How to bulk delete folders

Jinghong Chen 0 Reputation points
2026-10-16T17:01:46.29+00:00

Screenshot 2026-10-16 124753

I want to bulk delete folders in my OneDrive totaling 60GB+. However, the OneDrive web version stopped me from deleting folders because there are files within them. I am not going to go into every subfolder and delete the files inside. Are there ways to get around this? If not, I would like to request that the OneDrive admin delete those folders for me.

Microsoft 365 and Office | OneDrive | Other | Windows

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  1. Thomas4-N 23,140 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-22T07:36:33.4833333+00:00

    Hello Jinghong Chen,

    The Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders shown are currently being backed up by your school OneDrive account. I would not delete those folders directly yet, because deleting them from the OneDrive folder can also delete their contents from OneDrive and the synchronized PC.

    First, open the OneDrive cloud icon, then go to Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and try to stop backup for Desktop, Documents, and Pictures.

    The “not enough space” error appears because Windows is trying to move the OneDrive files back to C:\Users\chenj, but the local drive does not have enough free space for them. You will need to free sufficient local space or copy the files you want to keep to an external drive before moving them out of OneDrive.

    After confirming that the required files are safely stored outside the folders being deleted, you can delete the remaining folders from OneDrive.

    If Stop backup is unavailable, or OneDrive continues requiring every folder to be emptied first, please contact your school’s Microsoft 365 administrator. The administrator may need to check whether organizational backup settings, retention policies, labels, or holds are preventing normal deletion.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-16T17:02:44.62+00:00

    Delete the parent folders through the OneDrive Windows sync folder; if this is a work or school account with retention enabled, the administrator must address the retention policy because OneDrive intentionally requires the retained contents to be removed first.

    Bulk-delete through Windows

    This avoids manually opening every subfolder:

    1. Open File Explorer.
    2. Open OneDrive – Personal or OneDrive – your organization.
    3. Navigate to the parent folder containing the folders to remove.
    4. Select all unwanted folders:
      • Use Ctrl+A if everything at that level can be deleted.
      • Otherwise, hold Ctrl while selecting individual folders.
    5. Press Delete and allow OneDrive to synchronize the deletion.

    Deleting a synced parent folder removes that folder and its contents from both the PC and OneDrive. OneDrive may display a confirmation when many items are deleted at once; approve it so the cloud deletion proceeds.^1^

    Warning: Check the selection carefully. If any selected content is shared, deleting it makes it unavailable to everyone. Leave the items in the OneDrive recycle bin until satisfied that nothing important was removed.

    After synchronization finishes:

    1. Check OneDrive on the web to confirm the folders disappeared.
    2. Open Recycle bin.
    3. Permanently delete the items only if recovery is no longer required. Storage reporting may take a short time to update after the recycle bin is cleared.^1^

    If Windows reports a large-deletion warning

    For managed Windows devices, an organization can require confirmation for large cloud deletions. If confirmation is not provided within seven days, the files are not deleted. Complete the confirmation shown by the OneDrive sync client rather than repeating the operation.^2^

    If the folder still cannot be deleted

    The screenshot’s message—“You have to delete all the items in this folder before you can delete the folder”—matches a documented distinction:

    • Personal OneDrive: A folder does not normally need to be empty before deletion.
    • Work or school OneDrive with retention enabled: The folder must be emptied before it can be deleted.^1^

    If the Windows deletion fails with the same message, send the screenshot and folder path to the Microsoft 365 administrator and ask them to check:

    1. Whether a retention policy, retention label, record declaration, or eDiscovery hold applies to those files.
    2. Whether any items are checked out.
    3. Whether the account has permission to delete all content in the affected folder.
    4. Whether an administrator can remove the affected items after confirming the organization’s retention requirements.

    Microsoft documents retention policies as a cause of blocked folder deletion; files subject to retention must first be moved or deleted as permitted by that policy. Administrators can also use SharePoint PnP commands for complex deletion cases, but that does not override compliance requirements.^3^

    Do not ask the administrator merely to “force delete” the folders without reviewing retention. Microsoft 365 retention settings take precedence over the normal OneDrive deletion process, and an eDiscovery hold can prevent deletion until the hold is removed.^4^

    References

    1. [Windows](#tab/windows)
    2. IT Admins - Use OneDrive policies to control sync settings
    3. Unable to delete items in SharePoint and OneDrive
    4. OneDrive retention and deletion
    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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