The Forfiles CMD command is a Windows command-line utility that allows users to perform various file operations and directory management tasks. It is a powerful tool that can be used to perform a variety of tasks, from searching for files to deleting them. The Forfiles command is available on all versions of Windows, including Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, and Windows Vista.
The Forfiles command is a useful tool for automating tasks that would otherwise be tedious and time-consuming. It can be used to search for files based on their name, size, date, and other criteria, and to perform operations on the files that match the criteria. It can also be used to delete files, copy files, and move files from one directory to another.
Purpose of the Forfiles CMD Command
The primary purpose of the Forfiles CMD command is to automate the process of searching for files and performing operations on them. It can be used to search for files based on their name, size, date, and other criteria, and to perform operations on the files that match the criteria. It can also be used to delete files, copy files, and move files from one directory to another.
The Forfiles command is also useful for performing bulk operations on files. For example, it can be used to delete all files in a directory that are older than a certain date, or to copy all files in a directory to another location. It can also be used to rename files, or to change the attributes of files.
Syntax of the Forfiles CMD Command
The syntax of the Forfiles command is as follows:
forfiles [/p path] [/m mask] [/s] [/c command] [/d [+|-] {date | dd}]
The parameters of the Forfiles command are as follows:
- /p path – Specifies the directory to search. If no path is specified, the current directory is used.
- /m mask – Specifies the file name pattern to search for. Wildcards (* and ?) can be used.
- /s – Searches the specified directory and all subdirectories.
- /c command – Specifies the command to execute on each file. The command must be enclosed in quotation marks.
- /d [+|-] {date | dd} – Specifies the date or number of days to search for files. The plus sign (+) indicates that files newer than the specified date should be searched for, and the minus sign (-) indicates that files older than the specified date should be searched for.
Options of the Forfiles CMD Command
The Forfiles command has several options that can be used to customize the command’s behavior. These options are as follows:
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| /a | Specifies the attributes of the files to be searched for. The attributes can be one or more of the following: R (read-only), H (hidden), S (system), A (archive), I (not content indexed), L (reparse point), and O (offline). |
| /l | Specifies that the command should only list the files that match the search criteria, without executing any commands on them. |
| /b | Specifies that the command should search for files in the specified directory and all of its subdirectories, but not in the parent directory. |
| /f | Specifies that the command should search for files in the specified directory and all of its subdirectories, including the parent directory. |
User Examples of the Forfiles CMD Command
The following are some examples of how the Forfiles command can be used:
- To delete all files in the current directory that are older than 30 days:
- forfiles /p . /s /m *.* /d -30 /c “cmd /c del @path”
- To copy all files in the current directory that have the .txt extension to the C:\Temp directory:
- forfiles /p . /s /m *.txt /c “cmd /c copy @path C:\Temp”
- To rename all files in the current directory that have the .doc extension to have the .docx extension:
- forfiles /p . /s /m *.doc /c “cmd /c rename @path @fname.docx”
Conclusion
The Forfiles CMD command is a powerful tool for automating file operations and directory management tasks. It can be used to search for files based on their name, size, date, and other criteria, and to perform operations on the files that match the criteria. It can also be used to delete files, copy files, and move files from one directory to another. The Forfiles command has several options that can be used to customize its behavior, and it can be used to perform bulk operations on files.