Ansible Delete File: Remove Files & Directories (state=absent Guide)

How to Delete files or directory with Ansible?

I'm going to show you a live Playbook and some simple Ansible code. I'm Luca Berton and welcome to today's episode of Ansible Pilot.

See also: ansible.builtin.find Module: Search Files by Pattern, Size & Age (Guide)

Ansible delete file/directory

Today we're talking about the Ansible module file. The full name is ansible.builtin.file, which means that is part of the collection of modules "builtin" with ansible and shipped with it. It's a module pretty stable and out for years. It works in a different variety of operating systems. It manages files and file properties. For Windows targets, use the ansible.windows.win_file module instead.

Main Parameters

• path _string_ (dest, name) - file path • owner _string_ - user • group _string_ - group • mode _raw_ - Ex: '0644' or 'u=rw,g=r,o=r' • state _string_ - file/absent/directory/hard/link/touch • setype/seuser/selevel - SELinux

This module has some parameters to perform any tasks. The only required is "path", where you specify the filesystem path of the file you're going to edit. The parameter "owner" sets the user that should own the file/directory. The parameter "group" sets the group that should own the file/directory. The parameter "mode" sets the permissions in the UNIX way of the file/directory. The state defines the type of object we are modifying, the default is "file" but we could also handle directories, hardlink, symlink, or only update the access time with the "touch" option. For our use case, we are going to use the "absent" option. Let me also highlight that we could also specify the SELinux properties.

## Playbook Let's jump into a real-life playbook on how to delete files or directories with Ansible. • file.yml

---
- name: file module demo
  hosts: all
  vars:
    mypath: "/home/devops/deleteme"
  become: false
  tasks:
    - name: "{{ mypath }}" not present
      ansible.builtin.file:
        path: "{{ mypath }}"
        state: "absent"

code with ❤️ in GitHub

See also: Ansible Search String in File: lineinfile & regex Guide

Conclusion

Now you know better the Ansible module win_chocolatey and how you could use it successfully in your playbook to automate your day-to-day activities.

Advanced Deletion Examples

Delete with wildcard (using find module)

The file module doesn't support wildcards. Use find first:

- name: Find all .tmp files
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /tmp
    patterns: "*.tmp"
    age: "7d"  # Only files older than 7 days
  register: old_files
- name: Delete old .tmp files
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ old_files.files }}"

Delete multiple paths

- name: Clean up deployment artifacts
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item }}"
    state: absent
  loop:
    - /tmp/build-cache
    - /tmp/deploy-staging
    - /var/log/myapp/old-logs
  become: true

Safe deletion with confirmation

- name: Check what we're about to delete
  ansible.builtin.stat:
    path: "{{ delete_target }}"
  register: target_info
- name: Fail if trying to delete system directory
  ansible.builtin.fail:
    msg: "Refusing to delete {{ delete_target }} — it's a system directory!"
  when:
    - target_info.stat.exists
    - delete_target in ['/etc', '/usr', '/var', '/home', '/']
- name: Safe to delete
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ delete_target }}"
    state: absent
  when: target_info.stat.exists

Delete directory contents but keep the directory

- name: Find all files in directory
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /opt/myapp/cache
    file_type: any
  register: cache_contents
- name: Delete directory contents
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ cache_contents.files }}"

See also: Ansible Check If Directory Exists: stat Module Guide

Important Notes

⚠️ state: absent is recursive — deleting a directory removes everything inside it. There's no "trash" or "undo".

⚠️ No wildcard support — use find module + loop for pattern-based deletion.

⚠️ Idempotent — running state: absent on a non-existent path succeeds without error (changed=false).

FAQ

How do I delete a file on Windows?

- name: Delete file on Windows
  ansible.windows.win_file:
    path: C:\Temp\oldfile.txt
    state: absent

How do I delete files matching a regex pattern?

- name: Find files matching regex
  ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /var/log
    patterns: "^app\.log\.\d+$"
    use_regex: true
  register: rotated_logs
- name: Delete matched files
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ rotated_logs.files }}"

What happens if I delete a mounted filesystem?

Ansible deletes the mount point contents, not the underlying filesystem. This can cause unexpected data loss. Always check mount points before bulk deletion.

Delete File

- name: Remove config file
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /etc/myapp/old-config.yml
    state: absent
  become: true

Delete Directory (Recursive)

- name: Remove entire directory
  ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/old-app
    state: absent
  become: true
# Removes directory and ALL contents (like rm -rf)

Delete Multiple Files

- ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item }}"
    state: absent
  loop:
    - /tmp/deploy.tar.gz
    - /tmp/installer.sh
    - /var/log/myapp/debug.log
  become: true

Delete with Find (Pattern)

# Find and delete old log files
- ansible.builtin.find:
    paths: /var/log/myapp
    patterns: "*.log.gz"
    age: 30d
  register: old_logs
- ansible.builtin.file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ old_logs.files }}"
  become: true

Delete Symlink

- ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /opt/myapp-current
    state: absent  # Removes link only, not target

