Delete ALL Files and Subfolders from Folder in PHP

How to delete all files and sub-folders from a folder using php. Like deleting all files of a user without activity for long time, deleting files older than 3 months etc. Whatever the reason, doing such clean-up manually is a tedious task. You can accomplish it with the help of an automated php script. And we are going to explain how to delete directory and all files and sub directories from it with php.

Deleting all files and subfolders from a directory in PHP is a common task for developers managing temporary files, logs, cache directories, or user-uploaded data. Whether you're building a file manager or automating cleanup processes, knowing how to programmatically remove everything inside a folder is essential.

In this post, we’ll explore how to delete all files and subdirectories from a given folder using PHP, step-by-step. We’ll also share a reusable function you can plug into your projects.

PHP Predefined function to delete the files from the folder.

glob() and unlink() only two native php functions.

• Function glob() returns an array of filenames/directories matching the given pattern.
• Function unlink() deletes a given file.

Here is the simple php function I have written to delete all files from a directory. Next we loop through the files one by one and check if the item is a file and not a sub folder itself using is_file() function.

Delete Only Particular File Type from Folder:

Delete only Particular file type for Eg:pdf, Jpg. with the file extension name user can delete only particular file type from the folder. 

Delete Files Older than X Days from Folder:

Deleteing old and unwanted files by setting CRON job user can delete the files older then 90days.

Security Considerations

• Always validate folder paths to avoid directory traversal vulnerabilities.

• Never allow user inputs directly into folder paths.

• Use absolute paths whenever possible.

Want to Delete the Folder Too?

If you also want to delete the folder itself, simply add the following after the function call:

rmdir($targetFolder);

Conclusion

With this simple function, you can efficiently clear a directory of all files and subfolders in PHP. Always remember to test on non-critical data and validate your paths. Whether you're maintaining a Laravel app, WordPress plugin, or custom CMS, this snippet is a handy tool for your development kit.

FAQ

1) Can PHP delete folders and their contents recursively?

Yes, PHP can delete folders and all their contents recursively by looping through directories and files, then calling unlink() for files and rmdir() for subdirectories.

2) What is the safest way to delete files from a directory in PHP?

The safest way is to use scandir() to list contents, skip . and .., and apply unlink() and rmdir() carefully with absolute paths and permission checks to avoid deleting unintended data.

3) How do I delete all files from a directory but keep the folder in PHP?

Use a recursive function to delete all files and subdirectories inside the folder, but do not call rmdir() on the root folder itself.

4) Can I delete only files and skip folders in PHP?

Yes, you can check if an item is a file using is_file() or !is_dir() and use unlink() to delete it, skipping directories.

5) How to delete empty folders in PHP?

You can use rmdir() on a directory after ensuring it is empty. To clear a directory, recursively delete its contents before calling rmdir().

6) How do I delete files older than a certain number of days in PHP?

You can use filemtime() to check the last modified time of each file and delete it if it’s older than a specified number of seconds.

php

if (time() - filemtime($file) > (7 * 24 * 60 * 60)) { unlink($file); }

7) What permissions does PHP need to delete files and folders?

PHP requires write and delete permissions on the target directory and its contents to successfully remove files and folders.

8) Can I use unlink() to delete folders in PHP?

No, itunlink()It only works for files. To delete folders, use rmdir() after clearing their contents.

9) Is it safe to allow users to delete directories in PHP?

It’s not recommended unless paths are strictly validated and sanitized to prevent directory traversal attacks and accidental data loss.

10) Is it possible to do this without recursion?

Yes, but recursion is cleaner and handles deep folder structures well. Non-recursive methods require manual directory walking using stacks.