RPA -Throwing error Caused by: java.io.IOException: Failed to delete original file 'C:\Users\user\Downloads\xyz.zip' after copy to 'C:\Users\user\RPA\Executed Files\xyz.zip'

Question

When I am running RPA it is failing and saying it is failed to delete the file after copying it to the given location. Please help me with the possible cause and fix

Shubham Aware · Answer

The error occurs because the ZIP file is still locked after copying. Add a 1-2 second delay after the copy operation before attempting to delete - this usually fixes it. If not, change your approach to use a "move" operation instead of "copy then delete" which is more reliable. Alternatively, implement retry logic that attempts deletion 3 times with delays between attempts. Also check if antivirus is scanning the file and ensure the RPA bot has proper delete permissions on the Downloads folder.

Shubham Aware · Answer

The &ldquo;move file or folder&rdquo; action often fails because the file is locked by another process (like antivirus or an open app), there are permission issues, the destination already has a file with the same name, or the RPA agent isn&rsquo;t fully connected. Ensure no process is using the file, check permissions, confirm destination path is correct and empty, add a short delay after previous file operations, properly close all streams, and verify the RPA agent is running.

Shubham Aware · Answer

Good to hear that, When you extract files from the zip in step 2, the extraction process locks the zip file and doesn't properly release it, preventing the move operation in step 3. The best fix is to redesign your process to work with copies instead: download the zip, then copy (not move) it to a temporary working folder, extract the needed file from this copy, move the extracted file to its destination, delete the temporary copy, and finally move the original zip from Downloads to Executed Files. This works because you're extracting from a copy, leaving the original file unlocked and free to move. If you can't redesign the process.