When working with large directory structures in Windows, you might encounter situations where you need to delete all instances of a specific subfolder name across multiple parent directories. The standard rmdir command with wildcards doesn't handle this recursive scenario well.

The most efficient way to accomplish this is by combining the FOR /R recursive directory traversal with the rmdir command:

FOR /R "C:\Somedir" %d IN (DeleteMe) DO @IF EXIST "%d" rmdir /s /q "%d"

Let's analyze what this command does:

• FOR /R "C:\Somedir" - Recursively processes all subdirectories under C:\Somedir
• %d IN (DeleteMe) - Looks for directories named exactly "DeleteMe"
• DO @IF EXIST "%d" - Verifies the directory exists before attempting deletion
• rmdir /s /q "%d" - Silently removes the directory and all its contents

For those who prefer PowerShell, here's an equivalent solution:

Get-ChildItem "C:\Somedir" -Directory -Recurse -Filter "DeleteMe" | Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

When running recursive deletion commands:

• Always test with echo first to see what would be deleted
• Consider creating a backup before mass deletions
• Double-check your path and folder name to avoid accidental deletions

Test command (dry run):

FOR /R "C:\Somedir" %d IN (DeleteMe) DO @IF EXIST "%d" echo "%d"

For more complex scenarios where folder names might contain spaces or special characters:

FOR /R "C:\Somedir" %d IN ("Folder With Spaces") DO @IF EXIST "%d" rmdir /s /q "%d"

For repeated use, create a batch file (remember to double the % signs):

@echo off
FOR /R "C:\Somedir" %%d IN (DeleteMe) DO (
    IF EXIST "%%d" (
        echo Deleting "%%d"
        rmdir /s /q "%%d"
    )
)
pause

Working with large directory structures in Windows, I often need to clean up specific subfolders recursively. While rmdir /s /q works great for deleting a single directory or pattern-matched directories, it doesn't handle recursive subfolder deletion based on name matching.

For modern Windows systems, PowerShell provides the most robust solution:

Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Somedir" -Directory -Recurse -Force | 
Where-Object { $_.Name -eq "DeleteMe" } | 
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

This command:

• Recursively searches all subdirectories under C:\Somedir
• Filters for directories named exactly "DeleteMe"
• Deletes them with all contents (-Recurse) without confirmation (-Force)

For environments where PowerShell isn't available, this batch script works:

@echo off
set "root=C:\Somedir"
set "target=DeleteMe"

for /d /r "%root%" %%a in (%target%) do (
    if exist "%%a" (
        echo Deleting "%%a"
        rmdir /s /q "%%a"
    )
)

For case-insensitive matching or partial name matches:

# PowerShell case-insensitive partial match
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Somedir" -Directory -Recurse -Force | 
Where-Object { $_.Name -like "*delete*" } | 
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force

For large directory structures:

• PowerShell is generally faster than CMD
• Add -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue to suppress permission errors
• Consider adding -Depth parameter to limit recursion levels

Before running deletion commands:

# First test with -WhatIf parameter
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\Somedir" -Directory -Recurse -Force | 
Where-Object { $_.Name -eq "DeleteMe" } | 
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force -WhatIf