung process.

The first thing to try is see if a third party app is causing the problem by using clean boot.
If it doesn't happen in a clean boot, you have some software conflicting with Windows. You have to use process of elimination to find which one. Perform a Clean Boot in Windows 11 to Troubleshoot Software Conflicts Tutorial

Make sure you have no corrupt system files that is causing this problem. Open a command prompt as administrator and type dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
When complete restart. Then open command prompt as admin again and run sfc /scannow
Pay attention to the scan results to see if SFC found anything it could not repair.

If neither of those procedures point to the REAL problem, You can stop Windows 11 Photos from running in the Background when you are not using it.

1. Open Settings by pressing Win + I.
2. Click on Apps in the left sidebar, then select Installed apps on the right side.
3. Scroll down or use the search bar to find Microsoft Photos.
4. Click the three dots (...) on the far right of Microsoft Photos and select Advanced options.
5. Look for the section titled Background apps permissions.
6. Change the dropdown menu under "Let this app run in the background" from Power optimized or Always to Never.
7. Scroll down on that same page and click the Terminate button to immediately kill any active background handles