Deleting a File in a Macro

Summary: Need to delete a file within your macro? If you know the path and name of the file, it is easy to do with a simple command. (This tip works with Microsoft Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, Excel 2003, and Excel 2007.)

Sometimes you may use a macro to create temporary files which you later need to delete. Similarly, you may need to just delete a file within a macro. You can accomplish this task using the Kill command. This is a holdover from other versions of BASIC. The syntax is:

Kill File

where File is the full path and file name of the file you want to delete. When you delete a file in this manner, the file is not moved to the Windows Recycle bin; instead, it is immediately deleted from your drive.

If desired, you can also use wildcard characters in the File specification. For instance, if you wanted to delete all the files in the current directory that end in the TMP extension, you could use a command like this:

Kill "*.tmp"

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2450) applies to Microsoft Excel versions: 97 | 2000 | 2002 | 2003 | 2007

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Deleting a File in a Macro