How to delete files in MS-DOS without a prompt

Updated: 05/21/2018 by Computer Hope
Delete file

By default, MS-DOS and the Microsoft Windows command line will not prompt a user or give a user a prompt or warning when deleting files on a computer using the del command. However, when attempting to delete a directory using the del, deltree, or rmdir command, ensure that it isn't empty or you will receive a warning or error.

Note

When deleting anything from MS-DOS or the Windows command line, it is not sent to the Recycle Bin.

Deltree command

To suppress prompting, use the deltree command with /y, as shown in the example below that deletes all files in the Windows temp directory.

deltree c:\windows\temp\*.* /y
Note

The above command does not work in all versions of Windows and MS-DOS.

If this command does not work, we would recommend you create a batch file with the following command in the batch file.

echo y | del %1\*.*

Once created, type the name of the batch file and then the name of the directory you want to delete.

Rd and rmdir command

Users who want to delete a directory containing files in a Windows command line version 2000 or later can also use the rmdir or rd command with the /S option.

Erase command

If you're running a later version of Microsoft Windows and using the Windows command line, use the erase command to delete files without a prompt as an alternative.