How to create empty text file from a batch file

Question

Can somebody remember what was the command to create an empty file in MSDOS using BAT file

User · Answer

If there s a possibility that the to be written file already exists and is read only  use the following code   ATTRIB -R filename ext CD   gt filename ext   If no file exists  simply do   CD   gt filename ext    updated changed code according to DodgyCodeException s comment   To supress any errors that may arise   ATTRIB -R filename ext gt NUL  CD   gt filename ext 2 gt NUL

User · Answer

The easiest way is   echo   gt  Filename txt

User · Answer

echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt

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fsutil file createnew file cmd 0

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type NUL  gt  EmptyFile txt   After reading the previous two posts  this blend of the two is what I came up with  It seems a little cleaner  There is no need to worry about redirecting the  1 file s  copied   message to NUL  like the previous post does  and it looks nice next to the ECHO OutputLineFromLoop  gt  gt  Emptyfile txt that will usually follow in a batch file

User · Answer

echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt

User · Answer

You can use a TYPE command instead of COPY   Try this   TYPE File1 txt gt File2 txt   Where File1 txt is empty

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You can also use SET to create a null byte file as follows  set x x  gt  EmptyFile txt   Or if you don t want to create an extra variable reassign an existing variable like  set PROMPT  PROMPT   gt  EmptyFile txt   or like this   set  PROMPT  PROMPT    gt  EmptyFile txt

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The easiest way is   echo   gt  Filename txt

User · Answer

type NUL  gt  EmptyFile txt   After reading the previous two posts  this blend of the two is what I came up with  It seems a little cleaner  There is no need to worry about redirecting the  1 file s  copied   message to NUL  like the previous post does  and it looks nice next to the ECHO OutputLineFromLoop  gt  gt  Emptyfile txt that will usually follow in a batch file

User · Answer

copy NUL EmptyFile txt  DOS has a few special files  devices  actually  that exist in every directory  NUL being the equivalent of UNIX s  dev null  it s a magic file that s always empty and throws away anything you write to it   Here s a list of some others  CON is occasionally useful as well   To avoid having any output at all  you can use  copy  y NUL EmptyFile txt  NUL   y prevents copy from asking a question you can t see when output goes to NUL

User · Answer

You can also use SET to create a null byte file as follows  set x x  gt  EmptyFile txt   Or if you don t want to create an extra variable reassign an existing variable like  set PROMPT  PROMPT   gt  EmptyFile txt   or like this   set  PROMPT  PROMPT    gt  EmptyFile txt

User · Answer

Techniques I gathered from other answers   Makes a 0 byte file a very clear  backward-compatible way   type nul  gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  anonymous  Danny Backett  possibly others  myself inspired by JdeBP s work  A 0 byte file another way  it s backward-compatible-looking   REM   gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  Johannes  A 0 byte file 3rd way backward-compatible-looking  too   echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  TheSmurf  A 0 byte file the systematic way probably available since Windows 2000   fsutil file createnew EmptyFile txt 0   idea via  Emm  A 0 bytes file overwriting readonly files  ATTRIB -R filename ext gt NUL  CD  gt filename ext 2 gt NUL   idea via  copyitright  A single newline  2 bytes  0x0D 0x0A in hex notation  alternatively written as  r n    echo  gt AlmostEmptyFile txt   Note  no space between echo    and  gt    idea via  How can you echo a newline in batch files     edit It seems that any invalid command redirected to a file would create an empty file  heh  a feature  compatibility  uknown  TheInvisibleFeature  lt nul  gt EmptyFile txt   A 0 bytes file  invalid command  with a random name  compatibility  uknown     RANDOM - TIME  6 5   lt nul  gt EmptyFile txt   via  great source for random by Hung Huynh   edit 2 Andriy M points out the probably most amusing provoking way to achieve this via invalid command  A 0 bytes file  invalid command  the funky way  compatibility  unknown     gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  Andriy M  A 0 bytes file 4th-coming way    break  gt  file txt   idea via  foxidrive thanks to comment of Double Gras

User · Answer

You can use a TYPE command instead of COPY   Try this   TYPE File1 txt gt File2 txt   Where File1 txt is empty

User · Answer

echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt

User · Answer

If there s a possibility that the to be written file already exists and is read only  use the following code   ATTRIB -R filename ext CD   gt filename ext   If no file exists  simply do   CD   gt filename ext    updated changed code according to DodgyCodeException s comment   To supress any errors that may arise   ATTRIB -R filename ext gt NUL  CD   gt filename ext 2 gt NUL

