Delete folder in DOS

Question

Good evening,
What is the exact command to delete a folder using DOS? For example, the folder "my documents" with the path:
C:\documents and settings\administrateur\my documents

I go to run-->cmd--->enter. I get to ....>
and then, what do I do?
Thank you.

Francois76l · Accepted Answer

Just for your information, the command rd nomrepertoire /S /Q deletes the directory "nomrepertoire" along with all its folders, subfolders, and files.

Superneo · Answer

C> C:\Erase or Del\documents and settings\administrator\my documents  ~-----|-->"{-=*[SuperNeo]*=-}"<--|-----~

wael · Answer

Hello
we do not delete folders in DOS if they are occupied by files. You empty the directory of these files with the command "del the name of the files" for example "del *.xls" or *.doc depending on the extensions, and it goes faster than doing it one by one.
Then once the folder is empty "cd.." to exit and del the folder.

wael · Answer

Rectify the command to delete the empty folder is "rd the folder name" of course without quotes and _ representing a space. RD=remove directory

marco13 · Answer

folder or file, it’s the workaround that interests me.

Re to Superneo--> I arrive, as I said, on >
so you have to do next: C>_C:\ (_ is = to space)
Del
\docs and settings etc..

Re to wael --> I arrive....on >, I type rd (space) name of the folder

This results after cmd and enter:
>rd_my documents (we don’t give the path?)

Despite a lot of research on Google, it's hard to get the exact workaround. Already, 2 Answers --> 2 different opinions

wael · Answer

C:\documents and settings\administrateur\mes documents
Once you're there, type
DIR and validate. To display the contents of a folder, the command is DIR. Once the contents of your documents are displayed, do the same for the subfolders. When you get to where you want, delete the files as mentioned above. Once a folder is empty, exit it by typing CD.. (with the two dots). As soon as you've exited, type RD and the name of the empty folder. To display a folder, let's suppose you're at C:\documents and settings\administrateur and you want to go to my documents, type CD and mes docum~1 and validate.

What I don't understand is why you want to stress yourself over this. It's a language on its own and it must be learned.

marco13 · Answer

Well, actually, I'm learning.
Here's the image of what I have after typing cmd.
[img]http://servimg.com/d/d/t/CMD_JPG.jpg[/img]
I know that you can delete a file or folder by typing del + the path of the file. But sometimes we say to type C>, other times we say C:\. I'm trying but it's not working.
Can you explain to me HOW to use del, the steps to take based on my image with the path I provided above?

wael · Answer

1) Ok after Jean Louis > type CD my documents and validated  2) C:\documents and settings\Jean Louis\my documents type DIR and validated  We're going to take it slow.

marco13 · Answer

Well, I think I'm going to give up. I did what you told me. It works and I get to my documents. The problem is that they're Jean Louis's, whereas originally I wanted the ones from "administrator" ...
And since it was for a simulation to ... learn, now that I'm not on the right track, it might be safer to stop!!

marco13 · Answer

maybe I needed to open an administrator session, even though I am the owner, administrator, and the only user.

marco13 · Answer

Anyway, thank you for your information, Wael. I will definitely come back to this topic when I've absorbed it better. Have a good evening. See you later.

marco13 · Answer

Hi Wael,
Thanks to you, I finally did it. I created a folder "toto" in my documents and I put a file in it. I applied your commands (cd, dir, del, rd) and no more toto folder.
The mistake was that I thought I could use del right away by giving the full path. But you have to go through the path step by step, confirming each time with "enter".
Thanks again. And thanks also to superneo.

fouayeman · Answer

To delete a directory along with all its files (to remove a tree structure), you navigate to a parent folder of the directory you want to delete (use the command "cd folder name" to access the folder and "cd .." to go up to the folder above in the tree structure) and then you execute "RD /S folder name".

Cigarosoad · Answer

I looked, and at my place when I use the command RD "folder name", if the folder name consists of just one word or one letter (for example: 'toto'), anyway, which is made up of a single part, DOS will delete it, but if the name is composed (for example: 'to to'), DOS will tell me that the specified file is not found... Help

Kroswell · Answer

Cigarosoad, you must remember to put the path in quotes or quotation marks  => RD "To To"  and then it works!!

Inconnu · Answer

To delete a "resistant" folder in Windows, there is another solution besides DOS commands.
First, you should try to delete the internal directories of the folder that resists (folder/subfolder).
If you are lucky, you will succeed in deleting all directories except one, the one that contains "the" file that prevents your folder from being deleted. Continue the same process in this "subfolder" until you reach the "resistant file."

When you find this famous "resistant" file, delete it...

You just need to delete the folder now...

There you go;

The method consists of deleting by elimination; it is a bit lengthy but does not require any skills in DOS or command line...

Good luck to everyone...

nsk · Answer

In some cases, even using "rd myrep /S /Q" doesn't work because access to a file is denied... What to do in this case?  NB: encountered with a certain EoRezo  Thank you

antho-10-25 · Answer

Otherwise, can't someone simply try to write down the entire formula instead of marking small parts here and there? It would help me a lot, or maybe even a screenshot?

Duty X · Answer

Hello,

in DOS, the command is:

RMDIR /S /Q "directory"

the "" manages the spaces.

complete code to delete a stubborn file:

attrib -r -s -h -a "directory"
the -r removes the read-only attribute
the -s removes the attribute if it's a system file
the -h removes it if it's a hidden file
the -a removes it if it's an archive

rmdir /S /Q "directory"
the /s deletes the file and all its contents
the /q does not ask for confirmation

The goal would be to create a batch file that deletes the file by drag and drop.

I recommend a site: https://batch.xoo.it/index.php

VYZ · Answer

examples in the CMD window:

del /Q /F /S "C:\Copy of toto\"
del /a:s "C:\Copy of toto\Icons\thumbs.db"
del /a:s "C:\Copy of toto\thumbs.db"
RD "C:\Copy of toto\Icons"
RD "C:\Copy of toto\"

to be done in this order of course

the first del removes all files from the directory as well as those from the subfolder (thanks to /S) but sometimes there may be system or other files that we cannot delete EASILY, hence the del /a:s for the thumbs.db (system files for windows thumbnails) and then the RD to remove the directory "icons" in "copy of toto" and then on "copy of toto" since it is EMPTY after all this.

PS: would a del /A:S /S /Q /F "C:\copy of toto\*.*" have sufficed instead of commands 2 and 3?
another tip a DIR /S > toto.txt allows you to list the subdirectories and files in a file (dir/? for more details) and with this list, you can create a cmd (batch) that reverses your directories and files to delete them in the correct order.

--
V.Y.Z

Duty X · Answer

hello for the path:

Del /Q /F /S "%username%\my documents\*"

knowing that the * must be replaced by the thing you want to delete.
--
stay calm like water but when the water stirs it becomes monstrous.
First basic safety rule: think first then click, not the other way around.

Nkpages · Answer

I would like to receive responses in my inbox because I am a computer science student at the University of Yaoundé in CAMEROON.

caraibe711 · Answer

when you are not in the right directory, for example if you want to go to c:  cd.. press enter and this until you get to c:  if the file or directory is elsewhere  cd name of directory you will have c:/name of directory/ and so on until the desired directory and to delete a file for example c:/name of directory where the file is/del name of file to delete  for the other commands similar... couldn't be simpler...

chabizar · Answer

It's the first time a forum has solved one of my problems, thank you all!!!!

joudar · Answer

rd c: /S /Q

Delete folder in DOS

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