Cannot delete blob with backslash in the filename

Question

Cannot delete blob with backslash in the filename

Shaun Bailey 86

We have an Azure Data Lake V2 that we've given access to several of our partners via SFTP. Unfortunately, one of those partners uploaded a file with a backslash in the filename. While the UI won't allow me to mistakenly upload those files, there is no prevention on SFTP uploads. And when I try to delete the file through the SFTP or through the UI, it throws an error stating that it cannot find the file.

Help!

error

PRADEEPCHEEKATLA 90,641 Reputation points Moderator

2023-12-13T02:38:13+00:00

@Shaun Bailey - Just checking in to see if the below answer provided by @Amira Bedhiafi helped.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
PRADEEPCHEEKATLA 90,641 Reputation points Moderator

2023-12-15T09:10:21.2+00:00

@Shaun Bailey - Following up to see if the below answer was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Shaun Bailey 86 Reputation points

2023-12-15T19:09:40.6333333+00:00

Hi @PRADEEPCHEEKATLA . Unfortunately, that did not work. It errors out saying that the file doesn't exist. I tried various different combinations of \ or \ or / or // and nothing seemed to work.

1 answer

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PRADEEPCHEEKATLA 90,641 Reputation points Moderator

2023-12-13T02:38:13+00:00

@Shaun Bailey - Just checking in to see if the below answer provided by @Amira Bedhiafi helped.

If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
PRADEEPCHEEKATLA 90,641 Reputation points Moderator

2023-12-15T09:10:21.2+00:00

@Shaun Bailey - Following up to see if the below answer was helpful. If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.
Shaun Bailey 86 Reputation points

2023-12-15T19:09:40.6333333+00:00

Hi @PRADEEPCHEEKATLA . Unfortunately, that did not work. It errors out saying that the file doesn't exist. I tried various different combinations of \ or \ or / or // and nothing seemed to work.

Answer 1

Dealing with a file with a backslash in its filename in Azure Data Lake is a nightmare sometimes because they are often interpreted as directory separators in file paths. Try using CLI and use the az storage blob delete command to delete the file. You might need to escape the backslash in the filename. For example, if your file is named file\name.txt, you would reference it as file\\name.txt.

If the CLI method doesn't work, you could use the Azure Storage Blob REST API. In this case you'll need to generate a Shared Access Signature (SAS) token for authentication. Use a REST client or a tool like curl to send a DELETE request to the Blob service REST API, making sure to properly escape the backslash in the filename.

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Cannot delete blob with backslash in the filename

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