C# Delete File
To delete a file in C#, you can use System.IO.File.Delete(path)
function. File.Delete()
function deletes the file specified using the argument.
Example 1 – Delete File
In the following example, we shall delete a file with the path D:\sample.txt
.
Program.cs
using System; using System.IO; namespace CSharpExamples { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { String path = @"D:\sample.txt"; File.Delete(path); Console.WriteLine("Deleted file successfully."); } } }
Output
PS D:\workspace\csharp\HelloWorld> dotnet run Deleted file successfully.
Note
If you try to delete a file that is not actually present using File.Delete()
, no Exception is thrown or no error occurs.
Example 2 – Delete File with Path specified as null
If you specify path as null
, System.ArgumentNullException
is thrown by File.Delete()
function.
Program.cs
using System; using System.IO; namespace CSharpExamples { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { String path = null; File.Delete(path); Console.WriteLine("Deleted file successfully."); } } }
Output
PS D:\workspace\csharp\HelloWorld> dotnet run Unhandled Exception: System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null. Parameter name: path at System.IO.File.Delete(String path) at CSharpExamples.Program.Main(String[] args) in D:\workspace\csharp\HelloWorld\Program.cs:line 8
Example 3 – Delete File – Path Containing Invalid Path Characters
The path should not contain invalid path characters. Invalid path characters’ numeric range is [0, 31]
and 124
. If path contains any of these invalid path characters, System.IO.IOException
is thrown by File.Delete()
function.
Program.cs
using System; using System.IO; namespace CSharpExamples { class Program { static void Main(string[] args) { String path = "D:/sample1|.txt"; File.Delete(path); Console.WriteLine("Deleted file successfully."); } } }
Output
PS D:\workspace\csharp\HelloWorld> dotnet run Unhandled Exception: System.IO.IOException: The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect : 'D:\sample1|.txt' at System.IO.FileSystem.DeleteFile(String fullPath) at System.IO.File.Delete(String path) at CSharpExamples.Program.Main(String[] args) in D:\workspace\csharp\HelloWorld\Program.cs:line 8
Summary
In this C# Tutorial, we have learned to delete a file with the path specified.