Batch file to delete files older than N days

I am looking for a way to delete all files older than 7 days in a batch file. I've searched around the web, and found some examples with hundreds of lines of code, and others that required installing extra command line utilities to accomplish the task.

Similar things can be [done in BASH][1] in just a couple lines of code. It seems that something at least remotely easy could be done for batch files in Windows. I'm looking for a solution that works in a standard Windows command prompt, without any extra utilities. Please no PowerShell or Cygwin either.

[1]:

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You might be able to pull this off. You can take a look at [this question][1], for a simpler example. The complexity comes, when you start comparing the dates. It may be easy to tell if the date is greater or not, but there are many situations to consider if you need to actually get the difference between two dates.

In other words - don't try to invent this, unless you really can't use the third party tools.

[1]:

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Have a look at my [answer][1] to a [similar question][2]:

REM del_old.bat
REM usage: del_old MM-DD-YYY
for /f "tokens=*" %%a IN ('xcopy *.* /d:%1 /L /I null') do if exist %%~nxa echo %%~nxa >> FILES_TO_KEEP.TXT
for /f "tokens=*" %%a IN ('xcopy *.* /L /I /EXCLUDE:FILES_TO_KEEP.TXT null') do if exist "%%~nxa" del "%%~nxa"

This deletes files older than a given date. I'm sure it can be modified to go back seven days from the current date.

**update:** I notice that HerbCSO has improved on the above script. I recommend using [his version][3] instead.


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[2]:

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[3]:

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If you have the XP resource kit, you can use robocopy to move all the old directories into a single directory, then use rmdir to delete just that one:

mkdir c:\temp\OldDirectoriesGoHere
robocopy c:\logs\SoManyDirectoriesToDelete\ c:\temp\OldDirectoriesGoHere\ /move /minage:7
rmdir /s /q c:\temp\OldDirectoriesGoHere

Use forfiles.

There are different versions. Early ones use unix style parameters.

My version (for server 2000 - note no space after switches)-

forfiles -p"C:\what\ever" -s -m*.* -d<number of days> -c"cmd /c del @path"

To add forfiles to XP, get the exe from

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and add it to C:\WINDOWS\system32

For Windows Server 2008 R2:

forfiles /P c:\sql_backups\ /S /M *.sql /D -90 /C "cmd /c del @PATH"

This will delete all *.sql* files older than *90* days.

IMO, JavaScript is gradually becoming a universal scripting standard: it is probably available in more products than any other scripting language (in Windows, it is available using the Windows Scripting Host). I have to clean out old files in lots of folders, so here is a JavaScript function to do that:


// run from an administrator command prompt (or from task scheduler with full rights): wscript jscript.js
// debug with: wscript /d /x jscript.js

var fs = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");

clearFolder('C:\\temp\\cleanup');

function clearFolder(folderPath)
{
// calculate date 3 days ago
var dateNow = new Date();
var dateTest = new Date();
dateTest.setDate(dateNow.getDate() - 3);

var folder = fs.GetFolder(folderPath);
var files = folder.Files;

for( var it = new Enumerator(files); !it.atEnd(); it.moveNext() )
{
var file = it.item();

if( file.DateLastModified < dateTest)
{
var filename = file.name;
var ext = filename.split('.').pop().toLowerCase();

if (ext != 'exe' && ext != 'dll')
{
file.Delete(true);
}
}
}

var subfolders = new Enumerator(folder.SubFolders);
for (; !subfolders.atEnd(); subfolders.moveNext())
{
clearFolder(subfolders.item().Path);
}
}

For each folder to clear, just add another call to the clearFolder() function. This particular code also preserves exe and dll files, and cleans up subfolders as well.

forfiles /p "v:" /s /m *.* /d -3 /c "cmd /c del @path"

You should do `/d -3` (3 days earlier) This works fine for me. So all the complicated batches could be in the trash bin. Also `forfiles` don't support UNC paths, so make a network connection to a specific drive.

My command is

forfiles -p "d:\logs" -s -m*.log -d-15 -c"cmd /c del @PATH\@FILE"

`@PATH` - is just path in my case, so I had to use `@PATH\@FILE`

also `forfiles /?` not working for me too, but `forfiles` (without "?") worked fine.

And the only question I have: how to add multiple mask (for example "*.log|*.bak")?

All this regarding forfiles.exe that I [downloaded here](

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) (on win XP)

But if you are using Windows server forfiles.exe should be already there and it is differs from ftp version. That is why I should modify command.

For Windows Server 2003 I'm using this command:

forfiles -p "d:\Backup" -s -m *.log -d -15 -c "cmd /c del @PATH"

this is nothing amazing, but i needed to do something like this today and run it as scheduled task etc.

batch file, DelFilesOlderThanNDays.bat below with sample exec w/ params:

>DelFilesOlderThanNDays.bat **7** *C:\dir1\dir2\dir3\logs* **\*.log**

echo off
cls
Echo(
SET keepDD=%1
SET logPath=%2 :: example C:\dir1\dir2\dir3\logs
SET logFileExt=%3
SET check=0
IF [%3] EQU [] SET logFileExt=*.log & echo: file extention not specified (default set to "*.log")
IF [%2] EQU [] echo: file directory no specified (a required parameter), exiting! & EXIT /B
IF [%1] EQU [] echo: number of days not specified? :)
echo(
echo: in path [ %logPath% ]
echo: finding all files like [ %logFileExt% ]
echo: older than [ %keepDD% ] days
echo(
::
::
:: LOG
echo: >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: executed on %DATE% %TIME% >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: ---------------------------------------------------------- >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: in path [ %logPath% ] >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: finding all files like [ %logFileExt% ] >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: older than [ %keepDD% ] days >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: ---------------------------------------------------------- >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
::
FORFILES /p %logPath% /s /m %logFileExt% /d -%keepDD% /c "cmd /c echo @path" >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt 2<&1
IF %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
FORFILES /p %logPath% /s /m %logFileExt% /d -%keepDD% /c "cmd /c echo @path"
)
::
::
:: LOG
IF %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
echo: >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: deleting files ... >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
SET check=1
)
::
::
IF %check% EQU 1 (
FORFILES /p %logPath% /s /m %logFileExt% /d -%keepDD% /c "cmd /c del @path"
)
::
:: RETURN & LOG
::
IF %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 echo: deletion successfull! & echo: deletion successfull! >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt
echo: ---------------------------------------------------------- >> c:\trimLogFiles\logBat\log.txt