Delete Command (d)

The d (delete) command removes files from existing archives without extracting or recreating the entire archive.

Syntax

7z d [<switches>...] <archive_name> [<file_names>...] [@listfile]

Description

The delete command:

Removes specified files from archives
Updates archive structure and indices
Maintains archive integrity
Supports pattern matching for bulk deletions
Works with encrypted archives (requires password)
Does not extract files

Common Options

archive_name

string

required

Name of the archive to modify. Must already exist.

file_names

string

required

Files or patterns to delete from archive. Supports wildcards.Example: *.tmp or logs/old.log

-p{Password}

string

Provide password for encrypted archives.Example: -pMyPassword

-r

flag

Recurse subdirectories when matching patterns.

-i{Pattern}

string

Include files matching pattern.Example: -i!*.bak

-x{Pattern}

string

Exclude files from deletion.Example: -x!important.txt

-t{Type}

string

Specify archive type (usually auto-detected).

-w{path}

string

Set working directory for temporary files.

-bb{0-3}

number

Set output log level.

Examples

Delete a single file

7z d archive.7z readme.txt

Output:

7-Zip 23.01 (x64) : Copyright (c) 1999-2023 Igor Pavlov : 2023-06-20

Updating archive: archive.7z

Items to delete: 1

Files read from disk: 0
Archive size: 22345 bytes (22 KiB)
Everything is Ok

Delete multiple files

7z d archive.7z file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Delete all files with specific extension

7z d archive.7z *.tmp -r

Delete files in a directory

7z d archive.7z logs/*

Delete with pattern matching

7z d archive.7z *.log *.tmp *.bak -r

Delete from encrypted archive

7z d -p archive.7z oldfile.txt

Prompts for password:

Enter password (will not be echoed):

Delete except specific files

7z d archive.7z * -x!important.txt -x!readme.md

Delete with confirmation

7z l archive.7z *.tmp && 7z d archive.7z *.tmp

List files first, then delete.

Advanced Examples

Delete old log files

7z d backup.7z logs/*.log

Delete all temporary files recursively

7z d archive.7z *.tmp *.bak *.cache -r

Delete specific directory

7z d archive.7z temp/

Delete files with verbose output

7z d archive.7z *.old -bb2

Delete from multiple archives

for archive in *.7z; do
    echo "Processing $archive"
    7z d "$archive" *.tmp -r
done

Safe delete (backup first)

cp archive.7z archive.7z.backup
7z d archive.7z unwanted.txt
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Delete successful"
    rm archive.7z.backup
else
    echo "Delete failed, restoring backup"
    mv archive.7z.backup archive.7z
fi

Pattern Matching

Wildcards

* - Matches any characters
? - Matches single character
[abc] - Matches any character in brackets

Examples

# Delete all .txt files
7z d archive.7z *.txt

# Delete files starting with 'temp'
7z d archive.7z temp*

# Delete files with specific pattern
7z d archive.7z backup_2024*.zip

# Delete with character class
7z d archive.7z file[0-9].txt

Deleting from Different Archive Types

ZIP archive

7z d archive.zip unwanted.txt

RAR archive (if writable)

7z d archive.rar oldfile.doc

Note: Some RAR archives may be read-only.

TAR archive

7z d archive.tar removeme.txt

7z archive

7z d archive.7z obsolete/

Scripting Examples

Clean Temporary Files

#!/bin/bash
# Remove temporary files from all archives

for archive in /backup/*.7z; do
    echo "Cleaning $archive"
    7z d "$archive" *.tmp *.bak *.cache -r -bd
    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
        echo "✓ Cleaned $archive"
    else
        echo "✗ Failed to clean $archive"
    fi
done

Interactive Delete

#!/bin/bash
# Interactively delete files from archive

ARCHIVE="$1"
PATTERN="$2"

if [ -z "$ARCHIVE" ] || [ -z "$PATTERN" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <archive> <pattern>"
    exit 1
fi

echo "Files matching pattern in $ARCHIVE:"
7z l "$ARCHIVE" | grep "$PATTERN"

read -p "Delete these files? (y/n): " confirm
if [ "$confirm" = "y" ]; then
    7z d "$ARCHIVE" "$PATTERN"
    echo "Files deleted"
else
    echo "Operation cancelled"
fi

Delete with Size Threshold

#!/bin/bash
# Delete large files from archive

ARCHIVE="archive.7z"
MAX_SIZE=$((10 * 1024 * 1024))  # 10 MB

7z l -slt "$ARCHIVE" | awk '
    /^Path = / { path = $3 }
    /^Size = / { 
        size = $3
        if (size > '$MAX_SIZE') print path
    }
' | while read file; do
    echo "Deleting large file: $file"
    7z d "$ARCHIVE" "$file"
done

