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vssadmin delete shadows

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Applies to: Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2019, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008

Deletes a specified volume's shadow copies. You can only delete shadow copies with the client-accessible type.

Syntax

vssadmin delete shadows /for=<ForVolumeSpec> [/oldest | /all | /shadow=<ShadowID>] [/quiet]

Parameters

Parameter Description
/for=<ForVolumeSpec> Specifies which volume's shadow copy will be deleted.
/oldest Deletes only the oldest shadow copy.
/all Deletes all of the specified volume's shadow copies.
/shadow=<ShadowID> Deletes the shadow copy specified by ShadowID. To get the shadow copy ID, use the vssadmin list shadows command. When you enter a shadow copy ID, use the following format, where each X represents a hexadecimal character:

XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
/quiet Specifies that the command won't display messages while running.

Examples

To delete the oldest shadow copy of volume C, type:

vssadmin delete shadows /for=c: /oldest