How to delete a file on Windows 10?

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How to delete a file on Windows 10

Deleting files on your Windows 10 computer is a common task that you’ll likely need to do regularly. Whether you want to free up disk space, remove unnecessary files, or ensure your privacy by permanently deleting sensitive documents, knowing how to delete files in Windows 10 is an important skill.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through the various ways to delete files on Windows 10. We’ll cover how to:

  • Delete files permanently so they can’t be recovered
  • Delete files so they go to the Recycle Bin where you can restore them if needed
  • Delete specific types of files like desktop shortcuts, downloads, and photos
  • Delete files using File Explorer
  • Delete files from the command line

Follow along below and you’ll master file deletion in Windows 10. Let’s start with the basics!

How Does Deleting Files Work in Windows 10?

Before we dive into the specifics of deleting files, let’s look at how Windows handles deleted files behind the scenes. This will help you better understand the deletion process.

When you delete a file in Windows 10, one of two things will happen:

  1. The file is permanently deleted from your hard drive.
  2. The file is sent to the Recycle Bin.

By default, most files you delete in Windows are sent to the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin acts like a staging ground where deleted files are stored until you permanently remove them.

This allows you to restore deleted files if you realize you made a mistake or accidentally deleted something important. As long as the file is still in the Recycle Bin, you can restore it to its original location.

However, certain files like desktop shortcuts are deleted permanently right away. We’ll cover how to control whether files go to the Recycle Bin or are permanently deleted later on.

Emptying the Recycle Bin

The Recycle Bin stores all your recently deleted files, but it doesn’t keep them forever. Any files in the Recycle Bin will be permanently deleted in the following situations:

  • You manually empty the Recycle Bin – This permanently deletes all files stored in the Recycle Bin.
  • The Recycle Bin reaches maximum size – By default, the Recycle Bin can hold up to 10% of your hard drive space. Once that limit is reached, any new files you delete will cause the oldest files in the Recycle Bin to be permanently removed.
  • You restart your computer – The Recycle Bin is cleared after every restart, so any files stored there are permanently deleted.

Therefore, if you want to ensure a file is permanently deleted, you’ll need to empty the Recycle Bin. We’ll show you how to do this later on.

Methods for Deleting Files in Windows 10

Now that you understand the basics of how file deletion works, let’s go over the main methods you can use to delete files in Windows 10.

Using File Explorer

The most straightforward way to delete files is directly within File Explorer:

  1. Open File Explorer by clicking the folder icon in your taskbar or pressing Windows + E.
  2. Navigate to the folder containing the file(s) you want to delete.
  3. Select the files by clicking on them.
  4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

This will immediately send the selected files to the Recycle Bin (unless you’ve changed your default deletion settings).

Right-click Delete

You can also delete files by right-clicking them and selecting Delete:

  1. Browse to the file in File Explorer.
  2. Right-click on the file.
  3. Click Delete in the right-click menu.

Again, this sends the file to the Recycle Bin. The right-click menu also gives you the option to permanently delete the file, if desired.

Dragging Files to the Recycle Bin

For individual files, you can simply drag them directly to the Recycle Bin desktop icon to delete them:

  1. Browse to the file in File Explorer.
  2. Click and drag the file onto the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop or taskbar.

This provides a quick shortcut to deleting a single file without opening the Recycle Bin.

Shift + Delete

When deleting files in File Explorer, you can use the Shift + Delete keyboard shortcut to permanently delete files so they bypass the Recycle Bin. Just select your files and press Shift + Delete. This will delete the files immediately without sending them to the Recycle Bin.

Delete from the Command Line

You can also delete files from the command line using some simple commands:

  • del – Delete one or more specified files. For example, del file.txt will delete the file.txt file.
  • erase – Similar to del, but will delete read-only files as well.
  • rmdir – Delete a folder and all its contents.
  • rd – Same as rmdir.

Open the Command Prompt and use these commands to delete files and folders without a graphical interface.

Permanently Deleting Files

As we covered earlier, files deleted through the normal methods in Windows 10 get sent to the Recycle Bin. But sometimes you want to skip the Recycle Bin entirely and permanently erase files.

Here are a few ways to delete files so they are completely erased and unable to be recovered:

Empty the Recycle Bin

If a file is already in the Recycle Bin, you can permanently delete it by emptying the Recycle Bin:

  1. Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking the icon on your desktop or taskbar.
  2. With all files selected, click Empty Recycle Bin at the top of the window.
  3. Click Yes on the confirmation prompt to permanently delete all items.

Shift + Delete

As mentioned earlier, pressing Shift + Delete when deleting files will bypass the Recycle Bin and permanently delete them.

