ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Del (command)

Imagine you have a special button called "delete" on your computer. This button is like a magic eraser that makes things disappear from your computer forever.

When you click on the "delete" button or use the "del" command, you are telling the computer to get rid of something, just like when you throw away something you don't want anymore. But be careful, because once you delete something, it's gone and you can't bring it back.

The "del" command is a special instruction you give to your computer to delete a file or folder from your computer. A file is like a piece of paper with writing on it, and a folder is like a drawer where you keep many pieces of paper.

If you want to delete a file, you can ask your computer to find the file and then press the "delete" button. The computer will remove the file from its memory and it will no longer exist. It's like throwing the file into a trash can and the computer emptying the trash. So you won't be able to read or use that file again.

If you want to delete a folder, it's like emptying a drawer with many pieces of paper. You can ask your computer to find the folder and then press the "delete" button. The computer will throw away all the files inside the folder and then get rid of the folder itself.

However, it's important to remember that once you delete something, you can't bring it back. So you need to make sure you really want to delete it before pressing the "delete" button or using the "del" command. Always be careful when deleting things from your computer!
Related topics others have asked about: