Remove files from folders

In the Command Prompt window that opens, type the following command replacing PATH with the full path to the folder you want to delete. With the del command, you can use your creativity to delete your files in various ways. For example, you can remove certain types of files, remove only the files that have a certain word in their names, and so on.

For example, to delete all the PNG files in your current folder in Command Prompt, you can use the following command:. Another creative use of the del command is to delete files that contain a certain word in their names. On a related note, did you know you can make Windows skip the Recycle Bin while deleting files? Use Google Fonts in Word. Use FaceTime on Android Signal vs. Customize the Taskbar in Windows What Is svchost. 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. Best iPad Air Cases. Awesome PC Accessories.

Best Linux Laptops. Best Wireless iPhone Earbuds. When you delete a file, it's not gone. It first goes to the Recycle Bin, waiting for you to take more permanent action. Check the Recycle Bin box and anything else you want to get rid of , then select Remove files.

Deleting old photos, documents and spreadsheets is just the beginning. This 5-minute tech fix will help you speed up your PC. Temporary files are created to help apps or processes go off without a hitch — or to help with transferring data and other processes.

Over time, they can take up a lot of space. Select what you want to delete and hit Remove files. Sick of paying for expensive software? Tap or click for 9 free copycats that are just as good as the originals.

Hibernate does the same thing, but it saves these things to your hard drive instead of using your system's memory. You can disable hibernate if you don't use it. Here's how:. Type the following command to disable hibernation: powercfg. Tap or click for 3 quick settings to change to keep the tech giant from watching what you are typing, hearing what you say and seeing what you watch. Microsoft Windows users can delete an unwanted file or folder directory from a hard drive or external disk drive using many different methods.

Below are the more common methods for deleting a file or folder in Microsoft Windows. If you want to delete a hidden file in Windows, you first need to set hidden files to be visible. See: How do I view hidden files and folders in Windows? Users not familiar with Windows should realize that if you delete a folder or directory, all files and folders in that folder or directory are deleted. The steps below are for deleting a single file or folder.

However, the user can use the same steps to delete multiple files or folders. For help with selecting multiple files, see: How to select or highlight multiple files and folders. Locate the item you want to delete, highlight it by left-clicking the file or folder with your mouse once, and press the Delete key.

You can browse the location of the file or folder using My Computer or Windows Explorer. You can delete multiple files or folders by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking each file or folder before pressing Delete. You can hold down the Shift key while pressing the Delete key to prevent files from going to the Recycle Bin when deleted. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer.

We recommend you make sure the directory or folder is empty before proceeding, unless you intend to delete everything in it. Locate the file or folder you want to delete and right-click it.

Choose the Delete option from the pop-up menu. The local disk contains files and folders that are imperative for your computer to run correctly. Unless you know what you are deleting, please do not delete any files from this section. On the left side of the screen, click This PC.

On the right side of the screen, locate and double-click the local disk usually C: or D:. Double-click the folder containing the file you want to delete. Select the file or folder you want to delete, click File in the top menu bar, and select Delete. On the right side of the screen, locate and double-click the drive, which is labeled as USB, flash drive, external hard drive, or the manufacturer's name.

Locate and select the file or folder you want to delete, click File in the top menu bar, and select Delete. If the File menu is not visible in My Computer or Windows Explorer, press the Alt key to make the menu bar visible, including the file menu.

Some documents and folders may be protected from deletion through encryption or password protection. In this case, you may be asked for a password to decrypt or remove the password protection. A file may be set as read-only , meaning the user can only open it for viewing and not modify or delete it. When trying to delete a read-only file, you get a message stating the file is write-protected and cannot be deleted.

You need to modify or write permissions to delete the file. Some files may only be deleted with administrator permissions. To delete these files, you would need to have administrator rights on the computer. If you are using a work computer, the technical support staff often are the only users with administrator rights on the computer.

Another possible cause of problems with deleting a file or folder is a virus or malware infection. Viruses and malware can prevent files or folders from being modified or deleted. If this is the case, you need to remove the virus or malware infection to delete the affected file or folder.