diff --git a/backend/local/local.go b/backend/local/local.go
index 935dbecd3..156c2ce26 100644
--- a/backend/local/local.go
+++ b/backend/local/local.go
@@ -837,7 +837,7 @@ func (o *Object) lstat() error {
 
 // Remove an object
 func (o *Object) Remove() error {
-	return os.Remove(o.path)
+	return remove(o.path)
 }
 
 // Return the directory and file from an OS path. Assumes
diff --git a/backend/local/remove_other.go b/backend/local/remove_other.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..760e2cf3b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/local/remove_other.go
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+//+build !windows
+
+package local
+
+import "os"
+
+// Removes name, retrying on a sharing violation
+func remove(name string) error {
+	return os.Remove(name)
+}
diff --git a/backend/local/remove_test.go b/backend/local/remove_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b2e34cdc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/local/remove_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+package local
+
+import (
+	"io/ioutil"
+	"os"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+// Check we can remove an open file
+func TestRemove(t *testing.T) {
+	fd, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "rclone-remove-test")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	name := fd.Name()
+	defer func() {
+		_ = os.Remove(name)
+	}()
+
+	exists := func() bool {
+		_, err := os.Stat(name)
+		if err == nil {
+			return true
+		} else if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return false
+		}
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+		return false
+	}
+
+	assert.True(t, exists())
+	// close the file in the background
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	wg.Add(1)
+	go func() {
+		defer wg.Done()
+		time.Sleep(250 * time.Millisecond)
+		require.NoError(t, fd.Close())
+	}()
+	// delete the open file
+	err = remove(name)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	// check it no longer exists
+	assert.False(t, exists())
+	// wait for background close
+	wg.Wait()
+}
diff --git a/backend/local/remove_windows.go b/backend/local/remove_windows.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bf28b2cf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/local/remove_windows.go
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+//+build windows
+
+package local
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/ncw/rclone/fs"
+)
+
+const (
+	ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION syscall.Errno = 32
+)
+
+// Removes name, retrying on a sharing violation
+func remove(name string) (err error) {
+	const maxTries = 10
+	var sleepTime = 1 * time.Millisecond
+	for i := 0; i < maxTries; i++ {
+		err = os.Remove(name)
+		if err == nil {
+			break
+		}
+		pathErr, ok := err.(*os.PathError)
+		if !ok {
+			break
+		}
+		if pathErr.Err != ERROR_SHARING_VIOLATION {
+			break
+		}
+		fs.Logf(name, "Remove detected sharing violation - retry %d/%d sleeping %v", i+1, maxTries, sleepTime)
+		time.Sleep(sleepTime)
+		sleepTime <<= 1
+	}
+	return err
+}