How do I delete stubborn folders on a Windows file server?

Check the full path and folder names first. Very long paths or unusual characters can make a folder look like a permissions problem when the tool is actually struggling to address it. Try working locally on the server rather than through the share, since share permissions and file permissions are separate checks.

Robocopy can mirror an empty directory into the stubborn directory, which may clear contents that ordinary deletion tools struggle with. It is destructive: check the source and destination paths carefully, and make sure the destination contains nothing you need. It is not a guaranteed bypass for permissions or open handles.

Look for open handles before assuming the ACL is the whole story. Computer Management can show open shared files, while Sysinternals Handle or Process Explorer can help identify local processes holding paths open. A file that is already pending deletion may remain until its last handle closes.

If you find a handle, identify the process and coordinate closing it rather than killing or disconnecting it blindly. That could interrupt the processing workload.

I'd also trace how those folders are created. Check whether the processing scripts or another system writing to the share set unusual permissions or attributes. Inspect the parent folder's security descriptor and inheritance settings, not just the child that refuses access.

If the share is backed by a storage appliance rather than a native Windows volume, check its management tools and permissions too. The Windows share view may not tell the whole story.

There isn't a safe universal delete switch that ignores every cause of access denied. Offline cleanup is another option, but it requires downtime and care around the affected volume. Wiping a disk would be far more destructive than deleting these folders, so that is not a sensible fix for this problem.