If you are trying to copy photos, videos, documents, or other files from a USB pen drive, phone, memory card, or camera to your Windows 11 PC or laptop and see the error “The Requested Resource Is in Use,” don’t worry. This error usually occurs when Windows or another application is using the file, folder, or connected USB device. In most cases, you can fix it with a few simple solutions without installing any third-party software.
Method 1: Restart Windows Explorer
Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, find Windows Explorer, right-click it, and select Restart.
Step 2: Wait a few seconds for the taskbar and File Explorer to restart automatically.
Step 3: Open This PC, access your USB pen drive, phone, memory card, or camera, and try copying the files again.
Method 2: Unplug and Reconnect the USB Device
Step 1: Close the File Explorer window accessing your device, safely eject it if possible, and disconnect the USB pen drive, phone, memory card reader, or camera.
Step 2: Wait a few seconds and reconnect the device. For a phone, unlock it and select File Transfer if required. For an iPhone, tap Trust/Allow if Windows asks for permission.
Step 3: Open File Explorer → This PC, open the connected device, and try copying the files again. If the problem continues, try a different USB port or cable.
Method 3: Close Files and Apps Running in the Background
Step 1: Close any photo, video, document, media player, PDF reader, or other application that may currently be using the file you are trying to copy.
Step 2: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and close any unnecessary application that you recognize as using the files.
Step 3: Reopen your USB device and try the copy-paste operation again.
Method 4: Disable the Preview Pane
Step 1: Press Windows + E to open File Explorer, then click View → Show.
Step 2: Click Preview pane to turn it off. You can also press Alt + P to quickly disable the Preview Pane.
Step 3: Open your USB pen drive, phone, memory card, or camera and try copying the files again.
Method 5: Restart Your Windows 11 PC or Laptop
Step 1: Save your work, close all applications, and safely eject your USB pen drive, phone, memory card reader, or camera if possible.
Step 2: Click Start → Power → Restart and wait for Windows to completely restart.
Step 3: Reconnect your device, open File Explorer → This PC, and try copying the files again.
If the Error Still Appears
If the error continues, try copying a different file from the same device. If other files copy normally but one particular file does not, the problem may be related to that specific file. You can also try another USB port, USB cable, card reader, or another computer to determine whether the problem is with Windows or the external device.
Conclusion
The “The Requested Resource Is in Use” error can prevent you from copying files from a pen drive, phone, memory card, or camera, but it is often easy to fix. Start by restarting Windows Explorer, then reconnect the USB device, close applications running in the background, disable the Preview Pane, and finally restart your Windows 11 PC or laptop. These simple solutions can resolve many common Windows copy-paste and file-transfer problems.