Cleanup Pattern

---
- name: Clean up after deployment
  hosts: webservers
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Remove temp files
      file: { path: "{{ item }}", state: absent }
      loop:
        - /tmp/deploy-{{ version }}.tar.gz
        - /opt/myapp/install.log
        - /opt/myapp/.maintenance
- name: Remove old versions (keep last 3)
      find:
        paths: /opt/releases
        file_type: directory
      register: versions
- file:
        path: "{{ item.path }}"
        state: absent
      loop: "{{ (versions.files | sort(attribute='mtime') | list)[:-3] }}"
      when: versions.files | length > 3

Check Before Delete

- stat: { path: /opt/myapp-old }
  register: old_app
- file:
    path: /opt/myapp-old
    state: absent
  when: old_app.stat.exists
  become: true

Windows Delete

- ansible.windows.win_file:
    path: C:\Temp\old-installer.exe
    state: absent
- ansible.windows.win_file:
    path: C:\OldApp
    state: absent  # Recursive delete

FAQ

Does state: absent fail if file doesn't exist?

No — it's idempotent. If the file doesn't exist, the task reports "ok" (no change).

Can I recover deleted files?

No — state: absent permanently deletes. Use backup: true on copy/template tasks, or create a backup task before deletion.

Is it like rm -rf?

Yes for directories — it removes the directory and all contents recursively. Be careful with the path!

How do I delete files matching a pattern?

Use find module first, then loop file: state=absent over the results.

Delete File

- ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /tmp/old-config.conf
    state: absent
  become: true

Delete Directory (Recursive)

- file:
    path: /opt/old-app
    state: absent  # Removes directory and all contents
  become: true

Delete Multiple Files

- file:
    path: "{{ item }}"
    state: absent
  loop:
    - /tmp/temp1.txt
    - /tmp/temp2.txt
    - /opt/old-app/cache
  become: true

Find and Delete (Pattern)

# Delete all .log files older than 30 days
- find:
    paths: /var/log/myapp
    patterns: "*.log"
    age: 30d
  register: old_logs
- file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ old_logs.files }}"
  become: true

Delete with Condition

- stat:
    path: /opt/myapp/v1
  register: old_version
- file:
    path: /opt/myapp/v1
    state: absent
  when: old_version.stat.exists
  become: true

Delete Symlink

# Removes the link, not the target
- file:
    path: /opt/myapp/current
    state: absent

Safe Cleanup Pattern

# Keep last 5 releases, delete older ones
- find:
    paths: /opt/releases
    file_type: directory
  register: releases
- file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ (releases.files | sort(attribute='mtime') | list)[:-5] }}"
  become: true

Delete File Content (Not File)

# Truncate file (keep file, remove content)
- copy:
    content: ""
    dest: /var/log/myapp/app.log
  become: true

FAQ

Is state=absent idempotent?

Yes — if the file doesn't exist, the task reports "ok" (no change). If it exists, it's removed and reports "changed".

Does it delete directory contents?

Yes — state: absent on a directory removes everything inside it recursively, like rm -rf.

Can I recover deleted files?

No — file: state=absent permanently deletes. Consider using a "move to trash" pattern instead for important files.

Delete a File

- ansible.builtin.file:
    path: /tmp/old-file.txt
    state: absent
  become: true

Delete a Directory

- file:
    path: /opt/old-app
    state: absent  # Recursively removes everything
  become: true

Delete Multiple Files

- file:
    path: "{{ item }}"
    state: absent
  loop:
    - /tmp/cache.db
    - /var/log/old-app.log
    - /opt/deprecated-tool
  become: true

Delete Files by Pattern (find + file)

- find:
    paths: /var/log
    patterns: "*.log.gz"
    age: "30d"  # Older than 30 days
  register: old_logs
- file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ old_logs.files }}"
  become: true

Delete Contents But Keep Directory

- find:
    paths: /opt/myapp/tmp
    file_type: any
  register: tmp_contents
- file:
    path: "{{ item.path }}"
    state: absent
  loop: "{{ tmp_contents.files }}"
  become: true

Conditional Delete

- stat:
    path: /opt/myapp/old-config.yml
  register: old_config
- file:
    path: /opt/myapp/old-config.yml
    state: absent
  when: old_config.stat.exists
  become: true

Cleanup Playbook

- hosts: all
  become: true
  tasks:
    - name: Remove old application
      file:
        path: "{{ item }}"
        state: absent
      loop:
        - /opt/myapp-v1
        - /etc/myapp-v1
        - /var/log/myapp-v1
- name: Clean temp files older than 7 days
      find:
        paths: /tmp
        age: "7d"
        recurse: true
      register: old_tmp
- file:
        path: "{{ item.path }}"
        state: absent
      loop: "{{ old_tmp.files }}"

Remove Symlink

# Removes the symlink, not the target
- file:
    path: /opt/myapp/current
    state: absent

FAQ

state: absent on nonexistent file?

No error — Ansible reports ok (not changed). It's safe to always run.

How to move instead of delete?

Ansible has no mv module. Use command: mv or copy + file: state=absent.

Can I recover deleted files?

No — state: absent is permanent. For safety, consider archiving first with archive module.

Related Articles

• Ansible Become Guide • creating directories via ansible.builtin.file • configuring Windows services via Ansible