Deleting multi files is very long to do

[regis-henri]

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Hello,
Copilot proposal to use cmd code but this old fashion way is not allways working and can introduce dramatic actions if a single error of typing is made.
For instance I have to remove 50 files put by error on the wrong repository and it take me 350 mouse move and click to do it one by one...
It is the only safe way to do it for instance.
Please can you create in the danger zone a special multi checked files cleener.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerly

[duonghoanh]

Deleting multiple files through the tool is really dangerous, it's hard to control even if you accidentally click delete. What do you think should be the tool for this job?

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[geethasagarb]

Hi! Totally understand your concern — using command-line tools like rm or git can be risky, especially when dealing with lots of files and the chance of typos. And yes, manually deleting files one by one through the UI is slow and frustrating.

A bulk file management feature (like a multi-select cleaner in the Danger Zone) sounds like a really helpful addition. It would make handling mistakes much safer and more efficient.

Hope the GitHub team considers this for a future update — great suggestion!

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[jfullstackdev]

if it's track by Git, or GitHub Desktop, you can simply manually delete files, say, using the regular delete on UI in Windows, the usual deleting of files or even in VSCode, then commit them simply

and I wonder what kind of codebase are you dealing if you are to delete that much files, it's unusual

[Henri-FR]

Hello
Thanks for your answer. The files are only simple bmp (over 1000).So copilot proposal me to put them in a huge table to be consider as one file. But of coarse this will generate a lot of code to synchronise with existing program !
It's no so unusual if I refer to program shareware on github with 4000 or more files.
Hope they will do something smart.

[saadsalman708]

Summary of the Discussion

• Posted by: regis-henri about 4 months ago.

• Topic Area: Code Search and Navigation.

• Issue Explained by the User:

  The user expressed frustration about how tedious it is to delete multiple files on GitHub. They had mistakenly added around 50 files to a repository and needed to remove them. However, the only "safe" method they could find involved clicking through each file individually—resulting in 350 mouse actions (moves and clicks) just to delete them one by one. They requested a feature, such as a “multi-checked files cleaner,” to simplify deleting multiple files at once.
  (GitHub)

---

Current Status

As of now, this discussion remains open and unanswered. There’s no response or workaround offered yet.
(GitHub)

---

Suggestions & Workarounds You Can Try

Although GitHub doesn’t currently support selecting and deleting multiple files simultaneously via the web interface, here are a few strategies that can help:

1. Use Git Locally

• Clone the repository to your local machine:

  git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git
  cd repo
  

• Remove the unwanted files in bulk:

  git rm path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ... path/to/file50
  

  Or to remove all files in a folder:

  git rm -r directory/
  

• Commit and push your changes:

  git commit -m "Remove multiple unwanted files"
  git push origin main
  

This method is far faster and safer, especially when handling large numbers of files.

2. Use GitHub’s Repository File Upload Interface to Batch Delete

• Go to the “Add file” → “Upload files” section of the repository.

• Attempt to upload a file with the same name in the unwanted list – GitHub will detect the conflict and may offer options to delete or overwrite multiple files. This approach isn’t guaranteed but may help consolidate UI activity.

3. Feature Request Voting

• If you’d also like GitHub to support multi-file deletion via the web interface, consider adding a comment or reaction on the original discussion to increase its visibility and support.

• Describe your use case clearly to emphasize the benefit of the proposed feature.

---

TL;DR

Issue	Status	Suggested Action
Deleting multiple files in GitHub web UI is extremely tedious	Open & Unanswered	Use git rm locally, or upvote & comment to support a multi-delete feature

---

Let me know if you'd like help crafting a concise comment to support this feature request or if you're interested in more advanced git strategies for bulk file management!

Here’s what I found on the GitHub Community discussion **“Deleting multi files is very long to do”** (Discussion #156108):

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Summary of the Discussion

• Posted by: regis-henri about 4 months ago.

• Topic Area: Code Search and Navigation.

• Issue Explained by the User:

  The user expressed frustration about how tedious it is to delete multiple files on GitHub. They had mistakenly added around 50 files to a repository and needed to remove them. However, the only "safe" method they could find involved clicking through each file individually—resulting in 350 mouse actions (moves and clicks) just to delete them one by one. They requested a feature, such as a “multi-checked files cleaner,” to simplify deleting multiple files at once.
  ([GitHub][1])

---

Current Status

As of now, this discussion remains open and unanswered. There’s no response or workaround offered yet.
([GitHub][1])

---

Suggestions & Workarounds You Can Try

Although GitHub doesn’t currently support selecting and deleting multiple files simultaneously via the web interface, here are a few strategies that can help:

1. Use Git Locally

• Clone the repository to your local machine:

  git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git
  cd repo

• Remove the unwanted files in bulk:

  git rm path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ... path/to/file50

  Or to remove all files in a folder:

  git rm -r directory/

• Commit and push your changes:

  git commit -m "Remove multiple unwanted files"
  git push origin main

This method is far faster and safer, especially when handling large numbers of files.

2. Use GitHub’s Repository File Upload Interface to Batch Delete

• Go to the “Add file” → “Upload files” section of the repository.
• Attempt to upload a file with the same name in the unwanted list – GitHub will detect the conflict and may offer options to delete or overwrite multiple files. This approach isn’t guaranteed but may help consolidate UI activity.

3. Feature Request Voting

• If you’d also like GitHub to support multi-file deletion via the web interface, consider adding a comment or reaction on the original discussion to increase its visibility and support.
• Describe your use case clearly to emphasize the benefit of the proposed feature.

---

TL;DR

Issue	Status	Suggested Action
Deleting multiple files in GitHub web UI is extremely tedious	Open & Unanswered	Use git rm locally, or upvote & comment to support a multi-delete feature

---