How to Delete Large Files Command Line Windows 10?

Need to delete large files Windows 10

"I have a folder, and it has about 35,000 files in it, totaling about 90GB. I just want them unlisted so I can overwrite the space with more files. Is there any way for me to delete them all, permanently, and quickly? Can I delete large files command line Windows 10? Please help!"

It's inevitable to produce several large files on your Windows 10 computer during the use process. Then, you will receive a low disk space warning when your disk is running out of available storage space. Thus, you may want to do the disk cleanup to get much more free space. Apart from moving apps/folders to a different drive or removing temporary files, deleting large files is also an effective way to free up space.

However, the operation to delete large files Windows 10 is not as easy as the action to delete a single text on the desktop. For example, you may easily fail to delete large files from your Windows 10 computer using the traditional deletion method (drag to Recycle Bin or right-click to delete), or you might find removing large files using File Explorer takes forever.

To this end, using Command Prompt to delete large files on Windows 10 can make a big difference. This can help you delete all types of large files including, but not limited to, pictures, videos, music, and documents.

How to delete large files command line Windows 10?

In this part, we will come to the most important part: How to delete large files on Windows 10 using the command line. If you follow the below steps, you will notice that the deletion process runs much faster.

✉ Warning: Inputting a wrong path will lead to the loss of files in the wrong location, and the operation is irreversible. Thus, please make sure you have typed the correct command line throughout the whole process. 

Step 1. Type Command Prompt on the search bar, right-click the result, and select the Run as administrator option.

Step 2. Navigate to the file or folder that you want to delete (with all its files and subfolders) and copy the path from the top.

Step 3. Input cd path to locate the file you want to delete in Command Prompt, e.g. cd C:\Users\New folder.

Step 3. Type del /f/q/s *.* > nul command to delete all the files in that folder and press "Enter".

✍ The parameters of del /f/q/s *.* > nul command:
del -- is the command line for deleting files.
/f -- forces the deletion of read-only files.
/q -- enables quiet mode. You are not asked if it is ok to delete files (if you don't use this, you are asked for any file in the folder, which can be time-consuming and therefore counter-productive).
/s -- runs the command on all files in any folder under the selected structure.
*.* -- delete all files.
> nul -- disables console output. This improves the process further, shaving off about one-quarter of the processing time off of the console command.

Step 4. Type cd.. to go back to one level in the folder path and press "Enter".

Step 5. Type rmdir /q/s foldername command to delete the folder and all its subfolders and press Enter.

✍ The parameters of rmdir /q/s foldername command:
rmdir -- is the command for removing directories.
/q -- Quiet mode, won't prompt for confirmation to delete folders.
/s -- Run the operation on all folders of the selected path.
foldername -- The absolute path or relative folder name, e.g. o:/backup/test1 or test1

An easier way to delete large files in Windows 11/10/8/7

If you don't think you know much about the command line, I recommend you use an easier and safer way to delete large files Windows 10. That is to employ a third-party file deleting tool named AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This software is compatible with all editions of Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista, thus, you can not only use it to delete large files on Windows 10 but also on other Windows systems.

With the graphic interface, AOMEI software ensures you know your disks clearly and exactly. Its "Delete Large Files" feature is friendly to users, showing some promising merits:

It can scan files that are larger than 16MB automatically, list, and allow you to delete about 1,000 files at once.

To protect your Windows, it avoids scanning important system large files.

It will mark some files not recommended to delete in red to prevent you from deleting them because you don’t know what they are.

In case of any wrong deletion, it will ask you to tick the files by yourself and to confirm the operation again before committing.

Now, download the demo version and have a look at how to delete large files Windows 10/11/8/7/XP/Vista:

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and then click "Free up" and "Delete Large Files".

Step 2. In the pop-up window, select the partitions that you want to find and delete large files, click "Start Scan" to scan for files larger than 16MB.

Step 3. When the scan is complete, all large files found are listed. Tick the files you want to delete, and then click the "Delete" button.

Step 4. The next window will ask you to confirm the files you have just ticked for deleting. If it’s correct, click “Delete Now” to begin the deletion process.

Step 5. Just for a while, the large files will be deleted successfully, and then you will see a warm notification suggesting you clean up your PC regularly.

Futher reading: How do I delete files that won't delete Windows 10?

Sometimes, you may fail to directly delete some files that are protected, corrupted, or infected by viruses. To prevent destroying other files on the same hard drive, you need a secure file shredder to help you. In such a case, AOMEI software is a good helper:

Step 1. Open this powerful disk manager, click "Wipe" and "Shred Files".

Step 2. Click "Add Files" or "Add Folders" and choose the shredding method.

Step 3. Select "Shred" and "Yes" to begin force deleting the ticked files or folders.

Conclusion

To conclude, this passage has shown you how to delete large files command line Windows 10 step by step. If you are not confident in handling with command line well, you are encouraged to resort to the best alternative - using a third-party file deletion program.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional not only works on freeing up space by solving how to delete large files on Windows 10 but also is available to speed up computer performance by upgrading to SSD without restarting, allocating free space from D drive to C drive, recover lost data, migrating OS to SSD without reinstalling, etc.