User · Answer

copy NUL EmptyFile txt  DOS has a few special files  devices  actually  that exist in every directory  NUL being the equivalent of UNIX s  dev null  it s a magic file that s always empty and throws away anything you write to it   Here s a list of some others  CON is occasionally useful as well   To avoid having any output at all  you can use  copy  y NUL EmptyFile txt  NUL   y prevents copy from asking a question you can t see when output goes to NUL

User · Answer

type NUL  gt  EmptyFile txt   After reading the previous two posts  this blend of the two is what I came up with  It seems a little cleaner  There is no need to worry about redirecting the  1 file s  copied   message to NUL  like the previous post does  and it looks nice next to the ECHO OutputLineFromLoop  gt  gt  Emptyfile txt that will usually follow in a batch file

User · Answer

type NUL  gt  EmptyFile txt   After reading the previous two posts  this blend of the two is what I came up with  It seems a little cleaner  There is no need to worry about redirecting the  1 file s  copied   message to NUL  like the previous post does  and it looks nice next to the ECHO OutputLineFromLoop  gt  gt  Emptyfile txt that will usually follow in a batch file

User · Answer

REM    empty file

User · Answer

copy NUL EmptyFile txt  DOS has a few special files  devices  actually  that exist in every directory  NUL being the equivalent of UNIX s  dev null  it s a magic file that s always empty and throws away anything you write to it   Here s a list of some others  CON is occasionally useful as well   To avoid having any output at all  you can use  copy  y NUL EmptyFile txt  NUL   y prevents copy from asking a question you can t see when output goes to NUL

User · Answer

Techniques I gathered from other answers   Makes a 0 byte file a very clear  backward-compatible way   type nul  gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  anonymous  Danny Backett  possibly others  myself inspired by JdeBP s work  A 0 byte file another way  it s backward-compatible-looking   REM   gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  Johannes  A 0 byte file 3rd way backward-compatible-looking  too   echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  TheSmurf  A 0 byte file the systematic way probably available since Windows 2000   fsutil file createnew EmptyFile txt 0   idea via  Emm  A 0 bytes file overwriting readonly files  ATTRIB -R filename ext gt NUL  CD  gt filename ext 2 gt NUL   idea via  copyitright  A single newline  2 bytes  0x0D 0x0A in hex notation  alternatively written as  r n    echo  gt AlmostEmptyFile txt   Note  no space between echo    and  gt    idea via  How can you echo a newline in batch files     edit It seems that any invalid command redirected to a file would create an empty file  heh  a feature  compatibility  uknown  TheInvisibleFeature  lt nul  gt EmptyFile txt   A 0 bytes file  invalid command  with a random name  compatibility  uknown     RANDOM - TIME  6 5   lt nul  gt EmptyFile txt   via  great source for random by Hung Huynh   edit 2 Andriy M points out the probably most amusing provoking way to achieve this via invalid command  A 0 bytes file  invalid command  the funky way  compatibility  unknown     gt EmptyFile txt   idea via  Andriy M  A 0 bytes file 4th-coming way    break  gt  file txt   idea via  foxidrive thanks to comment of Double Gras

User · Answer

One more to add to the books - short and sweet to type   break gt file txt break gt  file with spaces in name txt

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IMPORTANT   If you don t set the encoding  many softwares can break   git is a very popular example   Set-Content  your ignore file txt   gitignore -Encoding utf8 this is case-sensitive and forces utf8 encoding

User · Answer

copy NUL EmptyFile txt  DOS has a few special files  devices  actually  that exist in every directory  NUL being the equivalent of UNIX s  dev null  it s a magic file that s always empty and throws away anything you write to it   Here s a list of some others  CON is occasionally useful as well   To avoid having any output at all  you can use  copy  y NUL EmptyFile txt  NUL   y prevents copy from asking a question you can t see when output goes to NUL

User · Answer

One more to add to the books - short and sweet to type   break gt file txt break gt  file with spaces in name txt

User · Answer

echo  2 gt EmptyFile txt

User · Answer

fsutil file createnew file cmd 0

User · Answer

There are infinite approaches   Commands that output nothing   break cls color goto pushd popd prompt title   Weird Commands   CD  REM   echo off cmd  c START  gt FILE   The outdated print command produces a blank file   print  d EMPTY TEXT FILE nul

User · Answer

IMPORTANT   If you don t set the encoding  many softwares can break   git is a very popular example   Set-Content  your ignore file txt   gitignore -Encoding utf8 this is case-sensitive and forces utf8 encoding

User · Answer

There are infinite approaches   Commands that output nothing   break cls color goto pushd popd prompt title   Weird Commands   CD  REM   echo off cmd  c START  gt FILE   The outdated print command produces a blank file   print  d EMPTY TEXT FILE nul

User · Answer

REM    empty file

[batch-file] How to create empty text file from a batch file?

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