SuperDelete: delete long-path files on Windows (CLI and GUI)

SuperDelete is a free, open-source Windows utility that deletes the files and folders normal tools refuse to touch: the ones blocked by Windows' 260-character path limit. It reaches paths up to 32,767 characters using extended-length paths and Unicode Win32 calls, and ships as both a command-line tool and a modern desktop app that share the same deletion engine.

What it does

Windows' legacy MAX_PATH limit of 260 characters still trips up Explorer and many tools, leaving behind folders you cannot rename, move or delete. SuperDelete sidesteps it by calling the Win32 file APIs directly with the \\?\ extended-length prefix, so deeply nested paths, build artifacts and node_modules graveyards finally go away. With administrator rights it can also bypass ACLs to remove locked items.

Key features

• Deletes files and folders whose paths exceed the 260-character MAX_PATH limit.
• Uses extended-length paths (\\?\) and Unicode Win32 functions, handling paths up to 32,767 characters.
• Two apps, one engine: a command-line tool (SuperDelete.exe) and a modern WPF desktop app (SuperDeleteUI.exe).
• Optional ACL bypass to remove locked items when run as administrator.
• Drag-and-drop, a recent-paths dropdown and a dark-mode toggle in the desktop app.
• Live progress with running file and folder counts, plus detailed activity logging.
• Preview and analysis before you commit to a deletion.

Command-line usage

The CLI takes a path plus optional flags:

SuperDelete.exe "C:\path\to\very\long\folder"
SuperDelete.exe --silentMode "C:\path\to\folder"
SuperDelete.exe --bypassAcl "C:\locked\folder"
SuperDelete.exe --printStackTrace "C:\path"

--silentMode (or -s) skips the confirmation prompt, --bypassAcl removes items the ACL would block (run as administrator), and --printStackTrace prints the full call stack on error.

Built with

SuperDelete is written entirely in C# on .NET 8. A shared class library (SuperDelete.Core) holds the deletion engine and the Win32 interop against kernel32, advapi32 and ntdll; the CLI (SuperDelete.Cli) and the WPF desktop app (SuperDelete.App) are thin front-ends on top of it. It is Windows-only by design.

Requirements

• Windows.
• .NET 8 SDK to build from source, or the self-contained executables, which need no .NET installation.
• Administrator rights, only if you use the ACL-bypass option.

Get started

Grab a pre-built executable from the Releases page, or build from source:

dotnet build SuperDelete.sln -c Release

Run the desktop app from source:

dotnet run --project src/SuperDelete.App

Open source

SuperDelete is released under the Apache License 2.0 and is free to use, modify and redistribute. The latest release is v2.1.1, a patch that makes the status bar visible again, simplifies the window layout and moves the menu into an About button in the header. Issues and contributions are welcome on the GitHub repository.