How to FTP Delete Multiple Files Easily: Quick Guide for Beginners

Quick Navigation:

• Can I Use FTP to Delete Multiple Files?
• Challenges When Deleting Files from FTP
• How to Delete Multiple Files on FTP Server | 3 Ways
• Conclusion

Can I Use FTP to Delete Multiple Files?

Just like the above cases, managing files on an FTP server is not an easy process, typically when there is a large number of files to be deleted. But don’t worry, you will find ways to delete multiple files on the FTP server easily.

Challenges When Deleting Files from FTP

One of the major issues customers have is the lack of an easy mechanism to FTP remove several files at once. Users are forced to remove files one at a time because the majority of FTP clients lack an integrated feature for bulk deletion.

Furthermore, deleting files by hand can result in mistakes, such as unintentionally erasing crucial files. Here's where you can save time and effort by learning how to use the FTP command to remove files older than x days.

How to Delete Multiple Files on FTP Server | 3 Ways

Deleting multiple files from an FTP server doesn’t have to be a headache. With the right solution, you can streamline the process and avoid common pitfalls.

• Way 1. Best Free Way to Perform FTP Delete Multiple Files - MultCloud
• Way 2. FTP Delete Multiple Files via the FTP Client
• Way 3. FTP Command Line Delete Multiple Files

Way 1. Best Free Way to Perform FTP Delete Multiple Files - MultCloud

First of all, we will show you the best free way to delete multiple files from the FTP server, the comprehensive web-based multiple cloud storage manager - MultCloud. You can enjoy the following benefits:

Diverse Clouds: MultCloud supports 40+ clouds, including Google Drive, Google Photos, Google Workspace, Dropbox, OneDrive, Dropbox for Business, OneDrive for Business, pCloud, Wasabik, Amazon S3, Box, Box for Business, SharePoint Online, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, WebDAV, FTP/SFTP, NAS, ownCloud, 4shared, Icedrive, and many more.

Flexible Deletion. You can delete multiple files on the FTP server at once instead of deleting them one by one.

Strong Security. MultCloud deploys 256-bit AES encryption and a standard OAuth authorization system to protect files and privacy.

Direct Migration. You can backup, sync, and transfer files between clouds directly without downloading, keeping backup copies is easy.

Easy Operation. It provides the intuitive interface to delete files from FTP in bulk instead of on the FTP server (difficult to delete multiple files).

So, how to delete files from FTP with MultCloud, check the below steps:

1. Log in to your MultCloud account after registering.

2. Click Add Cloud > FTP, and input the needed information of your FTP server to add.

3. Find the files you want to delete, and choose them, tap Delete from the top menu or in the right-click dropdown menu.

4. Hit Delete to confirm deleting multiple files from the FTP server at once.

It’s very easy and quick to let FTP delete multiple files at once.

Way 2. FTP Delete Multiple Files via the FTP Client

Bulk deletion may not be as simple as you might think if you're using an FTP client like FileZilla or WinSCP, but most clients let you pick and delete several files at once: just connect to your server, go to the directory, pick the files you want to delete, and click the delete button.

Here, we will take the FTP client FileZilla for example to delete multiple files:

1. Please log in to your FTP server on the FileZilla app.

2. Go to the directory, select the files you want to delete, and right-click them, choose Delete from the list.

Wait for a while, the operation can be finished quickly.

Way 3. FTP Command Line Delete Multiple Files

For those who prefer command-line tools, the process is even more efficient. Using commands, you can FTP delete multiple files at once without the need for a graphical interface.

Using FTP Command Line on Windows

Windows has a built-in FTP command-line tool that you can use to connect to an FTP server and delete files. Here’s how:

Step 1: Press Win + R, type cmd, and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt.

Step 2: Type the following command to connect to your FTP server:

ftp your-ftp-server.com (replace your-ftp-server.com with your correct one)

Enter your username and password when prompted.

Step 3: Use the cd command to navigate to the directory containing the files you want to delete:

cd /path/to/directory

Step 4: Use one of the following mdelete commands to delete multiple files.

• mdelete file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt
• mdelete *.txt (use wildcards to delete files matching a pattern)

Step 5: Type bye or quit to exit the FTP session.

Using FTP Command Line on Linux

Linux systems typically use the ftp or lftp command-line tools for FTP operations. Here’s how to delete multiple files:

Step 1: Open your terminal application.

Step 2: Use the ftp command to connect to your FTP server:

ftp your-ftp-server.com (Enter your username and password when prompted)

Step 3: Use the cd command to navigate to the target directory:

cd /path/to/directory

Step 4: Use one of the mdelete commands to delete multiple files:

• mdelete file1.xlsx file2.xlsx file3.xlsx
• mdelete *.xlsx

Step 5: Type bye or quit to exit the FTP session.

If you want to use the lftp command-line FTP client to delete multiple files older than X days, you can use the --older-than option combined with the glob rm command. For example:

glob rm * --older-than 7d (delete all files older than 7 days in a specific directory)

Conclusion

There are multiple ways to delete files from an FTP server. Choose the method that best suits your needs and skill level. Compared to these ways, MultCloud is the best way to delete multiple files on the FTP server. Besides, you can migrate FTP files to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and other clouds directly, saving time and effort.

Regularly cleaning up your server and automating repetitive tasks can help you manage files effectively. Remember, a well-organized server is a happy server!