The rm -rf command in Linux is used to force the deletion of folders and their contents recursively.
The rmdir command is a Windows rm equivalent in a Windows command prompt (CMD), that also can be used to force the folders deletion with all their contents.
In this note i will show how to force the rmdir command to delete folders and their contents recursively without throwing any errors like “The directory is not empty” or “Access is denied“.
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Grep Command in Windows
If you try to delete a non-empty folder from the Windows command prompt (CMD) you will get the error as follows:
The directory is not empty.
To force the rmdir command to delete this folder, execute it as follows:
C:\> rmdir /s /q <folder>
The rmdir command parameters used to force the deletion:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
/s |
Delete the folder with all the sub-folders and files in it. |
/q |
Don’t prompt for a confirmation. |
If while trying to delete a folder you are getting the “Access is denied“, launch the CMD as an administrator, for this press the ⊞ Win keybutton to open the “Start” menu, type in cmd to search for the Windows command prompt and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
Cool Tip: Delete a file or a folder that is open in another program! Read more →