Delete Old Files by Date

#!/bin/bash
# Delete files older than 30 days from archive

ARCHIVE="backup.7z"
CUTOFF_DATE=$(date -d '30 days ago' +%Y-%m-%d)

7z l -slt "$ARCHIVE" | awk '
    /^Path = / { path = $3 }
    /^Modified = / {
        date = $3
        if (date < "'$CUTOFF_DATE'") print path
    }
' | while read file; do
    echo "Deleting old file: $file"
    7z d "$ARCHIVE" "$file"
done

Important Considerations

Archive Type Limitations

7z - Full delete support
ZIP - Full delete support
TAR - Full delete support
RAR - Limited (depends on RAR version)
GZIP/BZIP2 - Not supported (single-file compression)

Solid Archives

For solid archives (-ms=on):

Deleting requires recompressing affected solid blocks
Can be slower than non-solid archives
May require significant temporary disk space

Encrypted Archives

Password required for header-encrypted archives
Password must match archive encryption
Cannot delete from corrupted encrypted archives

Performance Tips

Delete multiple files in one command - Faster than multiple delete operations
Use patterns instead of individual files - More efficient
Avoid frequent small deletions - Reorganize and recreate if needed
Set working directory - Use -w to control temp file location
Solid archives - Consider recreating instead of deleting

Comparison: Delete vs Recreate

Delete Command

7z d archive.7z unwanted/

Pros:

Faster for small deletions
Preserves archive metadata
Atomic operation

Cons:

Solid archives may need recompression
Multiple deletions can fragment archive

Recreate Archive

7z x archive.7z -o./temp
rm -rf temp/unwanted/
7z a new_archive.7z ./temp

Pros:

Can optimize compression
Clean archive structure
Can change compression settings

Cons:

Requires disk space
Slower for small changes
Temporary extraction needed

The delete command modifies the archive in place. Always keep backups of important archives before performing delete operations.

Deleted files cannot be recovered from the archive. Ensure you have backups or extract files before deletion if you might need them later.

Before deleting, use the list command to verify which files match your pattern:

7z l archive.7z *.tmp -r

Then delete:

7z d archive.7z *.tmp -r

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success (files deleted)
1	Warning (some files not found)
2	Fatal error (archive corrupted or locked)
7	Command line error
8	Not enough memory

Add Command (a) - Add files to archives
Update Command (u) - Update files in archives
List Command (l) - View archive contents

Getting Started

Command Reference

Compression Methods

Archive Formats

Advanced Usage

​Syntax

​Description

​Common Options

​Examples

​Delete a single file

​Delete multiple files

​Delete all files with specific extension

​Delete files in a directory

​Delete with pattern matching

​Delete from encrypted archive

​Delete except specific files

​Delete with confirmation

​Advanced Examples

​Delete old log files

​Delete all temporary files recursively

​Delete specific directory

​Delete files with verbose output

​Delete from multiple archives

​Safe delete (backup first)

​Pattern Matching

​Wildcards

​Examples

​Deleting from Different Archive Types

​ZIP archive

​RAR archive (if writable)

​TAR archive

​7z archive

​Scripting Examples

​Clean Temporary Files

​Interactive Delete

​Delete with Size Threshold

​Delete Old Files by Date

​Important Considerations

​Archive Type Limitations

​Solid Archives

​Encrypted Archives

​Performance Tips

​Comparison: Delete vs Recreate

​Delete Command

​Recreate Archive

​Exit Codes

​Related Commands

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Syntax

Description

Common Options

Examples

Delete a single file

Delete multiple files

Delete all files with specific extension

Delete files in a directory

Delete with pattern matching

Delete from encrypted archive

Delete except specific files

Delete with confirmation

Advanced Examples

Delete old log files

Delete all temporary files recursively

Delete specific directory

Delete files with verbose output

Delete from multiple archives

Safe delete (backup first)

Pattern Matching

Wildcards

Examples

Deleting from Different Archive Types

ZIP archive

RAR archive (if writable)

TAR archive

7z archive

Scripting Examples

Clean Temporary Files

Interactive Delete

Delete with Size Threshold

Delete Old Files by Date

Important Considerations

Archive Type Limitations

Solid Archives

Encrypted Archives

Performance Tips

Comparison: Delete vs Recreate

Delete Command

Recreate Archive

Exit Codes

Related Commands