Del command in Windows

The del command deletes one or more files. This command is the same as the eraser command .

For an example of how to use this command, please see the Example below.

Syntax del command

 del [/p] [/f] [/s] [/q] [/a[:]] erase [/p] [/f] [/s] [/q] [/a[:]] 

Parameters

ParametersDescription Specifies a list of one or more files or directories. Wildcards can be used to delete multiple files. If a folder is specified, all files in the folder will be deleted. / p Confirmation prompt before deleting the specified file. / f Force deleting read-only files (read only). / s Delete specific files from the current directory and all subdirectories. Displays the names of files when they are being deleted. / q Specifies the silent mode. You are not prompted to confirm deletion. / a [:] Delete files based on the following file attributes:
r - File read-only
h - File hidden
i - Not content indexed files
s - File system
a - File is ready for archiving
l - Reparse point
- Prefix means 'no' /? Show help at the command prompt.

Note

Careful:

1. If you use the del command to delete a file from the drive, you cannot do this.
2. If you use / p, the del command will display the name of a file and send the following message:

 `FileName, Delete (Y/N)?` To confirm the deletion, press Y. To cancel the deletion and display the next file name (that is, if you specified a group of files), press N. To stop the **del** command, press CTRL+C. 

1. If you have the command extension, / s will display the name of any file that is not found, instead of displaying the name of the file being deleted (ie the behavior is reversed).
2. If you specify a folder in Names, all files in the folder will be deleted. For example, the following command deletes all files in the Work folder :

 del work 

1. You can use wildcards ( * and ? ) To delete multiple files at once. However, to avoid deleting files unconsciously, you should be cautious when using wildcards with the del command. For example, if you type the following command:

 del *.* 

The del command will display the following prompt:

 Are you sure (Y/N)? 

To delete all files in the current directory, press Y and then press ENTER. To cancel deleting, press N and then press ENTER.

Note:

1. Before you can use wildcards with the del command , use the same wildcard with the dir command to list all files that will be deleted.
2. Del command , with different parameters, is available from Recovery Console.

For example

To delete all files in a folder named Test on drive C , enter one of the following options:

 del c:test del c:test*.* 

To delete all .bat files from the current directory, enter:

 del *.bak 

To delete all read-only files in the current directory, enter:

 del /a:r *.* 

See more:

1. Compact command in Windows
2. The convert in Windows command
3. Comp command in Windows