Currently, there is specialized software for removing unnecessary files from a personal computer. In turn, the Windows operating system also has a built-in application for removing programs, games and other software. But some users do not like the services provided by third-party software and standard OS tools. In this case, it remains to resort to the help of the console, known to users of the Windows operating system as the command line.
Using the built-in console, you can delete a file before the computer is fully loaded. This can come in handy if a malicious folder or document is blocking the startup of the operating system. This material discusses in detail how to delete files through the command line in the Windows OS.
Remove Junk Files with Third Party Software
Today, there are many companies creating specialized software for removing junk files, as well as completely uninstalling installed applications, games and various multimedia programs. Using this kind of software, you, first of all, facilitate the maintenance of your computer and at the same time increase the life of your hard drive. Many users have no idea how to delete files through the command line, and most importantly, is it possible.
Modern junk cleaner applications have many features, from clearing the cache to fixing holes in the computer's security. The leaders among cleaning software companies are Wise, IObit, Auslogics, Priform. With the systematic cleaning of a personal computer from unnecessary files, its performance increases. But with all the advantages of this third-party software, it does not allow you to permanently delete files, folders and programs.
Delete files and applications using standard Windows tools
You can delete folders, files and programs through a special system application. These actions are also performed manually, followed by cleaning the registry of the operating system. The main disadvantage of the procedure is that the remaining path to the file is stored on the computer, located in different directories. That is why specialized software for cleaning a personal computer was developed. junk folderfiles will not interfere with the work, but it will take up a lot of disk space. You can only remove it manually, if you do not resort to using the console.
Deleting files via the command line: nuances
Given all of the above, the question arises: why and how to delete files through the command line, if it's easier to remove them using, for example, CCleaner or the Windows system uninstaller. The answer is simple: it is necessary, first of all, to delete a file without the possibility of its recovery. And also in case of emergency blocking the launch of "Windows" by malicious software.
Before selling a used computer, many users resort to deleting folders and files through the command line, as it ensures that the information will not be restored.
How to delete files via command line
Given the information above, let's proceed directly to deleting information via the command line. In order to carry out this operation, follow the detailed instructions below:
- Press the Win+R keys.
- In the system interpreter window that opens, type cmd command.
- In the console that opens, write the command DEL /F /S /Q /A "Full path of the element with extension".
- Example: DEL /F /S /Q /A "C:\Games\COD2.exe", where the folder is games, COD2.exe is the name of the file withits extension (exe).
- Confirm the action by pressing the "Enter" key.
Thus, you can clear any folder from unnecessary txt files using the command line. Next, we will look at how to delete all files located in a folder along with it.
Deleting files with and without confirmation: command line to help
You can delete not only one file, but also the entire contents of disks, including directories and their subfolders. It is required to confirm or reject actions with keys called Y - yes / N - no, in order to delete all files in the main directory and the folder tree nested in it. Follow the guide below to perform a full uninstall using the console:
- Type the following command into the command line to confirm deletion of all files: DEL /F /S /Q /A "Full path to folder\".
- To delete files, use the command: DEL /F /S /Q /A "D:\to recycle bin\", where D:\ is a drive (it may be different for you), "to recycle bin" - the destination of the file or folder to be deleted.
- To delete a confirmation file, add /P, in which case the command will look like this: DEL /P /F /S /A "D:\course\", where "course" is the file name.
- You can delete all files of the same extension from a folder, to execute, write the command DEL /F /S /Q /A "Full path to the folder\extension", where "extension" is the file type (for example, exe.)
Referring to the above instructions, it is clear that using the command line, you can quickly and efficiently delete files from your computer. With sufficient skill, such operations are carried out in a matter of seconds.
Conclusion
Thus, from this article you could learn how to delete files through the command line while applying various data cleaning methods. Also in this material, other methods were considered for removing system debris and files from a PC using third-party software and standard Windows tools. If something doesn't work the first time, try repeating the above steps.
