How to Delete a Folder in C#? [3 Methods with Complete Code]

Do you want to know how to delete a folder in C#? In this tutorial, I will explain how to delete a folder in C# using various methods. I will also show you how to delete folders and subfolders in C# using different methods.

Table of Contents

Delete a Folder in C#

I will show you three methods to delete a folder in C# with complete code.

1. Delete a Folder in C# Using Directory.Delete() method

The simplest way to delete a folder in C# is by using the Directory.Delete() method from the System.IO namespace.

Here’s an example of deleting a folder in C#.

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string folderPath = @"C:\exampleFolder";
        
        try
        {
            Directory.Delete(folderPath);
            Console.WriteLine("Folder deleted successfully.");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error: {e.Message}");
        }
    }
}

You can see the below code I ran using Visual Studio, and it deleted the folder successfully. Check the screenshot below.

While performing file or folder deletion, various exceptions might occur. Some common exceptions include DirectoryNotFoundException, UnauthorizedAccessException, and IOException.

So, it is always good to write an exception-handling mechanism inside the code. Here is the complete code.

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        string folderPath = @"C:\exampleFolder";
        
        try
        {
            Directory.Delete(folderPath);
            Console.WriteLine("Folder deleted successfully.");
        }
        catch (DirectoryNotFoundException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Directory not found: {e.Message}");
        }
        catch (UnauthorizedAccessException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Access denied: {e.Message}");
        }
        catch (IOException e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"IO Error: {e.Message}");
        }
    }
}

2. Delete a Folder in C# Using DirectoryInfo Class

An alternative to Directory.Delete() is the DirectoryInfo class in C#, which provides more functionalities and control.

Here is a complete example of how to delete a folder in C#.

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        DirectoryInfo directoryInfo = new DirectoryInfo(@"C:\exampleFolder");

        try
        {
            directoryInfo.Delete();
            Console.WriteLine("Folder deleted successfully.");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error: {e.Message}");
        }
    }
}

3. Delete a Folder in C# Using the Command Line Interface (CLI)

We can also use C# to invoke Command Line commands to delete a folder. Here is a complete example.

using System;
using System.Diagnostics;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        try
        {
            Process.Start("cmd.exe", "/c rmdir /s /q C:\\exampleFolder");
            Console.WriteLine("Folder deleted successfully.");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Error: {e.Message}");
        }
    }
}

Conclusion

In this tutorial, I have explained how to delete a folder in C# using Directory.Delete() method, using DirectoryInfo Class and the Command Line Interface (CLI).