You might often find unwanted or unnecessary files and folders on your PC that you would want to get rid of. Deleting these files or folders helps to make an extra space on your PC which is always a good thing. In this post meant beginners, we will show you the different ways to delete files and folders in Windows 11/10, permanently or temporarily, by means of keyboard shortcuts, File Explorer, PowerShell, Command Prompt, specialized software, etc. Show
How to delete Files and Folders in Windows 11/10There are various ways by which you can delete Files and Folders, permanently or temporarily, in Windows 11/10:
Let us look at all of them in detail. 1] Using Context Menu – Right-clicking on the File or FolderWindows 11When you right-click on any file or folder that you want to carry out a Cut, Copy, Paste, Rename, Delete, Share, you will now no longer see any options mentioned in text. What you will instead see are icons displayed on the top (or bottom) of the context menu as shown in the image above. These icons stand for:
You have to click on the Bin icon to delete the file or folder.. Windows 10
To delete using the Context Menu, select the file(s) or the folder(s) you wish to get rid of. Right-click on it and press the ‘Delete’ option from the pop-up window that opens. The selected items are sent to the Recycle Bin as they are temporarily deleted and can be recovered if required. Deleting a folder consisting of other files or folders will delete all that is inside that folder, so make sure you check properly before doing so. 2] Using Keyboard Shortcut – Delete keyWhile you are on your Desktop or File Explorer, select the items you want to delete and press the ‘Delete’ key or ‘Ctrl+D’ on the keyboard. This will temporarily delete the selected file(s) or folder(s) and will be moved to the Recycle Bin. However, these deleted files can be restored from the Recycle Bin. To select all files in a folder, select ‘CTRL+A’. 3] Using Keyboard Shortcut – Shift+Delete keyTo delete files or folders without sending them to the Recycle Bin, select the items and press ‘Shift+Delete’ on the keyboard. This will permanently delete the selected files. In such a case, these deleted files can only be recovered or restored using specialized software like Recuva. TIP: Add Permanently Delete to Context Menu to Windows 4] Drag & Drop to Recycle BinThis is a simple method of deleting the file(s) or folder(s). All you have to do is select the file, and drag and drop it to the Recycle Bin. 5] Using File Explorer RibbonThis method will teach you how to temporarily or permanently delete file(s) or folder(s) using the Home Menu from the File Explorer Ribbon. To begin with, open File Explorer (Win+E) and navigate to the location of the files to be deleted. Tap or select the files you wish to get rid of and then. In Windows 11 click on the BIn icon to delete the file or folder. In Windows 10, click on the ‘Home’ tab in the Ribbon above. Further, press ‘Delete’ from the ‘Home’ tab, and you will see that a drop-down menu will open. Press ‘Recycle’ to temporarily delete the file, which will be moved to the Recycle Bin. To permanently delete the files, select the ‘Permanently delete’ option. A confirmation dialog box will appear asking if you are sure about permanently deleting this file. Click on ‘Yes’ to proceed. 6] Using PowerShellIf you are unable to delete a file or folder from your computer, you can use Windows PowerShell to delete any file and folder effortlessly. The advantage of using PowerShell is that you can force delete a file and remove all items from inside a folder. 7] Using Command PromptYou can also delete files & folders using Command Prompt. using the DEL or RD commands. 8] Permanently Delete Files Using Specialized SoftwareThere are specialized software that permanently delete unwanted files from your Windows 10 PC which cannot be recovered by any file recovery tools. Some of these data erasing apps are Eraser, WipeFile, Freeraser, File Shredder, Alternate File Shredder, and more. You usually have to download and install these apps to use them. These apps permanently delete all the selected files and folders and cannot really be recovered by any specialized recovery tools. How do you permanently delete a file on Windows 10?You can skip the Recycle Bin by selecting a file and clicking Shift + Delete (holding down the Shift key and then pressing the Delete key).. Click on the file once to highlight it. ... . Hold down the Shift key and press the Delete key.. Why I Cannot delete a file in Windows 10?It's most likely because another program is currently trying to use the file. This can occur even if you don't see any programs running. When a file is open by another app or process, Windows 11/10 puts the file into a locked state, and you can't delete, modify, or move it to another location.
How do I delete a file that won't delete?If a file won't delete, selecting it and pressing Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut is another way to erase the data permanently.
How do I completely delete files?To permanently delete a file:
Press and hold the Shift key, then press the Delete key on your keyboard.
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