PowerShell Remove-Item

last modified February 15, 2025

In this article, we will cover the Remove-Item cmdlet in PowerShell. This cmdlet deletes files, folders, registry keys, and other items from various providers.

Remove-Item basics

The Remove-Item cmdlet deletes one or more items from a PowerShell provider location. It works with the file system, registry, certificate store, and other providers. The cmdlet can delete files, directories, registry keys, and variables. It supports wildcards for pattern matching and has safety features.

Basic Remove-Item usage

The simplest way to use Remove-Item is to specify a file path. This permanently deletes the specified file. The cmdlet does not ask for confirmation by default. Be careful as deleted files don’t go to the Recycle Bin.

remove1.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp\oldfile.txt”

This command deletes the file “oldfile.txt” from the C:\temp directory. If the file doesn’t exist, PowerShell will display an error message.

Deleting a directory

To delete a directory, specify the directory path. By default, the cmdlet only removes empty directories. Use the -Recurse parameter to delete directories with content. This is a powerful operation that should be used carefully.

remove2.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp\oldfolder” -Recurse

This command deletes the “oldfolder” directory and all its contents. The -Recurse parameter enables deletion of non-empty directories.

Using wildcards for pattern matching

The Remove-Item cmdlet supports wildcards for pattern matching. The asterisk (*) matches any characters, while the question mark (?) matches a single character. This allows batch deletion of files matching a pattern.

remove3.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp*.bak”

This command deletes all files with the .bak extension in C:\temp. The wildcard (*) matches any filename before the extension.

Using the -WhatIf parameter

The -WhatIf parameter shows what would happen without actually deleting anything. This is useful for testing commands before execution. It helps prevent accidental deletions by showing the impact of the command.

remove4.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp*” -Recurse -WhatIf

This command shows what would be deleted if the command ran without -WhatIf. The output lists all files and folders that would be removed.

Using -Confirm for interactive deletion

The -Confirm parameter prompts for confirmation before each deletion. This adds a safety layer when deleting important files. PowerShell shows each item and asks for confirmation before proceeding.

remove5.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp\important.txt” -Confirm

This command prompts for confirmation before deleting important.txt. You must respond with “Y” or “A” to proceed with the deletion.

Deleting read-only files

By default, Remove-Item won’t delete read-only files. Use the -Force parameter to override this behavior. This parameter also suppresses confirmation prompts and can delete hidden files.

remove6.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “C:\temp\readonly.txt” -Force

This command forcefully deletes readonly.txt regardless of its read-only attribute. Use -Force carefully as it bypasses protections.

Deleting registry keys

Remove-Item can delete registry keys when working with the registry provider. Specify the full registry path and use -Recurse for keys with subkeys. Always back up the registry before making changes.

remove7.ps1

Remove-Item -Path “HKLM:\Software\MyOldApp” -Recurse

This command deletes the MyOldApp registry key and all its subkeys. Registry operations require elevated privileges (Run as Administrator).

Source

PowerShell documentation

In this article, we have covered the Remove-Item cmdlet in PowerShell.

Author

My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.

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