“The action cannot be completed because the file is open in com surrogate” error message appears when users try to access or edit certain options in the file’s properties window, by right-clicking on it and selecting Properties option. There are some possible fixes for the said issue that are presented below:
Possible fixes for the file is open in com surrogate error
Fix 1: End the COM Surrogate Process
Ending this process from the Task Manager helped so many users who are dealing with the issue under discussion. We recommend you do this at first before doing anything else:
- Use Ctrl+ Shift + Esc key shortcut to open Task Manger,
- Go to the More details to expand it and search for COM Surrogate entry in its process tab,
- Locate all files ending with dhost.exe entries, right-click on them all and choose End task option on the context menu appears,
- Click Yes on the warning message appears,
- Finally restart your computer and check if you are able to proceed without receiving any error message.
Fix 2: Install the latest Updates on your Windows PC
You should install all pending updates on your computer and see if this resolves the problem:
- Right-click on the Start menu and select Windows PowerShell (Admin),
- In the PowerShell console, type cmd and wait for the Powershell to switch to the cmd-like environment,
- In the cmd-like console, type the below command and make sure you hit Enter afterwards:
wuauclt.exe /updatenow
- let this command to run for at least half an hour and check back if any updates are found and installed without any issues.
Alternatively:
- search for settings from the Start menu and click on the first result,
- Locate Update & Security and click on it,
- In the Windows Update tab, click on Check for Updates under the update Status section,
- If new version of Windows is available, Windows should start the downloading process automatically.
Fix 3: Turning on DEP
If the action cannot be completed because the file is open in com surrogate error message still appears, try with turning on DEP or Data Execution Prevention and see if this provides you the fix:
- Press Win+ R, type sysdm.cpl and hit Enter to open System Properties,
- Go to the Advanced tab and then click on Settings option within Performance section,
- Choose Data Execution Prevention and select the radio button to enable Turn on DEP for app programs and services except those I select and then click Add option,
- Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\ folder (for 32-bit Windows) or C:\Windows\SysWOW64\ folder (for 64-bit Windows) and locate the dllhost.exe file,
- Select this file and then click Open button,
- Click on OK button in the caution box appears the next, click Apply and then click Ok option again,
- Finally, restart your computer and once rebooted see if COM Surrogate has stopped working error in Windows 10 system disappears.
Fix 4: Disable Preview Pane
Many users argue that this is a viable solution for this problem. It works for so many users, but you might need to change the way you interact with your Windows. The changes are slight to say the most and try this and then decide if you are ready to stick with such changes or not:
- Open Windows Explorer by opening any Folder on your system,
- At the top of the folder, navigate to the View tab and check under the Panes section right below,
- Locate Preview pane and disable it,
- Once done, restart your computer and hopefully the problem would be resolved.
Conclusion
That’s all! We have provided all possible fixes for the action cannot be completed because the file is open in com surrogate. Hopefully, these fixes are helpful for you in getting rid of the said problem. If problem persists, we recommend you use PC Repair Tool to find and fix the Windows related issues automatically.
