Bulk Delete: The Safe Way to Remove Many Files at Once

Finding duplicate files is only half the job. Once you’ve identified what you don’t need, you still have to actually delete them. And if you’ve ever tried to delete hundreds of files one by one, you know how tedious that can be.

Bulk Delete is the tool for that second half. It lets you open any folder, see every file inside it—images, videos, audio, documents, archives, and everything else—then select and delete them in bulk. No scanning, no analysis, no waiting. Just browse, select, and delete.

But there’s a catch: deletion via the File System Access API is permanent. It bypasses the OS Recycle Bin entirely. That’s why Bulk Delete has Queue Mode—a safety net that stages files for review before anything is permanently removed. You select, you queue, you review, and then you delete.

If you’ve ever wanted to clean out a messy downloads folder without risking accidental deletion, Bulk Delete is the tool you’ve been waiting for.

What makes Bulk Delete different from other Sakarto tools?

Sakarto’s toolkit includes duplicate finders, Media Viewer, Bulk Move, and Bulk Rename. Each serves a different purpose:

The key insight: Bulk Delete is the only tool in the organizer suite that actually removes files. It’s also the only one that requires you to be absolutely certain before acting—because there’s no undo.

How Bulk Delete works: a technical overview

Let’s walk through what happens when you use Bulk Delete.

Step 1: Choose file types and select a folder

The welcome screen has six file type checkboxes: Images, Videos, Audio, Documents, Archives, and Other. Only files matching enabled types are loaded. Your selections are saved to localStorage so they persist across sessions.

When you click 📂 Select Folder, the browser’s File System Access API reads the folder recursively. Every file in the folder and its subfolders is collected. No file content is read yet—only the metadata needed to build a card.

Step 2: Render cards in batches of 50

Cards are built synchronously and appended to the DOM in batches of 50, yielding to the event loop between batches. This keeps the page responsive even while loading thousands of files. The progress bar shows how far along the scan is.

Step 3: Classify and display each file type

Each file is classified based on MIME type and file extension:

Step 4: Queue Mode (recommended)

With Queue Mode enabled (the default), clicking Delete stages files in the Delete Queue instead of deleting them immediately. Switch to the Delete Queue tab to review staged files, preview any you’re unsure about, remove items with the ✕ button, then click Delete All Files to execute.

Step 5: Delete via File System Access API

When you execute a delete operation, each file’s FileSystemFileHandle.remove() method is called. This permanently deletes the file from disk—bypassing the OS Recycle Bin. There is no undo. Successfully deleted files are removed from the grid. Failed deletions are reported in a toast.

The safety features: why Queue Mode exists

Deletion via the File System Access API is permanent. Files do not go to the Recycle Bin or Trash. There is no undo. That’s why Bulk Delete has multiple safety layers:

1. Queue Mode (on by default)

Files are staged in a separate Delete Queue tab before anything is deleted. You can:

• Review every file before committing
• Preview each file (click 🔍) to verify it’s what you think it is
• Listen to audio files using the built-in player
• Watch videos on hover
• Remove files you change your mind about (click ✕)

2. First-time warning

If Queue Mode is disabled, a warning dialog appears the first time you try to delete. It explains that deletion is permanent. You can check “Don’t show this warning again” once you’ve understood the risk.

3. Confirmation dialog

Even with Queue Mode disabled, a confirmation dialog appears before any deletion executes. It shows the number of files being deleted and repeats the warning that this cannot be undone.

4. Visual queue badges

When files are in the Delete Queue, a ”🗑 DELETE” badge appears on each staged card in the main grid. This provides visual feedback so you can see at a glance what’s queued.

Step-by-step: Using Bulk Delete

Step 1: Choose your file types

On the welcome screen, check or uncheck the file type boxes. If you only want to delete images and videos, uncheck Documents, Archives, Audio, and Other. Your selection is remembered next time.

Tip: Filtering to one type at a time speeds up loading and reduces cognitive load when reviewing.

Step 2: Select a folder

Click 📂 Select Folder. A native folder picker opens (Chrome/Edge). Or drag and drop a folder directly onto the page. Subfolders are included automatically—all files are read recursively.

Warning: Be careful selecting very large folders. Scanning your entire Downloads folder with all file types enabled can load thousands of cards. For very large directories, scan a specific subfolder instead.

Step 3: Browse and select files

Files appear as cards in a grid. Use any of these selection methods:

• Click a card to select it (blue border)
• Click & drag on empty space to box-select multiple cards at once
• Ctrl + drag to add to an existing selection without clearing it
• Ctrl+Click (Cmd+Click on Mac) to add a card to the compare list (purple border)
• Right-click any card for the context menu

Step 4: Preview before deciding

For any file, click the 🔍 hover icon to open a full-size preview with metadata (dimensions, size, type, path). Audio files open with a modal player. Videos show a frame capture with playback controls. Documents and archives show a large type icon with the extension.

To compare 2+ files side-by-side: Ctrl+Click them, then click ⚖️ Compare in the toolbar. Each item shows its preview, metadata, and a Delete button for quick action from inside the modal.

