Digging out from under OneDrive

That tutorial doesn't handle removing empty folders. If you have a long list of folders, you're still stuck trying to remove them.

Also, don't rely on it for scanning empty folders outside of your User folder. Some Windows or Program File folders shouldn't be touched, Windows doesn't always automatically recreate what's needed.

It shows the path of where the empty folders is. That puts Jro one step closer to deleting it.

glasskuter

Tested before posting:​

• Before running this script, change the second line
  • $drive = "Y:\" where Y:\ is the drive in the script, to the specific drive (or path) you are wanting to search and destroy empty folders on. So for example, change to "G:\" $drive = "G:\"

To Run:​

• Open Terminal (Admin)
  • (Right click start button to select)
• Copy and paste the following script into the Powershell window and press enter.
  • The script will search for and find each empty folder on a drive or in a path specified (one at a time)
  • I have added the function to display the folder path and ask for confirmation before deleting (y/n)

Results:




I hope it is useful to you.

antspants said:

Head’s Up

Click to expand...

Good old Brink. He sees all, knows all.

glasskuter said:

Good old Brink. He sees all, knows all.

Click to expand...

Go ask him for PowerBall numbers...

I do agree with the point made that just because a folder is empty, not all empty folders should be deleted. For example, I have a number of programs I installed that created empty folders for its own purpose. Portable apps almost always have empty folders. Also, if one checks for empty folders on C: you end up with a number of empty folders Windows created. Granted, more than likely required folders would be re-created if needed, but I wouldn't take the change myself unless I knew darn well that empty folder served no purpose.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first scanned my entire C: drive, and then my personal folders again separately. I had almost no empty folders I had created.
The bulk are in a 15gb folder named in C:\Windows\WinSXS where driver packages are stored.
If I was botherd by those folders, I would follow MS advice and run
[c}Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup[/c]

I wouldn't attempt to mess with its subfolders on my own and don't think I could anyway since I have only read priviledges in that folder.


IMO, and for me personally, no more space than empty folders use, the only place I'd have any concern over them is my user folders and only for aesthetic reasons. The rest can sit there empty forever for all I care as long as I'm having no problems.

The problem with deleting empty Windows-owned folders is after you make a new replacement folder, it won't have the right folder permissions. Sometimes it matters depending on what the folder was used for.

Your own folders is usually not a problem since they don't normally have special permissions.

Here's a context menu version for Y/N approval.