UID

title

description

helpviewer_keywords

old-location

tech.root

ms.assetid

ms.date

ms.keywords

req.header

req.include-header

req.target-type

req.target-min-winverclnt

req.target-min-winversvr

req.kmdf-ver

req.umdf-ver

req.ddi-compliance

req.unicode-ansi

req.idl

req.max-support

req.namespace

req.assembly

req.type-library

req.lib

req.dll

req.irql

targetos

req.typenames

req.redist

ms.custom

f1_keywords

dev_langs

topic_type

api_type

api_location

api_name

NF:winbase.DeleteFile

DeleteFile function (winbase.h)

The DeleteFile function (winbase.h) deletes an existing file.

DeleteFile

DeleteFile function [Files]

DeleteFileA

DeleteFileW

_win32_deletefile

base.deletefile

fileapi/DeleteFile

fileapi/DeleteFileA

fileapi/DeleteFileW

fs.deletefile

winbase/DeleteFile

winbase/DeleteFileA

winbase/DeleteFileW

fs\deletefile.htm

fs

0b947a85-816b-4374-a8f8-c369e366a17d

08/04/2022

DeleteFile, DeleteFile function [Files], DeleteFileA, DeleteFileW, _win32_deletefile, base.deletefile, fileapi/DeleteFile, fileapi/DeleteFileA, fileapi/DeleteFileW, fs.deletefile, winbase/DeleteFile, winbase/DeleteFileA, winbase/DeleteFileW

winbase.h

Windows.h

Windows

Windows XP [desktop apps \| UWP apps]

Windows Server 2003 [desktop apps \| UWP apps]

DeleteFileW (Unicode) and DeleteFileA (ANSI)

Kernel32.lib

Kernel32.dll

Windows

19H1

DeleteFile

winbase/DeleteFile

c++

APIRef

kbSyntax

DllExport

Kernel32.dll

API-MS-Win-Core-File-l1-1-0.dll

KernelBase.dll

API-MS-Win-Core-File-l1-2-0.dll

API-MS-Win-Core-File-l1-2-1.dll

API-MS-Win-Core-File-l1-2-2.dll

API-MS-Win-DownLevel-Kernel32-l1-1-0.dll

MinKernelBase.dll

DeleteFile

DeleteFileA

DeleteFileW

DeleteFile function

-description

Deletes an existing file.

To perform this operation as a transacted operation, use the DeleteFileTransacted function.

-parameters

-param lpFileName [in]

The name of the file to be deleted.

By default, the name is limited to MAX_PATH characters. To extend this limit to 32,767 wide characters, prepend "\\?\" to the path. For more information, see Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces.

Tip

Starting with Windows 10, Version 1607, you can opt-in to remove the MAX_PATH limitation without prepending "\\?\". See the "Maximum Path Length Limitation" section of Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces for details.

-returns

If the function succeeds, the return value is nonzero.

If the function fails, the return value is zero (0). To get extended error information, call GetLastError.

-remarks

If an application attempts to delete a file that does not exist, the DeleteFile function fails with ERROR_FILE_NOT_FOUND. If the file is a read-only file, the function fails with ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED.

The following list identifies some tips for deleting, removing, or closing files:

To delete a read-only file, first you must remove the read-only attribute.
To delete or rename a file, you must have either delete permission on the file, or delete child permission in the parent directory.
To recursively delete the files in a directory, use the SHFileOperation function.
To remove an empty directory, use the RemoveDirectory function.
To close an open file, use the CloseHandle function.

If you set up a directory with all access except delete and delete child, and the access control lists (ACL) of new files are inherited, then you can create a file without being able to delete it. However, then you can create a file, and then get all the access you request on the handle that is returned to you at the time you create the file.

If you request delete permission at the time you create a file, you can delete or rename the file with that handle, but not with any other handle. For more information, see File Security and Access Rights.

The DeleteFile function fails if an application attempts to delete a file that has other handles open for normal I/O or as a memory-mapped file (FILE_SHARE_DELETE must have been specified when other handles were opened).

The DeleteFile function marks a file for deletion on close. Therefore, the file deletion does not occur until the last handle to the file is closed. Subsequent calls to CreateFile to open the file fail with ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED.

Symbolic link behavior—

If the path points to a symbolic link, the symbolic link is deleted, not the target. To delete a target, you must call CreateFile and specify FILE_FLAG_DELETE_ON_CLOSE.

In Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, this function is supported by the following technologies.

Technology	Supported
Server Message Block (SMB) 3.0 protocol	Yes
SMB 3.0 Transparent Failover (TFO)	Yes
SMB 3.0 with Scale-out File Shares (SO)	Yes
Cluster Shared Volume File System (CsvFS)	Yes
Resilient File System (ReFS)	Yes