Step 5: Delete with Queue Mode (recommended)

Select the files you want to delete, then click 🗑️ Delete in the toolbar. With Queue Mode on (the default), files are added to the Delete Queue tab instead of being deleted immediately.

Switch to the Delete Queue tab in the sidebar. Review the staged files, preview any you’re unsure about, remove items with the ✕ button if you change your mind, then click Delete All Files to execute.

Warning: Deletions are permanent. The File System Access API’s remove() method bypasses the OS Recycle Bin entirely. Once you click “Delete All Files”, the files are gone. There is no undo. Always review the queue before executing.

Step 6: Delete without Queue Mode

Uncheck Queue Mode in the toolbar if you prefer immediate deletion. Clicking Delete will show a confirmation dialog, then delete immediately. A first-time warning explains the permanent nature of the action—you can check “Don’t show again” once you’ve understood it.

Bulk Delete vs. Duplicate Finder: which to use?

This is the most common question. The answer is straightforward:

Recommendation: Use Duplicate Finder first to find duplicates. Then use Bulk Delete to remove the copies you don’t need. They’re designed to work together.

What each file type looks like

Bulk Delete displays different file types in different ways so you can quickly identify what you’re looking at:

Privacy: your files never leave your device

Like every Sakarto tool, Bulk Delete runs entirely in your browser:

• Zero network activity after page load. Open DevTools → Network tab and verify: no outbound requests at any point during browsing, previewing, or deleting.
• No file content is transmitted. Images are decoded locally. Audio and video are played locally. No file data is sent anywhere.
• Folder access is scoped and session-only. Permission is granted only for the specific folder you select, lasts only while the tab is open, and is revocable from browser site settings at any time.
• Only preferences are saved. File type checkboxes and Queue Mode preference are stored in localStorage. No file names, paths, or deletion history are ever saved.

Frequently asked questions (Bulk Delete specific)

“Can I recover files after deleting them?”

No. Files deleted through this tool use the File System Access API’s remove() method, which bypasses the OS Recycle Bin entirely. Deleted files cannot be recovered. Always enable Queue Mode and review the queue carefully before executing any deletion.

”Why doesn’t the delete button work in Firefox or Safari?”

The File System Access API, which this tool uses for folder reading and file deletion, is only supported in Chrome 86+ and Edge 86+. Firefox and Safari do not support it. In those browsers, the folder picker and delete operations are unavailable. You can still use the tool to export a file list via Download List and manually delete files in your operating system’s file manager.

”How is this different from the Duplicate Finder?”

The Duplicate Finder analyzes file content to find near-identical files automatically—it groups similar images, videos, or audio together so you can decide which duplicates to remove. Bulk Delete does none of that: it simply shows you all files in a folder so you can select and remove whichever ones you choose. Use Duplicate Finder when you don’t know which files are duplicates. Use Bulk Delete when you already know what you want to remove.

”The page is slow after loading a large folder. What can I do?”

Large folders with thousands of files create a lot of DOM elements and hold many file handles in memory. To improve performance: (1) uncheck file types you don’t need before scanning, (2) scan a specific subfolder rather than the entire drive, (3) close other browser tabs to free up RAM, and (4) use a recent version of Chrome or Edge which have better memory management for the File System Access API.

”Some files failed to delete. What does that mean?”

A file can fail to delete if: it is currently open in another application (file lock), you don’t have the required OS permissions to delete it, or the network drive it’s on disconnected. The toast message shows how many succeeded and how many failed. Failed files remain in the queue so you can retry after closing any blocking applications.

”Can I use this to delete subfolders?”

No. This tool deletes individual files, not directories. The File System Access API’s remove() method on a file handle removes the file only. To delete entire folders, use your operating system’s file manager.

”What does the ‘Download List’ button do?”

Download List exports a plain-text .txt file listing every file in the current view with its path, size, and type. This is useful as a record of what was in the folder before you deleted anything, or for sharing the file list with someone else without sending the actual files.

”I accidentally closed the Delete Queue. Did I lose my selection?”

No—switching back to the Delete Queue tab will restore it. The queue is held in memory for the lifetime of the browser tab. However, if you reload the page or navigate away, the queue and all selections are cleared.

Final thoughts

Bulk Delete is the action tool that completes Sakarto’s organizer suite. The duplicate finders tell you what to delete; Bulk Delete gives you the power to actually do it—safely, efficiently, and with a safety net.

It’s particularly effective for:

• Cleaning out messy downloads folders. Open, select, delete.
• Removing files after a duplicate scan. Find duplicates, then delete the copies.
• Purging temporary files. Filter to “Other” or “Documents” and remove junk.
• Clearing out old project files. Archive what you need, delete the rest.

But with great power comes great responsibility. Deletions are permanent. Always use Queue Mode. Review before executing. And if you’re unsure, move the files to a “To Delete” folder first and come back to them later.

Bulk Delete is the tool that makes cleanup fast and safe—if you use it right.

Ready to delete files in bulk?

• Open Bulk Delete — free, browser‑based, no install
• Explore All Organize Tools — Media Viewer, Bulk Move, and Bulk Rename
• Find Duplicate Images & Videos — 7 algorithms to find similar files first