Delete from Command Prompt

Using the del or erase commands in the Command Prompt will delete files immediately without sending them to the Recycle Bin.

File Shredder Software

You can also use third-party file shredder software to completely overwrite and erase files making them unrecoverable. Some popular file shredder tools include:

  • Eraser
  • Softpedia File Shredder
  • BitRaser

These tools use multiple overwrite passes to ensure the files are erased beyond recovery.

Deleting Specific Types of Files

When deleting files in Windows 10, you may come across certain types of files that behave differently or require specific steps. Let’s look at how to handle deleting some common file types.

Shortcut Files

Deleting shortcut (.lnk) files will immediately and permanently delete them without sending them to the Recycle Bin. This applies to shortcuts on your desktop, Start menu, or anywhere else in File Explorer.

To delete a shortcut, just right-click on it and select Delete. Or select the shortcut and press Delete on your keyboard. The linked file itself will not be deleted.

Downloads Folder

Your Downloads folder contains all the files you’ve downloaded from the web. To delete downloads:

  1. Open File Explorer and navigate to This PC > Downloads.
  2. Select the downloads you want to delete.
  3. Press Delete to send them to the Recycle Bin.

You can also right-click specific downloads and select Delete.

Photos

To delete photos stored in your Pictures folder:

  1. Go to This PC > Pictures.
  2. Select the photos want to delete.
  3. Press Delete to move them to the Recycle Bin.

If you use a photo organizer like Google Photos, deleting photos there will also remove them from your Windows folders through syncing.

Large Files & Folders

When deleting very large files or folders, the deletion process can take much longer than normal. Windows may appear to freeze as it deletes hundreds or thousands of files.

Be patient and let the process complete – forcing it to stop could lead to corrupted data. Deleting terabytes of data can take hours in some cases.

Delete Protected System Files

Some Windows system files are protected and can’t be deleted through the normal methods. If you need to delete protected system files:

  1. Open File Explorer and click View > Options > Change folder and search options.
  2. Click the View tab and enable Show protected operating system files.
  3. Navigate to the protected system file you want to delete.
  4. Right-click, select Properties, and uncheck Read-only if it’s checked.
  5. Click OK, right-click the file again and select Delete.

This will bypass the protection and allow you to delete system files, so only do it if absolutely necessary.

Delete File Explorer History

File Explorer keeps track of your recent locations for quick access. To delete your File Explorer browsing history:

  1. Click View > Options > Change folder and search options.
  2. Click the General tab and under Privacy, click Clear under Clear File Explorer history.
  3. Check the boxes for types of locations you want to clear.
  4. Click OK.

This will reset your File Explorer back to default settings without any recent locations.

Troubleshooting File Deletion

In some cases, you may have trouble deleting files if Windows gives you an error message. Here are some potential solutions:

File in Use

If a program has a file open, Windows can’t delete it. Close any programs using that file and try deleting again.

Access Denied

You may lack permissions to delete certain system files or folders. Enable hidden items and take ownership to remove access restrictions.

Recycle Bin is Corrupt

If your Recycle Bin becomes corrupted, files won’t delete properly. Restarting Explorer or performing a scan can fix it.

Keyboard Shortcut Not Working

If your delete keyboard shortcut isn’t working, make sure Sticky Keys are disabled in your Ease of Access settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I show hidden files?

To show hidden files, open File Explorer, click View > Options > Change folder and search options, click the View tab, and enable Show hidden files, folders, and drives. Click OK to apply.

How do I delete corrupted files?

To delete corrupted files, run a Check Disk scan by right-clicking the drive, selecting Properties > Tools > Check. Check Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors. Click Start. This finds and removes corrupted files.

How do I delete system32 files?

You should avoid deleting files in the Windows\System32 folder since they are vital system files. But if absolutely needed, enable showing protected files, uncheck Read-only on the specific file, take ownership, and then delete.

Can you recover permanently deleted files?

It’s very difficult to recover files deleted permanently using Shift + Delete or from the Command Prompt. Some advanced data recovery software offers limited recovery of permanently deleted files if sectors haven’t been overwritten.

How do I remove Write protection from a USB drive?

To remove write protection from a USB drive, open File Explorer, right-click on the removable drive, select Properties > General > Remove the Read-only attribute > Apply.

Conclusion

That covers the full set of methods to effectively delete files in Windows 10. To recap, you can delete files directly in File Explorer, use keyboard shortcuts like Delete or Shift + Delete, empty the Recycle Bin, or use Command Prompt commands.

Special cases like protected system files or specific folders like Downloads may require extra steps. And make sure to completely erase sensitive files for privacy when necessary.

Following the instructions in this guide, you should now be a pro at deleting files safely and securely on your Windows 10 machine.