How to Use FMS Empty File Remover to Free Disk SpaceFreeing disk space is a common maintenance task for administrators, developers, and power users. Empty files — files with zero bytes — can accumulate over time from application logs, failed downloads, temporary processes, or misconfigured scripts. Although each empty file usually occupies negligible storage, a large number of them can clutter directories, slow down file system operations (especially on systems with millions of entries), and make maintenance tasks harder. FMS Empty File Remover is a tool designed to find and remove empty files safely and efficiently. This article explains what empty files are, why you might want to remove them, how FMS Empty File Remover works, and provides a step-by-step guide for using it on Windows and Linux, plus best practices and troubleshooting tips.
What is an empty file and why remove it?
An empty file is a regular file that contains zero bytes. They can be created intentionally (placeholders, lock files, signaling) or unintentionally (failed writes, leftover artifacts). Reasons to remove empty files:
- Reduce inode/file-count clutter on filesystems where the number of entries affects performance.
- Simplify backups and indexing by removing irrelevant entries.
- Improve readability when browsing directories or running audits.
- Prevent accidental application behavior where apps treat presence of a file as a flag.
What FMS Empty File Remover does
FMS Empty File Remover scans specified directories (and optionally subdirectories), identifies files with zero byte size, and deletes them according to rules you configure. Typical features:
- Recursive scanning with include/exclude filters (file extensions, name patterns, directories).
- Dry-run mode to preview deletions without removing files.
- Scheduling options or integration with task schedulers/cron.
- Logging and reporting to review actions taken.
- Safe deletion options: move to recycle bin/trash or to a quarantine folder instead of permanent removal.
Before you start: precautions
- Back up important data or test on a small non-production directory first.
- Use dry-run mode initially to confirm which files will be removed.
- Check for legitimate empty files used by applications (e.g., lock/flag files).
- Run with appropriate permissions (avoid running as root/Administrator unless necessary).
Windows: Step-by-step guide
1) Install or obtain FMS Empty File Remover
Download and install the FMS Empty File Remover application or copy the executable to your machine. Follow vendor instructions for installation.
2) Configure basic settings
- Open the application.
- Select the target directory you want to scan. You can choose multiple directories if supported.
- Enable “Include subdirectories” if you want a recursive scan.
3) Set filters
- Exclude directories that must not be scanned (system folders, program files).
- Add filename patterns to exclude (e.g., *.lock, .gitkeep) if those are used intentionally as empty flags.
- Optionally restrict to just certain extensions or file name patterns.
4) Run a dry-run
- Enable “Dry-run” or “Preview” mode.
- Start the scan and review the list of files the tool identifies.
- Confirm none of the listed files are required by applications.
5) Perform deletion
- Choose deletion method: permanent delete or move to Recycle Bin/quarantine.
- Run the actual delete operation.
- Review the log file for a summary of deleted files.
6) Automate (optional)
- If the tool supports scheduling, create a scheduled task to run weekly or monthly.
- If not, create a Windows Task Scheduler job to run the FMS executable with appropriate command-line options.
Linux: Step-by-step guide
If you have a packaged FMS tool for Linux or a command-line variant, steps are similar; otherwise you can use FMS to generate commands or run its CLI.
1) Install or place executable
Copy the FMS binary to /usr/local/bin or install via provided package. Ensure it’s executable:
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/fms-empty-remover 2) Configure targets and filters
- Decide which directories to scan (e.g., /var/log, /home).
- Create an exclude list for system-critical folders.
3) Dry-run
Run the tool in preview mode:
fms-empty-remover --path /var/www --recursive --dry-run --exclude /var/www/.git Review the printed list and logs.
4) Delete empty files
When satisfied, run without –dry-run:
fms-empty-remover --path /var/www --recursive --delete --log /var/log/fms-empty.log Or choose –move-to /tmp/fms-quarantine to keep files recoverable briefly.
5) Schedule via cron
Add a cron job to run at off-peak hours:
0 3 * * 0 /usr/local/bin/fms-empty-remover --path /data --recursive --move-to /var/quarantine --log /var/log/fms-empty.log Best practices and policies
- Keep a short quarantine retention window (e.g., 7 days) before final deletion, to allow recovery of mistakenly removed files.
- Combine empty-file removal with disk usage monitoring so you run removals only when needed.
- Use source control or configuration management for directories with intentional placeholder files.
- Document exclusions and schedule in your maintenance runbook.
Common issues & troubleshooting
- Tool reports files but cannot delete them: check permissions and whether files are in use.
- Legitimate application behavior broken after deletion: restore from quarantine and add the file pattern to exclusions.
- Large scans are slow: limit to specific subdirectories or run during low-load windows; consider parallel scan options if supported.
Example: Practical scenario
You manage a web host where each customer folder contains occasional zero-byte .tmp files created by failed uploads. Configure FMS Empty File Remover to scan /home/customers recursively, exclude .ssh and .config directories, run a dry-run monthly, then move deleted files to /var/quarantine for 7 days before permanent purge. This reduces directory clutter and speeds up backups.
Conclusion
FMS Empty File Remover is a useful utility to reclaim filesystem cleanliness and reduce clutter from zero-byte files. Use dry-runs, exclusions, and quarantines to avoid accidental removal of intentional placeholders. Scheduled runs and monitoring integrate the tool into regular maintenance so you keep the filesystem performant and readable.
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