How to Force Windows to Delete Files or Folders Using CMD

Practical Guide to Solving Windows Stubborn File or Folder Deletion Difficulty

Sometimes, for various reasons, Windows mistakenly believes that a specific file or folder is being used by a program, preventing it from being deleted, moved, or renamed. This kind of file locking is very frustrating, especially when you know that the file isn't actually used. This article will outline how to resolve this issue and manually delete files and folders.

Key Points

• To force delete a file in Windows, select the file or folder and press Shift Delete. This method bypasses the Recycle Bin and permanently deletes the file.
• Windows Command Prompt (CMD) can be used for advanced file deletion. The "del" command can be used to delete files, and the "rmdir" command can be used to delete folders. Both commands permanently delete files and folders without sending them to the Recycle Bin.
• When using the "del" or "rmdir" commands, please be careful as these commands permanently delete files and folders. It is recommended to carefully check the files or folders to delete to avoid accidental loss of data.

1. Use Shift Delete to force delete

The easiest way to force delete Windows files is probably to use keyboard shortcuts. Select the file or folder you want to delete and press Shift Delete. Note that this will permanently delete the file; it will not be placed in the Recycle Bin.

If this method does not work, you can try using the command prompt, which provides advanced delete commands.

2. Use the command prompt (cmd) to force delete the file

Windows Command Prompt (usually referred to as "Command Prompt" or "CMD" for short) is a command line interpreter application provided in Microsoft Windows. It provides users with a text-based interface for interacting with the operating system and executing various commands to perform tasks, manage files and directories, configure system settings, and more. In newer Windows versions such as Windows 10 and later, Microsoft has introduced Windows Terminal, an improved command-line environment that supports multiple command-line interfaces, including Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Linux-for-Search Windows Subsystem (WSL). This provides users with more options and a better overall command line experience.

We can use cmd to force delete the file to be deleted through the del (abbreviation of delete) command.

Open the command prompt

First, open the command prompt. To do this, open the Start menu (Windows key), type Run, and press Enter. In the dialog box that appears, type cmd and press Enter again and you will see a command prompt as shown in the screenshot below:

Use the del command to force delete the file

When you open the command prompt, enter del /f filename, where filename is the file or filename to delete (you can specify multiple files with commas). Microsoft's documentation details advanced deletion methods using this command.

When you open the command prompt window, enter the following command: del /f filename, where filename is the file or file name to be deleted (you can specify multiple files with commas), and press Enter. /f Force delete read-only files. Microsoft's documentation details advanced deletion methods using this command.

Please note that to delete a file, you need to include the full path to the file, or first navigate to the folder/directory where the file is located. So if the file you are deleting is named file.txt, located in a folder called examplefolder, you can use the following command with the full path:

<code>del /f C:\examplefolder\file.txt</code>

Alternatively, you can use the cd command to navigate to the folder first:

<code>cd C:\examplefolder</code>

Then use the following command to delete the file:

<code>del /f file.txt</code>

The following image shows an example of this method:

You can use the del command to delete file names by spaces to delete multiple files, as shown below:

<code>del /f file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt</code>

Please be careful when using the del command, as it will permanently delete files - it will not move to the Recycle Bin!

Forced Delete Use the rmdir command to delete folders

Sometimes, Windows prevents you from deleting folders, especially if they contain files that are being used or locked. To force delete folders in Windows, you can use a command prompt with administrator privileges.

Open command prompt as administrator

Press Win X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or Windows PowerShell (Admin) to open a command prompt with administrator privileges.

Navigate to directory

Use the cd command to navigate to the directory containing the files you want to delete. For example:

<code>cd C:\containingfolder</code>

Use rmdir to force delete folders

Use the rmdir command with /s (delete directory) and /q (silent) options to delete folders and their contents. For example, to delete a folder named examplefolder:

<code>rmdir /s /q examplefolder</code>

Similarly, be careful when deleting folders using the /s and /q options, as they force the entire folder to be deleted and cannot be restored. These files will not be moved to the Recycle Bin! Be sure to check the folder you want to delete carefully to avoid accidental loss of data.

Microsoft provides more guidance on how to use rmdir here.

That's it, some very simple ways to solve a stubborn problem!

FAQs about Forced Deletion in Windows via CMD

How to force delete files from CMD?

Use the cd command in the command prompt to navigate to the corresponding folder. Then type the following: del /f file.txt Then press Enter.

What is the

del command used for?

The

del command is used to delete files and directories from the file system. "del" is the abbreviation of "delete". It is executed via a command prompt or PowerShell interface.

How to force delete an open file?

Forcibly deleting files that are opened in Windows can be a bit tricky because Windows usually prevents you from deleting files that are currently being used by your application or operating system. The easiest and probably the safest way is to close the application or restart the computer before trying to delete the file. However, you can try to force delete the file using a command prompt with administrator privileges. Press Windows X and select Command Prompt (Administrator) or Windows PowerShell (Administrator) to open a command prompt with administrator privileges. Use the del command with /f (force) and /q (silent) options to delete the file. For example: del /f /q "C:examplefolderfile.txt" Be careful when using this method as it can lead to data loss!

How to force delete in CMD without prompting?

If you want to force delete a file or directory without receiving a confirmation prompt, you can use the /q (silent mode) option in the del or rmdir command.

Does the

del command permanently delete the file?

Yes, the del command in Windows permanently deletes files in the file system. Once the file is deleted using the del command, the file is not moved to the Recycle Bin or any other type of temporary storage. Instead, it will be deleted immediately and permanently.

What is the difference between the del command and the erase command?

del and erase are essentially the same commands with different names. The erase command is an older command that originated from the MS-DOS operating system, while the del command is a more commonly used and well-known command in modern versions of Windows.

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