Windows PowerShell command on Get-command Remove-Item

NAME

Remove-Item

SYNOPSIS

Deletes files and folders.

SYNTAX

Remove-Item [-Confirm] [-Credential ] [-Exclude ] [-Filter ] [-Force] [-Include

] -LiteralPath [-Recurse] [-Stream ] [-UseTransaction] [-WhatIf]

[]

Remove-Item [-Path] [-Confirm] [-Credential ] [-Exclude ] [-Filter ]

[-Force] [-Include ] [-Recurse] [-Stream ] [-UseTransaction] [-WhatIf] []

Remove-Item [-Stream ] []

DESCRIPTION

The Remove-Item cmdlet deletes one or more items. Because it is supported by many providers, it can delete many

different types of items, including files, folders, registry keys, variables, aliases, and functions.

In file system drives, the Remove-Item cmdlet deletes files and folders.

If you use the Stream dynamic parameter, it deletes the specified alternate data stream, but does not delete the file.

Note: This custom cmdlet help file explains how the Remove-Item cmdlet works in a file system drive. For

information about the Remove-Item cmdlet in all drives, type "Get-Help Remove-Item -Path $null" or see Remove-Item

at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113373.

PARAMETERS

-Stream

Deletes the specified alternate data stream from a file, but does not delete the file. Enter the stream name. Wildcards are supported. This parameter is not valid on folders.

Stream is a dynamic parameter that the FileSystem provider adds to the Remove-Item cmdlet. This parameter

works only in file system drives.

You can use the Remove-Item cmdlet to delete an alternate data stream. However, it is not the recommended way

to eliminate security checks that block files that are downloaded from the Internet. If you verify that a

downloaded file is safe, use the Unblock-File cmdlet.

This parameter is introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0. Required? false Position? named Default value Accept pipeline input? false Accept wildcard characters? false

-Confirm []

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet. Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Credential

Specifies a user account that has permission to perform this action. The default is the current user. Type a user name, such as User01 or Domain01\User01, or enter a PSCredential object, such as one generated by

the Get-Credential cmdlet. If you type a user name, this cmdlet prompts you for a password.

This parameter is not supported by any providers installed with Windows PowerShell. Required? false Position? named Default value None

Accept pipeline input? True (ByPropertyName)

Accept wildcard characters? false

-Exclude

Specifies items that this cmdlet omits. The value of this parameter qualifies the Path parameter. Enter a path

element or pattern, such as *.txt. Wildcard characters are permitted.

Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Filter

Specifies a filter in the format or language of the provider. The value of this parameter qualifies the Path parameter. The syntax of the filter, including the use of wildcard characters, depends on the provider. Filters are more efficient than other parameters, because the provider applies them when it retrieves the objects, instead of having Windows PowerShell filter the objects after they are retrieved. Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Force []

Forces the cmdlet to remove items that cannot otherwise be changed, such as hidden or read-only files or

read-only aliases or variables. The cmdlet cannot remove constant aliases or variables. Implementation varies

from provider to provider. For more information, see about_Providers. Even using the Force parameter, the cmdlet cannot override security restrictions. Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-Include

Specifies items to delete. The value of this parameter qualifies the Path parameter. Enter a path element or

pattern, such as *.txt. Wildcard characters are permitted.

Required? false Position? named Default value None Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-LiteralPath

Specifies a path of the items being removed. Unlike Path , the value of the LiteralPath parameter is used exactly as it is typed. No characters are interpreted as wildcard characters. If the path includes escape characters, enclose it in single quotation marks. Single quotation marks tell Windows PowerShell not to interpret any characters as escape sequences. Required? true Position? named Default value None

Accept pipeline input? True (ByPropertyName)

Accept wildcard characters? false

-Path

Specifies a path of the items being removed. Wildcard characters are permitted. Required? true Position? 0 Default value None

Accept pipeline input? True (ByPropertyName, ByValue)

Accept wildcard characters? false

-Recurse []

Indicates that this cmdlet deletes the items in the specified locations and in all child items of the locations. When it is used with the Include parameter, the Recurse parameter might not delete all subfolders or all child

items. This is a known issue. As a workaround, try piping results of the `Get-ChildItem -Recurse` command to

Remove-Item , as described in Example 4 in this topic.

Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-UseTransaction []

Includes the command in the active transaction. This parameter is valid only when a transaction is in progress. For more information, see Includes the command in the active transaction. This parameter is valid only when a transaction is in progress. For more information, see Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false

-WhatIf []

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run. Required? false Position? named Default value False Accept pipeline input? False Accept wildcard characters? false This cmdlet supports the common parameters: Verbose, Debug, ErrorAction, ErrorVariable, WarningAction, WarningVariable, OutBuffer, PipelineVariable, and OutVariable. For more information, see about_CommonParameters (https:/go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113216).

INPUTS

OUTPUTS

NOTES

You can also refer to Remove-Item by any of its built-in aliases: del , erase , rmdir , rd , ri , or rm *. For

more information, see about_Aliases. Remove-Item * cmdlet is designed to work with the data exposed by any

provider. To list the providers available in your session, type `Get-PsProvider`. For more information, see

about_Providers.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 1 --------------------------

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

FileName: \\C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1

Stream Length

------ ------

Zone.Identifier 26

C:\PS>Remove-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

get-item : Could not open alternate data stream 'Zone.Identifier' of file 'C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1'.

At line:1 char:1

+ get-item 'C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1' -Stream Zone.Identifier

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1:String) [Get-Item], FileNotFoundE

xception + FullyQualifiedErrorId : AlternateDataStreamNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetItemCommand

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1

Directory: C:\Test

Mode LastWriteTime Length Name

---- ------------- ------ ----

-a--- 8/4/2011 11:15 AM 9436 Copy-Script.ps1

Description

-----------

This example shows how to use the Stream dynamic parameter of the Remove-Item cmdlet to delete an alternate data

stream. The stream parameter is introduced in Windows PowerShell 3.0.

The first command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Get-Item cmdlet to get the Zone.Identifier stream of

the Copy-Script.ps1 file.

The second command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Remove-Item cmdlet to remove the Zone.Identifier

stream of the file.

The third command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Get-Item cmdlet to verify that the Zone.Identifier

stream is deleted.

The fourth command Get-Item cmdlet without the Stream parameter to verify that the file is not deleted.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 2 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item C:\Test\.

Description

-----------

This command deletes all of the files with names that include a dot (.) from the C:\Test directory. Because the command specifies a dot, the command does not delete directories or files with no file name extension.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 3 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item * -Include .doc -Exclude 1*

Description

-----------

This command deletes from the current directory all files with a .doc file name extension and a name that does not

include "1". It uses the wildcard character (*) to specify the contents of the current directory. It uses the

Include and Exclude parameters to specify the files to delete.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 4 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item -Path C:\Test\hidden-RO-file.txt -Force

Description

-----------

This command deletes a file that is both hidden and read-only. It uses the Path parameter to specify the file. It

uses the Force parameter to give permission to delete it. Without Force, you cannot delete read-only or hidden

files.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 5 --------------------------

C:\PS>Get-ChildItem * -Include *.csv -Recurse | Remove-Item

Description

-----------

This command deletes all of the CSV files in the current directory and all subdirectories recursively.

Because the Recurse parameter in this cmdlet is faulty, the command uses the Get-Childitem cmdlet to get the

desired files, and it uses the pipeline operator to pass them to the Remove-Item cmdlet.

In the Get-ChildItem command, the Path parameter has a value of *, which represents the contents of the current

directory. It uses the Include parameter to specify the CSV file type, and it uses the Recurse parameter to make the retrieval recursive.

If you try to specify the file type in the path, such as "-path *.csv", the cmdlet interprets the subject of the

search to be a file that has no child items, and Recurse fails.

Remove-Item (generic); http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113373

FileSystem Provider

Clear-Content

Get-Content

Get-ChildItem

Get-Content

Get-Item

Remove-Item

Set-Content

Test-Path