Automatically remove empty folders in Drive D:

Question

I am trying to develop a batch file to automatically remove empty folders in Drive D like the code below:

for /d %%d in (*.*) do (
rmdir %%d
)

However, while running the batch file by Windows's job scheduler, I found that the code tried to remove the empty folders into another drive. So how can I change this in coding (*.*) to a specific drive D: ?

Use `for /d %%I in (D:\*) do rmdir "%%I"`. See answer on [Executing BAT files in scheduled task](https://stackoverflow.com/a/41821620/3074564) for details. — Mofi, Oct 20 '17 at 08:23
@matsnow: Oh - good editing! Strange how italicised-`.` and `.` look alike. OP: Use `{}` button to hilight code; Text between `*` in narrative *italicises text* Use two `*` instead of one to **bold** text — Magoo, Oct 20 '17 at 08:45
Given an empty directory, `D:\c\b\a` this may work, however if `D:\c\b` is also empty it would remain because when it was initially parsed it had content, directory `a`. The only way to be sure you'd cleared all of the empty directories using this idea would be to run the routine multiple times in succession. — Compo, Oct 20 '17 at 10:26
Your code is not checking if the drive is empty before removing it. — Squashman, Oct 20 '17 at 14:10

MatSnow · Answer 1 · 2017-10-20T08:50:33.713

0

This happens because your script is not executed in drive D: when running via scheduled task, but (by default) in the root folder of the user which executes the task.

Add D: at the beginning of your batch file:

D:
for /d %%d in (*.*) do (
rmdir %%d
)

edited Oct 20 '17 at 08:50

answered Oct 20 '17 at 08:20

MatSnow

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score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 20 '17 at 08:23

0

for /d %%d in (D:*) do (

Note * not .

if you wish, you can use d:\directoryname\* to start the nominated directoryname, or

for /d /r "D:\" %%d in (*) do echo %%d

to proceed through the directory-tree (note: ECHO for safety's sake)

It would be a good idea to use "%%d" for the RMDIR because otherwise directory name containing spaces will be executed as 'remove the directories "directory" "name" "containing" and "spaces"`'

answered Oct 20 '17 at 08:23

Magoo

77,302
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`D:*` does not point to the root of the drive, but `D:\*` does; and I'd use `"%%~d"` (although it makes no difference in this situation, but just in general)... – aschipfl Oct 20 '17 at 08:32

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Oct 20 '17 at 14:07

@echo off
    setlocal enableextensions disabledelayedexpansion
    for /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir d:\ /s /b /ad ^| sort /r') do 2>nul rmdir "%%~fa"

This uses a dir command to retrieve the list of all folders under the root of drive d:. This list is sorted in reverse order so the child folders appears before its parents. That way if removing a child leaves an empty parent it will also be removed.

This reverse sorted list is processed with a for /f command that tries to remove all the folders. As by default rmdir does not allow removal of non empty folders, only empty folders are removed.

Automatically remove empty folders in Drive D:

3 Answers3