SuperDelete

For many years, Windows users faced a problem with files and folders that had names or paths longer than 260 characters, as it was impossible to delete them easily. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update has finally addressed this issue, but users who haven’t upgraded can’t benefit from it.

SuperDelete is an open-source, command-line application that can help you get around this problem. It enables you to remove files and folders no matter how long their paths are, and it can also bypass ACLs and run in silent mode.

Naturally, since it lacks a GUI, this program isn’t really intended to be used by novices, even though the command-line parameters are not at all confusing. However, the advantage is that it is easy to automate various actions or integrate the software into other projects.

To get around the Windows path limitation, SuperDelete uses extended-length paths and the Unicode versions of WinApi functions for enumerating files and deleting them. Paths as long as 32767 characters are supported, so you shouldn’t run into any issues.

If you have administrative rights on the drive, the program can bypass ACL checks and delete files even if the user does not have the necessary rights in the ACL.

The file removal process can be executed in silent mode, preventing any confirmation messages from being displayed; this feature is very useful for automating tasks.

Even though the long path issue has been resolved in the most recent versions of Windows, there are still plenty of users that can benefit from this utility. It is fairly easy to use, despite lacking a GUI, enabling you to delete files and folders regardless of how long their paths are.