How to delete all files and folders from a path in C#?

Deleting all files and folders from a directory is a common task in C# file operations. The System.IO namespace provides the DirectoryInfo class and Directory class that offer multiple approaches to accomplish this task safely and efficiently.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for using DirectoryInfo to delete directories and files −

DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(path);
di.Delete(true); // true = recursive delete

Following is the syntax for using Directory class methods −

Directory.Delete(path, true); // true = recursive delete

Using DirectoryInfo for Recursive Deletion

The DirectoryInfo class provides detailed control over directory operations. The Delete(true) method recursively removes all subdirectories and files −

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program {
   static void Main(string[] args) {
      string path = @"C:\TempDemo";
      
      // Create a test directory with files and subdirectories
      Directory.CreateDirectory(path);
      Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(path, "SubFolder1"));
      Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(path, "SubFolder2"));
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(path, "file1.txt"), "Test content 1");
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(path, "SubFolder1", "file2.txt"), "Test content 2");
      
      Console.WriteLine("Before deletion: Directory exists = " + Directory.Exists(path));
      
      // Delete all contents using DirectoryInfo
      DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(path);
      if (di.Exists) {
         di.Delete(true); // Recursive deletion
         Console.WriteLine("After deletion: Directory exists = " + Directory.Exists(path));
      }
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Before deletion: Directory exists = True
After deletion: Directory exists = False

Using Directory Class for Simple Deletion

The static Directory.Delete() method provides a more straightforward approach −

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program {
   static void Main(string[] args) {
      string path = @"C:\TempDemo2";
      
      // Create test structure
      Directory.CreateDirectory(path);
      Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(path, "Images"));
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(path, "document.txt"), "Sample document");
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(path, "Images", "photo.jpg"), "Sample image data");
      
      Console.WriteLine("Files before deletion:");
      foreach (string file in Directory.GetFiles(path, "*", SearchOption.AllDirectories)) {
         Console.WriteLine("  " + Path.GetFileName(file));
      }
      
      // Delete entire directory tree
      Directory.Delete(path, true);
      Console.WriteLine("Directory deleted successfully!");
      Console.WriteLine("Directory exists: " + Directory.Exists(path));
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Files before deletion:
  document.txt
  photo.jpg
Directory deleted successfully!
Directory exists: False

Deleting Only Contents (Keeping Root Directory)

Sometimes you need to delete all contents but preserve the root directory −

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program {
   static void Main(string[] args) {
      string rootPath = @"C:\TempDemo3";
      
      // Create test structure
      Directory.CreateDirectory(rootPath);
      Directory.CreateDirectory(Path.Combine(rootPath, "Data"));
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(rootPath, "config.xml"), "<config></config>");
      File.WriteAllText(Path.Combine(rootPath, "Data", "data.json"), "{"key":"value"}");
      
      DirectoryInfo di = new DirectoryInfo(rootPath);
      
      // Delete all files in root directory
      foreach (FileInfo file in di.GetFiles()) {
         file.Delete();
         Console.WriteLine("Deleted file: " + file.Name);
      }
      
      // Delete all subdirectories
      foreach (DirectoryInfo dir in di.GetDirectories()) {
         dir.Delete(true);
         Console.WriteLine("Deleted directory: " + dir.Name);
      }
      
      Console.WriteLine("Root directory exists: " + Directory.Exists(rootPath));
      Console.WriteLine("Root directory is empty: " + (di.GetFiles().Length == 0 && di.GetDirectories().Length == 0));
      
      // Cleanup
      Directory.Delete(rootPath);
   }
}

The output of the above code is −

Deleted file: config.xml
Deleted directory: Data
Root directory exists: True
Root directory is empty: True

Comparison

Conclusion

C# provides multiple approaches for deleting directories and their contents. Use Directory.Delete(path, true) for simple scenarios, and DirectoryInfo when you need more control over the deletion process. Always use the recursive parameter true to delete subdirectories and files.