mingw: handle symlinks to directories in `mingw_unlink()`
The `_wunlink()` and `DeleteFileW()` functions refuse to delete symlinks to directories on Windows; The error code would be `ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED` in that case. Take that error code as an indicator that we need to try `_wrmdir()` as well. In the best case, it will remove a symlink. In the worst case, it will fail with the same error code again. Signed-off-by: Karsten Blees <karsten.blees@gmail.com> Signed-off-by: Johannes Schindelin <johannes.schindelin@gmx.de> Signed-off-by: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Karsten Blees committed
Jan 9, 2026 at 20:05 UTC
ac41bfa374d67023970b26dc7117c878dfb58d06
1 file changed
+8
-1
compat/mingw.c
+8
-1
index 0e8807196f..b1cc30d0f1 100644
--- a/compat/mingw.c
+++ b/compat/mingw.c
@@ -338,9 +338,16 @@ int mingw_unlink(const char *pathname, int handle_in_use_error)
return 0;
if (!is_file_in_use_error(GetLastError()))
break;
+ /*
+ * _wunlink() / DeleteFileW() for directory symlinks fails with
+ * ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED (EACCES), so try _wrmdir() as well. This is the
+ * same error we get if a file is in use (already checked above).
+ */
+ if (!_wrmdir(wpathname))
+ return 0;
+
if (!handle_in_use_error)
return -1;
-
} while (retry_ask_yes_no(&tries, "Unlink of file '%s' failed. "
"Should I try again?", pathname));
return -1;