Recycle Files From Windows Command Prompt

Windows command prompt provides users with several commands to copy, move and delete files and the commands are quite faster than the regular GUI. Well that said deleting files from the command prompt can be quite dangerous since it skips the recycle bin altogether and works like the Shift + Delete option while using the GUI.

There is a handy utility though which will allow you to recycle your files from the command prompt rather than completely deleting it. CmdUtils provides you with a recycle command which pretty much works like the regular delete option for windows moving the deleted files to the recycle bin instead of completely deleting it. You can delete multiple files or use wildcards to recycle your files from the command prompts.

To use the recycle command download the CmdUtils zip file and unzip the exe to your Windows folder. Adding them to the Windows folder would allow you to access the command globally without you having to specify the entire path to the executable. You can then start using the recycle command by typing in;

You can also specify wildcards with the commands so typing in recycle *.txt will recycle any text files in the current directory. There is also a option to suppress the delete confirmation dialog by using the force flag with the command.

To delete a file without having to confirm is use the command

The f flag will tell the command to force a recycle without showing you the confirmation dialog.