“The following applications should be closed before continuing the install” is Windows Installer message 1607. It means the installer needs to replace or delete files that a running program currently has open, so it lists the programs it found and asks you to close them, let it close them, or accept a restart. Save your work, close the listed apps, and click Retry or continue. If the list is empty, unclear, or keeps coming back, find the exact process holding the file: LockGhost from Automata Labs shows which app or service is locking a file or folder, with friendly names and guardrails, so you close the right thing.
See exactly which process is holding the file the installer needs.
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What does this message mean?
Windows cannot overwrite a program file while another process is using it. Installers check for this before they copy files. Microsoft’s documentation for the FilesInUse dialog describes its purpose: it “alerts the user of processes currently running files that must be overwritten or deleted by the installation,” giving the user “the opportunity to shut down these processes and avoid having to reboot the computer.”
The wording in the title comes from Microsoft’s Windows Installer error messages table, where message 1607 reads: “The following applications should be closed before continuing the install.” Related messages in the same table:
| Message | Text (from Microsoft’s table) | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 1306 | ”The file ‘[2]’ is in use. If you can, please close the application that is using the file, then click Retry.” | One specific file is locked |
| 1607 | ”The following applications should be closed before continuing the install:“ | A list of apps holding files follows |
| 1610 | ”The setup must update files or services that cannot be updated while the system is running.” | Continuing means a reboot |
| 1611 | ”The setup was unable to automatically close all requested applications.” | Automatic closing failed for at least one app |
The bracketed numbers are placeholders that the installer fills in, such as the file name.
Why does it offer to close applications for me?
On modern Windows, the installer works with Restart Manager. Microsoft’s About Restart Manager page explains: “The primary reason software installation and updates require a system restart is that some of the files that are being updated are currently being used by a running application or service. Restart Manager enables all but the critical applications and services to be shut down and restarted.”
When a package includes the newer MsiRMFilesInUse dialog, you get two choices:
- “Automatically close applications and restart them.” Restart Manager closes the listed apps, the install finishes, and apps registered for restart are reopened.
- “Do not close applications. (A reboot will be required.)” The files are replaced at the next restart instead.
Two caveats from Microsoft’s documentation. Restart Manager “can only restart applications that have been registered for restart,” so some apps will close and stay closed. And it shuts things down “only if the caller has permission to do so,” with critical system services excluded.
Older or simpler packages show the basic FilesInUse dialog instead, which lists programs and asks you to close them yourself, then click Retry.
Which option should I choose?
| Situation | Best choice |
|---|---|
| You have unsaved work in a listed app | Save it, close the app yourself, then Retry |
| Listed apps are safe to close | Let the installer close them |
| A listed item is a service or something you do not recognize | Find out what it is before closing anything |
| You cannot close the app right now | Choose the reboot option and restart later |
| The dialog keeps returning after you close everything | Find the real lock holder (see below) |
Letting the installer close apps is convenient, but it is the same as clicking close on them. Unsaved changes in an app that does not prompt may be lost. Saving first costs ten seconds.
Why does the list show nothing, or the wrong app?
Sometimes the dialog lists a window title that does not obviously match an app, lists nothing useful, or reappears after you closed everything it named. Common reasons:
- Background processes. Tray apps, updaters and helper processes can hold files without an obvious window.
- Services. A service using the files may not appear the way an app does.
- Another user’s session. Microsoft notes that Restart Manager does not support shutdown across sessions, so programs in another signed-in account on the same PC can block it.
- A process restarted itself after you closed it, for example an updater relaunched by a scheduled task.
In these cases, the useful question is not “what does the dialog say” but “which process has this file open right now.”
How do I see exactly which file is locked?
Run the installer with a verbose log. Microsoft’s msiexec reference gives this example:
msiexec.exe /i "C:\example.msi" /L*V "C:\package.log"Open the log and search for “in use” or “held in use.” Microsoft’s error table includes a message in the form: “The file [2][3] is being held in use by the following process: Name: [4], Id: [5], Window Title: ‘[6]’.” That gives you the file path, the process name and its process ID.
This only works for MSI packages. Many installers are .exe wrappers around an MSI, and some of them have their own logging switches. Check the vendor’s documentation.
How does LockGhost help?
Once you know the file, or even just the install folder, you need to know who is holding it. That is LockGhost’s job. Its Microsoft Store listing describes:
- File and folder lock detection: identify the process behind “file in use,” “access denied,” and “cannot delete file” errors.
- Friendly process details: understandable app names and clear lock information instead of bare process IDs.
- Safer decisions: guardrails that help you avoid ending critical system processes.
- Safe resolution controls: “Take action only when you understand what is blocking the file.”
- An Explorer-friendly workflow, so you can start from the file or folder you are looking at.
- Local lock history, with no file data sent to external servers.
- Offline and private: no cloud account, no subscription and no telemetry.
A practical sequence for a stubborn installer:
- Cancel or leave the installer dialog open.
- Point LockGhost at the program’s install folder, or at the file named in the log.
- Read which process holds it. If it is the app itself or a helper, close it normally.
- If it is something you do not recognize, look it up before you end it.
- Return to the installer and click Retry.
Find the process behind a locked file, then close only that one.
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Is it ever right to just reboot?
Often, yes. A restart releases every lock, and if the installer offers to finish after a reboot, that is the supported path. The cost is interrupting everything else you have open.
Rebooting is less helpful when the same process starts again at sign-in and grabs the files before the installer runs, or when you install on many machines and need to know the cause. That is where identifying the process pays off.
How is this different from other “file in use” errors?
The underlying cause is the same, a process holding a file open, but the context differs. Outside installers, you usually see “The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process,” which we explain in error 32, file being used by another process. Developers hit a build version of it in MSB3027, could not copy file. For a free built-in way to list files opened over the network, see the openfiles command, and for the Windows API that installers use, see Restart Manager and file locks.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to let the installer close applications?
Usually, for ordinary apps. Save your work first, because closing an app this way can discard unsaved changes in apps that do not prompt.
What happens if I choose “Do not close applications”?
The installer continues and schedules the locked files to be replaced at the next restart. The update is not complete until you reboot.
Why does the installer want to close File Explorer?
Restart Manager’s documented shutdown order includes Windows Explorer after apps and services. Explorer can hold files from programs that add menu entries or previews.
Can I stop installers from closing apps automatically?
Package authors control this with Windows Installer properties such as MSIRESTARTMANAGERCONTROL. As a user, choose the reboot option when you do not want apps closed.
Does LockGhost send file names anywhere?
No. Its listing says file names, folders and lock history stay on your PC.
Try LockGhost
Get LockGhost from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and the Store listing shows the current price.
For a comparison with Microsoft’s free tool, read PowerToys File Locksmith vs LockGhost.
Stop guessing which app to close. See the lock holder and decide.
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Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. LockGhost is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Last updated 22 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.