How to remove the current folder in Powershell?

I use the Remove-Item -Recurse -Force command to remove large folders since the method seems much faster that using the Windows explorer, but a path is required. After adding a "open Powershell here" entry to the Windows context menu being able to remove the current folder would make deleting sizable directories almost seamless.

2 Answers

So, save the current location, move up one level, delete saved location.

Verbose:

$Path = Get-Location | Select -expand Path
Set-Location ..
Remove-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Recurse -Force

Key-banger:

$p = (gl).Path
sl ..
ri -LiteralPath $p -r -Fo

Create a function with an alias & add it to your profile if you want a single command easily available:

@'
Function Remove-Location { $Path = Get-Location | Select -expand Path Set-Location .. Remove-Item -LiteralPath $Path -Recurse -Force Exit
}
Set-Alias rl Remove-Location
'@ | Add-Content $PROFILE -Append

Then you can open PowerShell to any folder, type rl, and the folder will be removed.

If you wanted to handle this easily within the console the following command will set the current directory to a variable and then change to the parent directory and delete the previous directory:

$CurrentDir = Get-Location; cd ..; Remove-Item $CurrentDir -Recurse -Force

If you are feeling a bit more adventurous you could add an entry to the context menu so you do not need to interact with the shell altogether:

Only continue with this if you are confident in using the registry editor, making mistakes could have irreversible effects

Run RegEdit.exe from the run box.

Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\ in the Registry Editor

"Right Click" on the shell folder and click "New" -> "Key"

Enter a name for the new key for the extension to the context menu in my case I used PSMenu. (I would name it the same for the simplicity of following this).

When inside the new key you will see a value on the right named (Default), double click into this and modify the "Value Data" to what you want it to appear as in the context menu in my case I have used Delete folder using PowerShell then click "OK".

Next to make the command only visible on shift + right-click you will need to create a new value. Whilst inside the new key right-click in the right pane and click "New" - "String Value", name this value as Extended and do not populate the "Value Data".

Do not close the registry editor but jump to desktop etc, now when you Shift + Right-Click you should see the new entry that you have just created, though this is currently not hooked up to a command.

To add the command to the context entry return back to Registry Editor and Navigate to the Key "PSMenu" (Or what ever you named it). Right-click on the key in the left pane and "click" "New" -> "Key" and name this command, now select this key. Again you should have only a single value in the right pane named (Default), double click this and paste the following into the Value Data:

C:\\Windows\\system32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoExit -Command Remove-Item -LiteralPath '%L' -Recurse -Force; Exit

Click "ok" and then exit Registry Editor, the context menu entry you have created should now work and delete the folder you Shift + Right-Click and select that entry on.