Automate File Cleanup with PowerShell: Delete Old Files by Age

Why Automate File Cleanup?

In automation workflows, logging is critical for troubleshooting—but over time, log files consume valuable disk space. Instead of manual cleanup, PowerShell lets you systematically remove files older than a defined threshold (e.g., 90 days). Here’s how to implement it.

Defining the Scope

Before writing code, clarify these requirements:

1. Scope: Should subfolders be included?
2. Target Files: Which extensions (e.g., .log)?
3. Retention: How many days of files to keep?

For this example, we’ll use:

Setting	Value
Recurse Subfolders	Yes
File Extension	*.log
Retention Period	90 days

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Step 1: Configure File Selection

Define variables for the target path, file type, and age limit:

[string]$filePath = 'C:\TestCleanup\'  
[string]$fileExtension = '*.log'  
[int]$retentionDays = 90  
[datetime]$cutoffDate = (Get-Date).AddDays(-$retentionDays)  

• $cutoffDate calculates the threshold date (today minus 90 days).

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Step 2: Retrieve Old Files

Use Get-ChildItem to find files matching the criteria:

[array]$oldFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $filePath -Filter $fileExtension -Recurse -File |  
    Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -lt $cutoffDate }  

This fetches all .log files last modified before the cutoff, including subfolders.

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Step 3: Safe Deletion

Loop through the results and delete files—with a check to avoid errors if no files exist:

if ($oldFiles.Count -gt 0) {  
    foreach ($file in $oldFiles) {  
        Remove-Item -Path $file.FullName -Confirm:$false  
        Write-Verbose "Deleted: $($file.FullName)"  
    }  
}  
else {  
    Write-Host "No files older than $retentionDays days found."  
}  

Key Improvements:

• Added -Recurse to scan subfolders.
• Verbose logging for transparency.

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Extending the Script

This baseline can be enhanced with:

• Multiple Paths: Process several directories in one run.
• Exclusions: Skip specific folders (e.g., C:\TestCleanup\Keep\*).
• Centralized Config: Store settings in a CSV/JSON file.

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Ready-Made Solution

**, which adds:
✅ Custom retention rules per folder
✅ Email notifications
✅ Ignore lists for critical paths

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Final Thoughts

Automating file cleanup reduces manual effort and prevents disk bloat. While the example above handles basic needs, consider integrating it into:

• Scheduled Tasks: Run weekly/monthly.
• CI/CD Pipelines: Prune build artifacts post-deployment.

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