Delete files from command line

Deleting files is one of the frequently done operation from Windows command prompt. This post explains how to use ‘del’ command from CMD for different use cases like deleting a single file, deleting files in bulk using wild cards etc. Before we start to look at the syntax, note that the command works only for files and can’t handle folders.

How to delete a file

Run del command with the name of the file to be deleted, you are done!

You do not see message after running the command if the file is deleted successfully. Error message is shown only when something goes wrong.

Delete files in bulk

Del command recognizes wildcard(*) and so can be used to delete files in bulk from CMD. Some examples below.
To delete all the files in current folder

To delete all the files with ‘log’ extension

Delete all files having the prefix ‘abc’

Delete all files having ‘PIC’ somewhere in the file name.

The above are the basic use cases of del command. Continue to read below for non trivial use cases.

Delete multiple files

‘Del’ command can accept multiple files as argument

Delete Read only files

We can’t delete a read-only file using simple‘del’ command. We get access denied error in this scenario.

A read-only file can be deleted by adding /F flag.

Alternatively, we can use the below command too

Is there any batch command to delete all zero byte sized files from cmd.

There is a way to remove folders from the commandline, use “RD” (remove directory), and it has a couple of silent switches, “RD /S /Q C:/Directory” will remove C:/Directory silently, I use this all the time. I think that the directory path has to be in quotations if it contains any spaces.

UAC might want to fight over deleting files, in that case, the command “takeown” to give you ownership of the file first, should get around that.

Sometimes we get an error when we try to delete a File or a folder for no reason , but of course there is a reason.We have many damage file or blocked files.Do not worry if we want to remove the error files or too long path files from our system,here I suggest a smooth way.So use “Long path tool” software and keep yourself.

Well done, I used this when del *1*.*

Will keep this in my reference book. Thanks a lot!

Is there a way to exclude filenames matching a pattern from a delete? For example, I want to delete all files except those whose names are like *xyz*

I am trying to delete csv files in DOS that have a date suffix of earlier
than 2 months ago. I need to do this dynamically, from a batch file.
Is this possible ? Many thanks.
Bethany

I want to delete a file from all the user’s profiles using cmd.
The file is on the desktop.

Name of the file-Hello My Name

I’m writing del %PUBLIC%\Desktop\Hello*My*Name.pdf,but that doesnt seem to work.
I also tried del %PUBLIC%\Desktop\*Hello* but that didnt work too.

Any help is appreciated

c. Using the for loop create 5 text files which start from letter a (ex: a1, a2, a3, a4, a5).

can you help me
create 5 files like this command.
for /l %a in (1 1 5) do mkdir File%a.

Windows commands delete file

Deletes one or more files. This command performs the same actions as the erase command.

The del command can also run from the Windows Recovery Console, using different parameters. For more information, see Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

If you use del to delete a file from your disk, you can’t retrieve it.

Syntax

Parameters

Parameter	Description
Specifies a list of one or more files or directories. Wildcards may be used to delete multiple files. If a directory is specified, all files within the directory will be deleted.
/p	Prompts for confirmation before deleting the specified file.
/f	Forces deletion of read-only files.
/s	Deletes specified files from the current directory and all subdirectories. Displays the names of the files as they are being deleted.
/q	Specifies quiet mode. You are not prompted for delete confirmation.
/a[:]	Deletes files based on the following file attributes: r Read-only files h Hidden files i Not content indexed files s System files a Files ready for archiving l Reparse points — Used as a prefix meaning ‘not’ .
/?	Displays help at the command prompt.

Remarks

If you use the del /p command, you’ll see the following message:

FileName, Delete (Y/N)?

To confirm the deletion, press Y. To cancel the deletion and to display the next file name (if you specified a group of files), press N. To stop the del command, press CTRL+C.

If you disable command extension, the /s parameter will display the names of any files that weren’t found ,instead of displaying the names of files that are being deleted.

If you specify specific folders in the parameter, all of the included files will also be deleted. For example, if you want to delete all of the files in the \work folder, type:

You can use wildcards (* and ?) to delete more than one file at a time. However, to avoid deleting files unintentionally, you should use wildcards cautiously. For example, if you type the following command:

The del command displays the following prompt:

Are you sure (Y/N)?

To delete all of the files in the current directory, press Y and then press ENTER. To cancel the deletion, press N and then press ENTER.

Before you use wildcard characters with the del command, use the same wildcard characters with the dir command to list all the files that will be deleted.

Examples

To delete all the files in a folder named Test on drive C, type either of the following:

To delete all files with the .bat file name extension from the current directory, type:

To delete all read-only files in the current directory, type:

del del

Удаляет один или несколько файлов. Deletes one or more files. Эта команда выполняет те же действия, что и команда Erase . This command performs the same actions as the erase command.

