# Filebeat keep reading the file, this blocks the file deletion on the system
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514
**Category:** Beats
**Tags:** filebeat
**Created:** [October 1, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514 "2018-10-01T06:13:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Badb0y](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badb0y)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 6:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/1 "2018-10-01T06:13:28Z")
Hi,
We have this configuration:
```
filebeat.prospectors:
- type: log
enabled: true
exclude_lines: ['^#']
paths:
- D:\dir\logfiles\zip_archive\www.dir.com\*\u*.log
- D:\dir\logfiles\zip_archive\www81.dir.com\*\u*.log
fields_under_root: true
fields:
type: webreturn
- type: log
enabled: true
exclude_lines: ['^#']
paths:
- D:\dir\logfiles\zip_archive\http_sys_logs\HTTPERR\h*.log
fields_under_root: true
fields:
type: httperr
filebeat.config.modules:
path: ${path.config}/modules.d/*.yml
reload.enabled: false
output.logstash:
hosts: ["hostslist"]
```
This is running on windows and we have a file deletion in this folder, so all files that is older than 2 days got deleted.
However filebeat is still reading the file and it prevents to delete it.
How can I set it to let the task scheduler delete it?
I'm using 6.2.4 version.
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/2 "2018-10-01T06:19:54Z")
Have you looked at the [configuration parameters related to closing files](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/beats/filebeat/current/filebeat-input-log.html#filebeat-input-log-close-options)?
---
### Author:  [@Badb0y](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badb0y)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 6:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/3 "2018-10-01T06:24:35Z")
Yes, but don't know which and how to implement? The close\_inactive? Or ?
---
### Author:  [@Badb0y](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badb0y)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 6:24am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/4 "2018-10-01T06:24:44Z")
> [@Badb0y](#):
>
> Yes, but don't know which and how to implement? The close\_inactive? Or ?
Yes, but don't know which and how to implement? The close\_inactive? Or ?
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [October 1, 2018, 6:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/5 "2018-10-01T06:27:37Z")
I do not know the lifecycle of your files or how long they are written to, but `close_inactive` might certainly be an option.
---
### Author:  [@Badb0y](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badb0y)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2018, 8:25am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/6 "2018-10-08T08:25:06Z")
This one doesn't work.
---
### Author:  [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2018, 9:07am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/7 "2018-10-08T09:07:57Z")
What does your config look like now? What exactly does not work?
---
### Author:  [@Badb0y](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badb0y)
#### Post date: [October 8, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/8 "2018-10-08T09:13:12Z")
```
filebeat.prospectors:
- type: log
close_inactive: 60m
enabled: true
exclude_lines: ['^#']
paths:
- D:\a\logfiles\zip_archive\www.aa.com\*\u*.log
- D:\a\logfiles\zip_archive\www81.aa.com\*\u*.log
fields_under_root: true
fields:
type: webreturn
ignore_older: 24h
- type: log
close_inactive: 60m
enabled: true
exclude_lines: ['^#']
paths:
- D:\a\logfiles\zip_archive\http_sys_logs\HTTPERR\h*.log
fields_under_root: true
fields:
type: httperr
filebeat.config.modules:
path: ${path.config}/modules.d/*.yml
reload.enabled: false
output.logstash:
hosts: ["hosts"]
```
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [November 5, 2018, 9:13am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/filebeat-keep-reading-the-file-this-blocks-the-file-deletion-on-the-system/150514/9 "2018-11-05T09:13:16Z")
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