# How to delete a file in Node.js

By Atta Ur Rehman Shah (https://attacomsian.com/about). Published Mar 30, 2020, updated Oct 1, 2022. Topics: Node.js.
Canonical URL: https://attacomsian.com/blog/nodejs-delete-file

> Learn about a quick way to delete a file from the local file system with Node.js.

In Node.js, you can use the `fs.unlink()` method provided by the built-in `fs` module to delete a file from the local file system.

Here is an example that demonstrates how you can use this method:

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

// delete a file
fs.unlink('file.txt', err => {
  if (err) {
    throw err
  }

  console.log('File is deleted.')
})
```

The `fs.unlink()` method works asynchronously and doesn't block the Node.js event loop while deleting a file.

The `fs` module also provides a synchronous method called `fs.unlinkSync()` to delete a file synchronously, like below:

```javascript
const fs = require('fs')

// delete a file
try {
  fs.unlinkSync('file.txt')

  console.log('File is deleted.')
} catch (error) {
  console.log(error)
}
```

Be careful while using synchronous methods from the `fs` module. These methods block the Node.js event loop until the file operation is completed. It may affect performance when you are performing a lot of concurrent tasks.

Take a look at how to [read and write files in Node.js](https://attacomsian.com/blog/reading-writing-files-nodejs) guide to learn more about handling files in a Node.js application.