Команда Del также может запускаться из консоли восстановления Windows с использованием различных параметров. The del command can also run from the Windows Recovery Console, using different parameters. Дополнительные сведения см. в разделе Среда восстановления Windows (WinRE). For more information, see Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE).

Если удалить файл с диска с помощью Del , вы не сможете получить его. If you use del to delete a file from your disk, you can’t retrieve it.

Синтаксис Syntax

Параметры Parameters

Параметр Parameter	Описание Description
Указывает список из одного или нескольких файлов или каталогов. Specifies a list of one or more files or directories. Для удаления нескольких файлов можно использовать подстановочные знаки. Wildcards may be used to delete multiple files. Если указан каталог, все файлы в каталоге будут удалены. If a directory is specified, all files within the directory will be deleted.
/p /p	Запрашивает подтверждение перед удалением указанного файла. Prompts for confirmation before deleting the specified file.
/f /f	Принудительное удаление файлов, которые доступны только для чтения. Forces deletion of read-only files.
/s /s	Удаляет указанные файлы из текущего каталога и всех подкаталогов. Deletes specified files from the current directory and all subdirectories. Отображает имена файлов при их удалении. Displays the names of the files as they are being deleted.
/q /q	Задает тихий режим. Specifies quiet mode. Подтверждение удаления не запрашивается. You are not prompted for delete confirmation.
/a [:] /a[:]	Удаляет файлы на основе следующих атрибутов файлов: Deletes files based on the following file attributes: файлы r только для чтения r Read-only files h скрытые файлы h Hidden files я не проиндексированные файлы содержимого i Not content indexed files системные файлыs System files файлы , готовые к архивации a Files ready for archiving l точки повторного анализа l Reparse points — Используется в качестве префикса, означающего «not» — Used as a prefix meaning ‘not’ . .
/? /?	Отображение справки в командной строке. Displays help at the command prompt.

Комментарии Remarks

При использовании del /p команды вы увидите следующее сообщение: If you use the del /p command, you’ll see the following message:

FileName, Delete (Y/N)?

Чтобы подтвердить удаление, нажмите клавишу Y. Чтобы отменить удаление и отобразить следующее имя файла (если указана группа файлов), нажмите клавишу N. Чтобы закрыть команду Del , нажмите клавиши CTRL + C. To confirm the deletion, press Y. To cancel the deletion and to display the next file name (if you specified a group of files), press N. To stop the del command, press CTRL+C.

Если вы отключаете расширение команды, параметр /s отображает имена всех файлов, которые не были найдены, а не отображает имена удаляемых файлов. If you disable command extension, the /s parameter will display the names of any files that weren’t found ,instead of displaying the names of files that are being deleted.

Если указать определенные папки в параметре, все включаемые файлы также будут удалены. If you specify specific folders in the parameter, all of the included files will also be deleted. Например, если нужно удалить все файлы в папке \ворк , введите: For example, if you want to delete all of the files in the \work folder, type:

Можно использовать подстановочные знаки (* и ?) для удаления нескольких файлов за раз. You can use wildcards (* and ?) to delete more than one file at a time. Однако во избежание непреднамеренного удаления файлов следует использовать подстановочные знаки с осторожностью. However, to avoid deleting files unintentionally, you should use wildcards cautiously. Например, если ввести следующую команду: For example, if you type the following command:

Команда Del выводит следующее сообщение: The del command displays the following prompt:

Are you sure (Y/N)?

Чтобы удалить все файлы в текущем каталоге, нажмите клавишу Y и нажмите клавишу ВВОД. To delete all of the files in the current directory, press Y and then press ENTER. Чтобы отменить удаление, нажмите клавишу N и нажмите клавишу ВВОД. To cancel the deletion, press N and then press ENTER.

Прежде чем использовать подстановочные знаки с командой Del , используйте те же подстановочные знаки с командой dir , чтобы получить список всех файлов, которые будут удалены. Before you use wildcard characters with the del command, use the same wildcard characters with the dir command to list all the files that will be deleted.

Примеры Examples

Чтобы удалить все файлы в папке с именем Test на диске C, введите следующую команду: To delete all the files in a folder named Test on drive C, type either of the following:

Чтобы удалить все файлы с расширением bat из текущего каталога, введите: To delete all files with the .bat file name extension from the current directory, type:

Чтобы удалить все файлы только для чтения в текущем каталоге, введите: To delete all read-only files in the current directory, type:

How To Delete Files & Folders – From The Windows Command Line (CMD, DOS)

Jump Right In:

Navigating To The File Using CMD.

Deleting Folders / Directories Using CMD.

