forcey okix

cli delete filesystem locked-files windows

Use this command to install forcey:

winget install --id=okix.forcey -e

forcey is a Windows command-line tool that permanently deletes stubborn files and directories while using only as much force as necessary. It escalates from normal deletion to attribute cleanup, elevation, permission repair, ownership changes, and finally locked-handle closure.

Forcey ✨

Forcey is a small Windows tool for safely removing stubborn files and folders.

By default, Forcey moves targets to the Recycle Bin. It only escalates when necessary: restrictive attributes, administrator rights, permissions, ownership, and finally blocking applications. Permanent deletion is available only through the explicit -f flag.

Large permanent deletions get an item-based progress bar with an ETA. Explorer jobs run through a tiny background GUI that appears only when a job takes longer than a moment and closes automatically after success.

Install

Once published on WinGet:

winget install okix.forcey

The WinGet installer includes:

forcey.exe
forcey-gui.exe
the original Forcey sparkle icon
the Forcey Explorer context-menu command
the CLI entry on the current user's PATH

A portable ZIP remains available for users who do not want an installer. Extract all files from forcey-windows-x64.zip into the same directory.

CLI usage

# Safe default: move to the Recycle Bin
forcey .\folder
forcey .\folder1 .\folder2 ".\file with spaces.txt"

# Explicit permanent deletion
forcey -f C:\Temp\stubborn-folder

# Show the escalation plan only
forcey .\folder --dry-run

There is no typed DELETE confirmation anymore. Running Forcey normally is recoverable through the Recycle Bin; using -f is the explicit confirmation that permanent deletion is intended.

Run forcey --help for all options.

Explorer context menu

The installer automatically adds a per-user Forcey command for files and folders. The label uses plain text, while the visual sparkle is represented by the packaged icon so Explorer does not truncate or misrender the emoji.

On Windows 11, the registry-based command appears under Show more options. You can select multiple files, multiple folders, or a mixed selection; the lightweight GUI instances opened by Explorer are combined into one Forcey job and one progress window. The Explorer command always uses the safe Recycle Bin mode and never passes -f.

Portable users can manage the integration manually:

forcey context-menu install
forcey context-menu remove
forcey context-menu status

The background window stays hidden for quick operations. For longer jobs it shows the current force level, target, progress, and ETA where Windows exposes meaningful progress. It disappears automatically after a successful operation.

Blocking applications

Forcey completes every safe removal and permission step before it considers terminating an application.

At the final force level it:

Waits briefly and retries once so short-lived Explorer or shell handles do not trigger a false blocker prompt.
Finds processes that still hold handles below the remaining target.
Separates protected processes from ordinary applications.
Never offers to terminate critical Windows components, Forcey jobs and their helpers, or the terminal/application that launched Forcey.
Asks separately before terminating eligible applications and warns about unsaved work.
Retries the selected removal mode only after approval.

Automation can explicitly opt in with --kill-blockers. That option does not disable the protected-process denylist.

Safety model

Normal command: move to the Recycle Bin.
-f / --force: permanently delete and bypass the Recycle Bin.
The Explorer command never performs permanent deletion.
Critical target locations are protected by default.
--allow-system permits protected target locations but never permits Forcey to terminate protected processes.
Forcey never terminates its own launcher, such as the PowerShell window from which the command was started.
Forcey never terminates another active Forcey job or internal helpers such as icacls.exe and attrib.exe.
Attribute and permission escalation visits entries individually and never follows symbolic links, junctions, mount points, or other reparse points.
If Windows cannot recycle an item, Forcey leaves it in place and continues its escalation path. It does not silently fall back to permanent deletion.

Build

.\build.ps1 -Version 1.1.0

With Inno Setup installed, the build produces:

dist\forcey-setup-x64.exe — per-user installer used by WinGet
dist\forcey-windows-x64.zip — portable package
dist\SHA256SUMS.txt

The release package contains:

forcey.exe — console application and portable context-menu manager
forcey-gui.exe — no-console background progress window
forcey.ico — Explorer and window icon
README, license, and third-party notice

License

GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 only. See LICENSE.