Remove-Item PowerShell Get-Help Output

This is the built-in help made by Microsoft for the command 'Remove-Item', in PowerShell version 4 - as retrieved from Windows version 'Microsoft Windows 8.1 Enterprise' PowerShell help files on 2016-06-23.

For PowerShell version 3 and up, where you have Update-Help, this command was run just before creating the web pages from the help files.

SYNOPSIS

SYNTAX

Remove-Item [-Path] <String[]> [-Credential <PSCredential>] [-Exclude <String[]>] [-Filter <String>] [-Force] [-Include <String[]>] [-Recurse] [-Confirm] [-WhatIf] [-
UseTransaction [<SwitchParameter>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Remove-Item [-Credential <PSCredential>] [-Exclude <String[]>] [-Filter <String>] [-Force] [-Include <String[]>] [-Recurse] -LiteralPath <String[]> [-Confirm] [-WhatI
f] [-UseTransaction [<SwitchParameter>]] [<CommonParameters>]
Remove-Item [-Stream <string>] [<CommonParameters>]

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DESCRIPTION

The Remove-Item cmdlet deletes one or more items. Because it is supported by many providers, it can delete many different types of items, including files, directories
, registry keys, variables, aliases, and functions.

In file system drives, the Remove-Item cmdlet deletes files and folders.

If you use the Stream dynamic parameter, it deletes the specified alternate data stream, but does not delete the file.

Note: This custom cmdlet help file explains how the Remove-Item cmdlet works in a file system drive. For information about the Remove-Item cmdlet in all drives, type
"Get-Help Remove-Item -Path $null" or see Remove-Item at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=113373.

RELATED LINKS

REMARKS

Examples

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 1 --------------------------

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

FileName: \\C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1

Stream Length
------ ------
Zone.Identifier 26

C:\PS>Remove-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1 -Stream Zone.Identifier

get-item : Could not open alternate data stream 'Zone.Identifier' of file 'C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1'.
At line:1 char:1
+ get-item 'C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1' -Stream Zone.Identifier
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1:String) [Get-Item], FileNotFoundE
xception
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : AlternateDataStreamNotFound,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetItemCommand

C:\PS>Get-Item C:\Test\Copy-Script.ps1

Directory: C:\Test

Mode LastWriteTime Length Name
---- ------------- ------ ----
-a--- 8/4/2011 11:15 AM 9436 Copy-Script.ps1

Description

-----------

This example shows how to use the Stream dynamic parameter of the Remove-Item cmdlet to delete an alternate data stream. The stream parameter is introduced in Windows
PowerShell 3.0.

The first command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Get-Item cmdlet to get the Zone.Identifier stream of the Copy-Script.ps1 file.

The second command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Remove-Item cmdlet to remove the Zone.Identifier stream of the file.

The third command uses the Stream dynamic parameter of the Get-Item cmdlet to verify that the Zone.Identifier stream is deleted.

The fourth command Get-Item cmdlet without the Stream parameter to verify that the file is not deleted.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 2 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item C:\Test\*.*

Description

-----------

This command deletes all of the files with names that include a dot (.) from the C:\Test directory. Because the command specifies a dot, the command does not delete d
irectories or files with no file name extension.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 3 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item * -Include *.doc -Exclude *1*

Description

-----------

This command deletes from the current directory all files with a .doc file name extension and a name that does not include "1". It uses the wildcard character (*) to
specify the contents of the current directory. It uses the Include and Exclude parameters to specify the files to delete.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 4 --------------------------

C:\PS>Remove-Item -Path C:\Test\hidden-RO-file.txt -Force

Description

-----------

This command deletes a file that is both hidden and read-only. It uses the Path parameter to specify the file. It uses the Force parameter to give permission to delet
e it. Without Force, you cannot delete read-only or hidden files.

-------------------------- EXAMPLE 5 --------------------------

C:\PS>Get-ChildItem * -Include *.csv -Recurse | Remove-Item

Description

-----------

This command deletes all of the CSV files in the current directory and all subdirectories recursively.

Because the Recurse parameter in this cmdlet is faulty, the command uses the Get-Childitem cmdlet to get the desired files, and it uses the pipeline operator to pass
them to the Remove-Item cmdlet.

In the Get-ChildItem command, the Path parameter has a value of *, which represents the contents of the current directory. It uses the Include parameter to specify th
e CSV file type, and it uses the Recurse parameter to make the retrieval recursive.

If you try to specify the file type in the path, such as "-path *.csv", the cmdlet interprets the subject of the search to be a file that has no child items, and Recu
rse fails.