Deleting Files Using CMD.

Creating a dummy file with a specific size.

Delete Many Files Or Folders At Once.

Delete Files Or Folders From Any Directory.

What We’ll Learn:

Welcome!
This guide is all about deleting files and folders from the windows command line.

• We’ll start by learning, how to navigate the file or folder we want to delete form the command prompt.
• How to use the Del and Rmdir commands to remove files and folders respectively.
• How to take advantage of wildcards to perform an operation on multiple files or directories.
• And finally, we’ll learn how to delete files and folders without navigating to the directory in which they are located.

Lets get started!

Navigating To The File Using CMD:

To delete a file or folder using the command prompt we must first navigate to the location of our file.

By default the command line is located at a folder named after your computers username (C:\Users\MyPC). This folder contains your documents, downloads and desktop directories, among others.

To view all the files in this directory use the “Dir” command, which stands for directory.

Every file in this directory will be displayed at once.

If the file or directory you want to delete is located at your desktop for example use the “Cd” command to change the command prompts directory.

Simply type “Cd” followed by the folder you want to navigate into within quotes.

You will at once navigate into the desktop directory and from here you can use the “Dir” command once again to locate the file or folder you want to delete.

If you navigated to the wrong directory by mistake, type:

You will immediately be navigated into the previous directory.

In a similar way you can use a combination of the “Dir” and “Cd” commands to navigate to any directory and locate any file or folder.

Deleting Folders / Directories Using CMD​

To delete a folder use the “Rmdir” command, which stands for “Remove Directory”.

Keep in mind that as the name suggests, “Rmdir” only deletes directories. Trying to delete a file using “Rmdir” will constitute in an error.

You might be wondering why we surrounded the name of our folder in quotes. The quotes tell the command line that the spaces separating the words do not constitute an additional parameter and that they are simply a part of the name of our folder.

“Rmdir” without any parameters only removes folders that are empty, to delete a folder along with the files or folders within it you need to use the /S parameter.
The command would look like this:

After entering the command the command line will ask if you are sure you want to delete this file. Simply press “ y ” to confirm.

If you want to delete a folder in a directory other than your users folder you would need to start the command prompt as an administrator. Be careful when deleting folders with administration privileges, the wrong command can very easily break your computer.

Deleting Files Using CMD​

The command for deleting files using the cmd is “Del“. Unlike “ Rmdir “, “ Del “can only delete files. Using “ Del ” to delete a folder will constitute in an error .

To delete a file simply type “Del” followed by the name of your file along with its extension in quotes.

Your file should be immediately deleted.

Once again if you file is not located in the users folder or within any of its sub-directories you would need to start the command prompt as an administrator.

Be very careful however , the wrong command in an administrator command prompt can very easily break your computer.
To delete more than one file at once simply enter all the names of your files one after the other.

Delete Many Files Or Folders At Once​ — From CMD

Entering the name of every file or folder you want to delete is not always practical.
Work smarter not harder.

You can delete every file that begins with a set of characters by using a wildcard.
Wildcards are special symbols that take the place of characters or words.
The most commonly used wildcard is the asterix.

Typing “Del” followed by a set of characters that is shared among the names of the files we want to delete and an asterix, will delete all of them.

Every file that begins with the word “File” will be deleted.
To delete a set of folders instead, simply replace the Del command with Rmdir.

Similarly you can delete only files of a specific type by specifying its extension before a wildcard. With the following command for example, we can delete every text file in our current directory.

We can even delete every file or folder by using a wildcard, all by itself.
Here is an example using the Rmdir command:

Every folder in your current directory will be deleted along with any contents within it.

Be careful when deleting files and folders, the wrong command can easily delete important files and folders.

Delete Files Or Folders From Any Directory​ (CMD)

While you can use the “Rmdir” and “Del” commands to delete files and folders in your current directory, what if you want to delete a folder or file that’s located in a different directory without having to navigate there yourself?

You would have to enter your command as usual but instead of typing the name of the file or folder you want to delete directly you would have to enter the location of the target directory followed by a backward slash and then name of your folder or file.
It should look something like this:

In the same way you can replace “Rmdir” with any command to complete any task from any directory.

Summary:

• Navigate to the directory the file you want to delete is located with the “CD” and “Dir” commands.
• Use “Rmdir” to delete folders and “Del” to delete files. Don’t forget to surround the name of your folder in quotes if it contains a space.
• Use wildcards to delete many files or folders at once.

That’s It!

You now know how to delete files and folders directly from the command prompt.

If you liked this short guide take a look at a few of our other posts related to the windows command line, or if you really liked it consider enrolling in our video course where you will learn the ins and outs of the Windows command Line.