How can I delete a Windows folder with a trailing space in its name?
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MellowPine42
I'm using Windows 11 and have a folder on the D: drive named "Ready_2 " with an extra space at the end. File Explorer and another file manager can still display it, but Windows says the folder doesn't exist when I try to rename or delete it. How can I remove it?
Answers
If the folder appears in Explorer but command-line listings do not show it correctly, restart Windows first in case the directory view is stale. You can also open Command Prompt, switch to the drive with `cd /d D:`, and run `dir` to verify the exact name before deleting it.
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You can sometimes rename the folder first by replacing the trailing space with a number or another character, then delete the renamed folder normally. However, Windows may report that the original name cannot be found, so this approach is not reliable for malformed names.
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Try deleting it from an elevated Command Prompt using the extended path syntax, which lets Windows address names that contain trailing spaces: `rd /s /q "\?D:Ready_2 "`. Be sure the path and trailing space match the folder exactly, since `/s` removes everything inside and `/q` skips confirmation.
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MellowPine42: That worked. The extended path syntax let me delete the folder successfully.