How to Force Delete a File or Folder in Windows 11

Every day we work with numerous files or folders in Windows 11 and the moment comes when they will not be more useful or necessary, but at the time of eliminating them in the traditional way (by selecting the file and pressing the Delete key or by right-clicking on it and selecting Delete ), but due to some internal errors the file is not deleted.

We use our PCs for many things, but the reality is that one of the main functions is the storage of information in different formats. That is why generally with the passage of time the content that we are storing on our PC is usually quite heavy. There are some ways to force the delete a file/folder in Windows 11 and We will show you in detail.

Ways to Force Delete a File or Folder in Windows 11

1.  Force delete file in Windows 11 from CMD

First of all, we will see how to delete a file, to achieve this we open CMD as administrators.

It is possible to use the Shift key + right-click to copy the file path.

Now we execute the following syntax:

DEL / F / Q / A "file path"

By pressing Enter the file will be deleted.

2. Force delete folder in Windows 11 from CMD

Now it is time to force the deletion of a folder, we see the folder to delete.

There we will use the Shift key + right-click to copy the folder path.

In the CMD console as administrators, we execute the following syntax:

RD / S / Q "folder path"

We validate that the folder has been deleted.

3. Force delete file or folder in Windows 11 via WinRAR

This is a non-traditional but effective method to delete files and folders, you have to download the WinRAR.

We select the files to delete, right-click on them and go to “More options – Add to file”.

Activate the “Delete files after compression” box.

We apply the changes and the files will have been deleted.

Finally, we delete the compressed file.