os: on windows RemoveAll removing directories containing read-only files errors with `unlinkat ... Access is denied`

[rheilek]

Go version

go version go1.25.2 linux/amd64

Output of go env in your module/workspace:

R='ar'
CC='gcc'
CGO_CFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_CPPFLAGS=''
CGO_CXXFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_ENABLED='1'
CGO_FFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CGO_LDFLAGS='-O2 -g'
CXX='g++'
GCCGO='gccgo'
GO111MODULE=''
GOAMD64='v1'
GOARCH='amd64'
GOAUTH='netrc'
GOBIN=''
GOCACHE='/home/rheilek/.cache/go-build'
GOCACHEPROG=''
GODEBUG=''
GOENV='/home/rheilek/.config/go/env'
GOEXE=''
GOEXPERIMENT=''
GOFIPS140='off'
GOFLAGS=''
GOGCCFLAGS='-fPIC -m64 -pthread -Wl,--no-gc-sections -fmessage-length=0 -ffile-prefix-map=/tmp/go-build2507944389=/tmp/go-build -gno-record-gcc-switches'
GOHOSTARCH='amd64'
GOHOSTOS='linux'
GOINSECURE=''
GOMOD='/home/rheilek/development/go/src/gitlab.siv.de/middleware/agent/go.mod'
GOMODCACHE='/home/rheilek/go/pkg/mod'
GONOPROXY=''
GONOSUMDB=''
GOOS='linux'
GOPATH='/home/rheilek/go'
GOPRIVATE=''
GOPROXY='https://proxy.golang.org,direct'
GOROOT='/opt/go'
GOSUMDB='sum.golang.org'
GOTELEMETRY='local'
GOTELEMETRYDIR='/home/rheilek/.config/go/telemetry'
GOTMPDIR=''
GOTOOLCHAIN='auto'
GOTOOLDIR='/opt/go/pkg/tool/linux_amd64'
GOVCS=''
GOVERSION='go1.25.2'
GOWORK=''
PKG_CONFIG='pkg-config'

What did you do?

In our projects, we create marker files with read-only permissions. Afterwards, we remove the entire directory. Since 2015, the code has not changed. However, after upgrading to Go 1.25.2, we are now encountering the error "Access is denied."

The code is cross-compiled for Linux and Windows. The error only occurs under windows.

What did you see happen?

Code to reproduce on windows

_ = os.Mkdir("dir", 0700)
_ = os.WriteFile("dir/test", []byte(`1`), 0400) // read-only file
fmt.Println(os.RemoveAll("dir"))

stdout with go 1.25.2

unlinkat .\dir\test: Access is denied.

stdout with go 1.24.9

<nil>

What did you expect to see?

Remove of the whole diretory - error is nil.

[gabyhelp]

Related Issues

• os: RemoveAll doesn't remove nested un-readable directories #30555 (closed)
• os: Remove/RemoveAll should remove read-only files on Windows #9606 (closed)
• os: Remove/RemoveAll should remove read-only folders on Windows #26295
• cmd/go: open C:\Windows\TEMP: Access is denied. #74134 (closed)
• os.RemoveAll Bug? #41747 (closed)
• "Access is denied" error when deleting a file under windows even though it has full read/write permissions. #29424 (closed)
• os: permit Rename to read-only file on Windows #38287

Related Code Changes

• os: remove read-only directories in RemoveAll on Windows
• os: remove read-only directories on windows
• os: fix Remove for file with read only attribute on Windows

_{(Emoji vote if this was helpful or unhelpful; more detailed feedback welcome in this discussion.)}

[dmitshur]

CC @golang/windows, @griesemer, @neild.

[alexbrainman]

@rheilek

In general there is no way to prevent from os.RemoveAll return "Access is denied" error on Windows. For example, if antivirus program opens the file or the file in your directory or something similar.

It is wrong for your program to assume that os.RemoveAll succeeds.

Even if os.RemoveAll change between 1.24.9 and 1.25.2 broke your program, I doubt it is worth adjusting os.RemoveAll code.

Alex

[rheilek]

The different behaviour comes from 6d41809

Confirmed with debugger:

• windows-1.24.9 using removeall_noat.go
• windows-1.25.3 using removeall_at.go

In my opinion, this is a breaking change. Could you please confirm again that this is ok for you?