How to Delete Files By Date in Windows 10 and 11

You can delete files by date in Windows 10 and 11 manually using File Explorer, or automatically using the Command Prompt (ForFiles), PowerShell, or Storage Sense.

Method 1: Manually via File Explorer (Best for one-time deletion)

File Explorer allows you to search for files matching specific dates or date ranges across folders and subfolders. Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows Key + E. Navigate to the specific target folder. Click into the search bar in the upper-right corner.

Type a date syntax parameter to instantly filter your files:

Specific range: datemodified:2025-01-01..2025-12-31 (Finds files modified in the year 2025)

Before a date: datemodified:<2026-01-01 (Finds files older than January 1, 2026)

After a date: datemodified:>2026-05-01 (Finds files newer than May 1, 2026)

Select the results by pressing Ctrl + A once the search finishes loading.

Delete the files by hitting the Delete key (or Shift + Delete to bypass the Recycle Bin completely).

Method 2: Command Prompt via ForFiles (Best for batches older than X days)

The ForFiles utility is ideal if you need to quickly clear out data older than a strict number of days across deep subfolders.

Open the Start Menu, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.

Execute the command below (replace C:\YourFolder\Path with your actual directory and -30 with your target day count):

ForFiles /p “C:\YourFolder\Path” /s /d -30 /c “cmd /c del /q @file” Use code with caution. /p targets the base path directory. /s forces the command to loop into all child subfolders. /d -30 targets items older than 30 days.

/c “cmd /c del /q @file” executes a quiet delete operation on matching files. Method 3: PowerShell (Most precise control)

PowerShell provides safe structural filtering when handling target age thresholds across large system directories.

Batch file to delete files older than N days - Stack Overflow