Private/Remove-ItemAlternative.ps1
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function Remove-ItemAlternative { <# .SYNOPSIS Removes files and folders using an alternative method for cloud storage compatibility. .DESCRIPTION Removes all files and folders within a specified path using the .NET Delete() methods instead of PowerShell's Remove-Item cmdlet. This approach resolves access denied issues commonly encountered when deleting items from cloud-synced folders like Apple iCloud, Microsoft OneDrive, or Google Drive. The function supports ShouldProcess for safe testing. .PARAMETER LiteralPath The path to the directory to remove. The value is used exactly as typed without wildcard interpretation. If the path contains escape characters, enclose it in single quotes to prevent PowerShell from interpreting them as escape sequences. .PARAMETER SkipTopLevelFolder When specified, only the contents of the folder are deleted, leaving the top-level folder intact. This is useful when you want to clear a directory but keep the folder structure. .INPUTS None. This function does not accept pipeline input. .OUTPUTS None. This function does not return any objects. .NOTES - Uses SupportsShouldProcess for WhatIf and Confirm support - Specifically designed to work with cloud storage providers (iCloud, OneDrive) - Falls back to .NET Delete() methods when PowerShell Remove-Item fails - Processes files first, then directories, then the root folder if not skipped - Continues processing even if individual items fail to delete .EXAMPLE PS > Remove-ItemAlternative -LiteralPath "C:\Users\John\OneDrive\OldBackups" Removes the entire OldBackups folder and all its contents .EXAMPLE PS > Remove-ItemAlternative -LiteralPath "C:\Users\John\iCloud\TempFiles" -SkipTopLevelFolder Clears the TempFiles folder contents but keeps the folder itself .EXAMPLE PS > Remove-ItemAlternative -LiteralPath "C:\CloudFolder\Data" -WhatIf Shows what would be deleted without actually removing anything .LINK https://evotec.xyz/remove-item-access-to-the-cloud-file-is-denied-while-deleting-files-from-onedrive/ .LINK https://jonlabelle.com/snippets/view/powershell/powershell-remove-item-access-denied-fix #> [CmdletBinding(SupportsShouldProcess)] param( [Parameter()] [string] $LiteralPath, [Parameter()] [switch] $SkipTopLevelFolder ) if ($LiteralPath -and (Test-Path -LiteralPath $LiteralPath)) { $items = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $LiteralPath -Recurse foreach ($item in $items) { if ($item.PSIsContainer -eq $false) { try { if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($item.Name)) { $item.Delete() } } catch { Write-Warning "Remove-ItemAlternative> Couldn't delete $($item.FullName), error: $($_.Exception.Message)" } } } $items = Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath $LiteralPath -Recurse foreach ($item in $items) { try { if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($item.Name)) { $item.Delete() } } catch { Write-Warning "Remove-ItemAlternative> Couldn't delete '$($item.FullName)', Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" } } if (-not $SkipTopLevelFolder) { $item = Get-Item -LiteralPath $LiteralPath try { if ($PSCmdlet.ShouldProcess($item.Name)) { $item.Delete($true) } } catch { Write-Warning "Remove-ItemAlternative> Couldn't delete '$($item.FullName)', Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" } } } else { Write-Warning "Remove-ItemAlternative> Path '$LiteralPath' doesn't exist. Skipping." } } |