Although empty directories or folders do not take much space on your PC but over time they tend to make file management complicated. If you have empty folders lying around, you will need to put in extra effort to locate the files you need. Visiting several folders just to find them empty can be irritating. Therefore, let us discuss how you can remove empty directories on your PC.
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Find Empty Files Using File Explorer’s Search Feature
File Explorer now called Windows Explorer is a tool/feature that allows the users to access hard disk and all the folders inside. You can organize, edit or locate particular files using this tool as well. Using this tool, you can empty directories as well.
To do this,
Press and hold ‘Win+E’ to launch/open File Explorer. Then, select the drive or folders you wish to search for empty directories. Plus, visit the ‘View’ tab and make sure that the ‘Hidden Items’ box is checked. Now either use the search bar located next to the address bar or simply press ‘F3’ for the search bar to pop up. Ensure that ‘All Subfolders’ option is selected. Now, in the ‘Refine’ section of the toolbar, click ‘Size’. You will see several predefined options. Select ‘Empty’ and wait for the Windows to search for empty directories. If you are using the files you wish to delete, make sure that they aren’t open as it will fail to delete the empty files then.
Find Empty Directories Using the Command Prompt
Command Prompt is another tool provided by Windows allowing users to perform actions by typing specific commands. To launch it, press and hold ‘Win+R’, type ‘cmd’, and hit enter. Although command prompt is a risky tool for amateurs but serves every purpose for professionals.
To remove empty directories using the command prompt,
Launch or Run the command prompt as administrator. Type the following command ‘ROBOCOPY folder1 folder1 /S /MOVE’. For example, ‘ROBOCOPY “C:\Users\User_Name \Downloads\Test – Copy” “C:\Users\User_Name\Downloads\Test – Copy” /S /MOVE’.
Find Empty Directories Using third-party app
If the above-mentioned methods do not work out, use a third-party app such as Clones File Checker. It is a powerful tool that does not only scan your computer for duplicates but empty files/directories as well. To delete empty directories using Clones File Checker, click ‘Remove Empty Folders’ option located at the top. Add the drive you wish to scan and click ‘Delete Empty Folders’.
To check the deleted directories, visit the ‘Deleted Directories’ section. You will see a list of empty directories deleted by Clones File Checker.
