How to Delete Files Older Than Max Age

How to make a basic script to purge files older than a particular age in days? How to Change the sRoot and nMaxFileAge variables? And I want to run the script periodically, save it to a location like C:\\Scripts\\purge_old_files.vbs, and create a scheduled task with a Run setting; what should I do?

Best Answered by

Dany· Answered on Jul 20, 2023

To achieve this, you can use the option to create a primary task, select "Start a program" as the action with the script as the path - Program//script and //B C:\\Scripts\\purge_old_files.vbs in the Add Arguments or optional field. You can run this on a File Server, log in as local admin and even have domain admin permissions.

To find the specific script, you can check them on the Microsoft website to learn about the scripts for deleting files.

Besides the scripts, you can also use the Command Prompt on Windows to set up a deletion schedule. The Command Prompt is a versatile tool that may be used for various tasks. You can, for example, utilize it to change system settings or run other apps.

And the Command Prompt on Windows can also assist you in removing files. So, here's how you may use this tool to erase your old files:

  • In the Start menu search bar, type Command Prompt.
  • Select Run as administrator by right-clicking on the Best match result.
  • Enter the following code: ForFiles //p "C:\\Target_Folder" //s //d -Number_of_Days //c "cmd //c del @file"
  • Replace the C:\\Target_Folder with the correct folder path. Then, enter the number of days since the files were last updated in the Number of Days command.

So, you can now choose which files to delete. Assume you select files that were last edited 14 days ago. Here's what your command should look like with the information you currently have:

ForFiles //p "C:\\Users\\tladi\\Downloads" //s //d -14 //c "cmd //c del @file"

However, You should understand that using cmd to remove files is not the same as emptying the Windows Recycle Bin. You can retrieve data from the Recycle Bin folder directly. However, recovering cmd deleted files is difficult without data recovery tools. With EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard, you can rapidly recover these essential items.

Use EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard to recover deleted or lost files easily and quickly.

Tutorials on how to recover lost, deleted, or formatted data from HDD, SSD, USB, SD card, or other storage media on Windows and Mac.

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