How to Delete node_modules - Deep Nested Folder in Windows

Since this the top google result, this is what worked for me:

Update, if you have npm v5, use npx:

npx rimraf ./**/node_modules

Otherwise install RimRaf:

npm install rimraf -g

And in the project folder delete the node_modules folder with:

rimraf node_modules

If you want to recursively delete:

rimraf .\**\node_modules

[ http://www.nikola-breznjak.com/blog/nodejs/how-to-delete-node_modules-folder-on-windows-machine/ ]


DELETE only by using DOS command without any installation:

Create an empty folder "test" on C or D drive and use following DOS command

robocopy /MIR c:\test D:\UserData\FolderToDelete > NUL

After completing above command, your folder will be empty, now you can delete the folder.

Don't worry your test folder will always be empty, so you can delete it at any time.


I've simply done that by using Winrar, this may seem a strange solution but working very well.

  • right click on node_modules folder
  • select Add to archive ... from the menu.
  • Winrar dialog opens
  • just check the option delete files after archiving
  • Don't forget to delete the node_modules.rar after finished.


[UPDATE] This also works with 7Zip