Delete folder in windows cmd

You can also make another tweak to the command so that it is executed silently and you will not be prompted for confirmation. Here is how:. Similar to Del and Erase, rmdir and rd are also aliases for one another, which means to remove directory. These commands are used to remove the entire directory and subdirectories recursively including their contents.

Use the command below to do so:. If a folder has subdirectories, you might get the following prompt:. In this case, we will need to apply the option for recursive deletion of items as we have done earlier with the Del command. Up until now, we have completed the task of deleting single items per command. Here is a before and after comparison of the directory where both of the above commands were executed:.

However, Microsoft has removed the support for the use of asterisks with rmdir so that users do not accidentally remove entire folders. We are working on removing content within the current working directory. However, you can also use the commands we have discussed till now to remove files and folders from any directory within your computer.

Simply put the complete path of the item you want to delete in enclosed parenthesis, and it shall be removed, as in the example below:. We have already discussed that you can view the contents of the working directory by typing in Dir in Command Prompt. If it will not, the action would not be taken. The commands in Windows PowerShell to delete and remove content from your PC are very much similar to those of Command Prompt, with a few additional aliases.

The overall functionality and logic are the same. We recommend that you launch Windows PowerShell with administrative privileges before proceeding. Now that Command Prompt is open, use cd to change directories to where your files are. I've prepared a directory on the desktop called Test Folder.

Note: Any files deleted with the del command cannot be recovered. Be very careful where and how you use this command. Also, bonus tip — Command Prompt has basic autocompletion.

So you could just type in del test , press the tab key, and Command Prompt will change it to del "Test File. Sometimes files are marked as read only, and you'll see the following error when you try to use the del command:. Both commands work the same way, but let's stick with rmdir since it's a bit more expressive. Also, I'll use the terms directory and folder interchangeably for the rest of the tutorial.

Note: Any directories deleted with the rmdir command cannot be recovered. Then you can type del filename. You should replace the filename with the exact file name and file extension of the deleting file, e.

If the file name has spaces, you should put the file name into quotations. Using CMD to delete a file or folder will permanently delete the file. Read More. Best Smartwatches. Best Gaming Laptops.

Best Smart Displays. Best Home Security Systems. Best External Solid State Drives. Best Portable Chargers. Best Phone Chargers. Best Wi-Fi Range Extenders. Best Oculus Quest 2 Accessories. Awesome PC Accessories. Best Linux Laptops. Best Wireless iPhone Earbuds. Best Bluetooth Trackers. Best eReaders. Best VPN. Browse All News Articles. Baby Shark YouTube.