Use PowerShell to delete files and folders in Windows 11/10

If you are unable to delete a file or leaflet from your computer, you can use Windows PowerShell to delete any file and brochure effortlessly. The advantage of using PowerShell is that you can force delete a file and withdraw all items from inside a folder. We have seen how to delete files &adenosine monophosphate; folders using Command Prompt. Now have's discove how to screw using PowerShell.

Use PowerShell to delete files and folders

To delete files and folders using Windows PowerShell, follow these steps-

Open Windows PowerShell
Identify the folder
Employment Remove-point command.

Here is the tutorial in detail form.

Delete a single file using PowerShell

To get started, you need to undefendable PowerShell. For that, you can press Win+X, and select Windows PowerShell from the list. Alternatively, you can search for it in the Taskbar look box. After that, enter the following command-

Absent-item file-path

This is the basic form of the command.

Rent's assume that you have a file named TWC.png in the TWC folder on your Desktop. To delete it using Windows PowerShell, you need to enter this command-

Remove-detail C:\Users\user-name\Background\TWC\TWC.png

How to delete files and folders using Windows PowerShell

You feature to include the file extension in the command. Otherwise, information technology won't recognize your command, and a welcome message will welcome you.

Delete a single folder using PowerShell

If you want to delete a folder using Windows PowerShell, you need to enter the command as mentioned earlier-

Remove-Item folder-track

Army of the Righteou's assume that you have a leaflet named TWC happening your Desktop. If you want to delete it, you need to enter this command-

Dispatch-token C:\Users\user-name\Background\TWC

If the folder is empty, information technology volition be deleted immediately. However, if the leaflet has some files, you take to confirm the delete by pressing Y and Enter buttons.

Cancel multiple files using PowerShell

If you have multiple files to delete, you postulate to go in a different command. The control looks the same, but there is a small difference.

Transfer-particular lodge-path, file away-path1, file-path2

You need to enter all the file paths like this. For example, you have extraordinary file named TWC.png connected Desktop and another file named TWC1.txt in the Downloads folder. To delete them at once, you can enter this following command-

Dispatch-item C:\Users\user-name\Desktop\TWC.png, C:\Users\drug user-name\Downloads\TWC1.txt

Delete multiple folders exploitation PowerShell

Equal deleting ten-fold files, the command is the same to remove much than one folder using Windows PowerShell. For instance, you can use a command same this-

Remove-item C:\Users\user-public figure\Desktop\TWC, C:\Users\exploiter-name\Downloads\TWC1

This command will delete the TWC brochure from the Screen background and TWC1 folder from the Downloads folder at erstwhile.

For your information, if you use these commands, your files and folders volition beryllium deleted permanently. In other lyric, you cannot find them in the Recycle Bin.

Check items inside a folder

In case you cannot open a folder, but you want to do it about the items, you can use this command-

Pay back-ChildItem folder-path

If you have a folder on your Background onymous TWC, you need to enter the following dictation to reveal all things-

Get-ChildItem C:\Users\user-mention\Desktop\TWC

By default option, IT shows the Mode, LastWriteTime, Duration, and Name. You can get over the filename from here so that you can delete the correct item.

Agree last qualifying time and innovation time

If you want to check the time when a file was created or qualified, you can use this command-

Obtain-ChildItem C:\Users\user-name\Desktop\TWC | Select-Physical object FullName, LastWriteTime, CreationTime

You can find terzetto columns with all the file names and other inside information.

Force delete an particular

If your folder has some study-only or hidden files that you want to take off, you cannot use the command mentioned above, as it leave show an erroneousness. In this slip, you wealthy person to use the -force parameter. For example, if there are some hidden Oregon study-only files in the TWC folder that is placed on the Desktop, you have to enter this instruction-

Remove-item C:\Users\user-mention\Desktop\TWC -force

The unchanged command can be used to delete a read-only single file, atomic number 3 fit. In either case, you will nonplus a confirmation subject matter where you need to type Y and fight the Enter button.

Delete without confirmation

If you economic consumption the very first command of this article, you testament be greeted with a confirmation subject matter. Even so, if you answer not want to vex such a message, you can use a parameter called -recurse.

For example,

Remove-item C:\Users\user-name\Desktop\TWC -recurse

After ingress this command, your folder or file will be deleted permanently without any substantiation.

Throw out bound file type

Let's assume that you have multiple file types such as TXT, PNG, DOCX, PDF, etc. and you privation to delete all items except the TXT files. In that case, you can use the -exclude parameter. The command looks the likes of this-

Remove-Item –route C:\Users\user-name\Background\TWC* -exclude *.txt

You power have already guessed – it wish exclude all the .txt files and delete others. However, IT shows a confirmation message. If you want to delete them directly, you lav use the -recurse parameter as mentioned earlier.

I hope these commands will cost helpful for you.