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How to Use the FOR /D Loop to Iterate Through Folders in Batch Script

When you need to automate tasks across multiple directories (such as cleaning up temporary files in every user's profile or running a build command in several project folders) you need a way to loop through them. While the standard FOR loop is for files, batch scripting provides a specific switch, /D, to create a loop that iterates exclusively through Directories.

This guide will teach you how to use the FOR /D command to process subdirectories in a given path. You will learn the correct syntax, how to use wildcards to filter your selection, and understand its non-recursive limitation, which will lead us to the FOR /R command for processing entire directory trees.

The Core Command: FOR /D​

The FOR /D command is a special variant of the FOR loop designed to iterate over a set of directories. It will not see or process any files.

The Syntax: FOR /D %%V IN (Set) DO command

  • /D: The switch that specifies directory iteration.
  • %%V: The loop variable that will hold the name of each directory found.
  • (Set): A set of directories to iterate through, almost always specified with a wildcard (e.g., *).
  • command: The command to execute for each directory.

Basic Example: Listing Immediate Subdirectories​

Let's use FOR /D to list all the subdirectories in the C:\Windows folder.

@ECHO OFF
ECHO --- Subdirectories in C:\Windows ---
ECHO.

REM The (*) is a wildcard that matches all directories in the specified path.
FOR /D %%D IN ("C:\Windows\*") DO (
    ECHO Found directory: "%%D"
)

In Output (truncated), the loop finds each subdirectory and the %%D variable holds its full path.

--- Subdirectories in C:\Windows ---

Found directory: "C:\Windows\addins"
Found directory: "C:\Windows\appcompat"
Found directory: "C:\Windows\apppatch"
...
Found directory: "C:\Windows\System32"

Using Wildcards to Filter Folders​

The Set part of the command can use wildcards to filter which directories are processed.

This script only loops through directories in C:\Users that start with the letter "A".

@ECHO OFF
FOR /D %%U IN ("C:\Users\A*") DO (
    ECHO Found user folder starting with 'A': "%%~nxU"
)

Output (example)

Found user folder starting with 'A': "Admin"
Found user folder starting with 'A': "All Users"
note

%%~nxU is used to get just the name and extension (folder name) part of the path.

The Recursive Alternative: FOR /R​

A critical limitation of FOR /D is that it is not recursive. It only looks at the immediate subdirectories of the path you specify and will not go deeper into the directory tree.

To process a folder and all subfolders beneath it, you must use the FOR /R (Recursive) command.

Pattern: FOR /R "StartPath" %%D IN (.) DO command

  • /R "StartPath": Specifies the root folder to start the recursive walk.
  • IN (.): This is a trick. The . represents the current directory. This tells the FOR /R loop to operate on each directory it finds during its walk.

This script will find every single subdirectory, at every level, inside C:\MyProject.

@ECHO OFF
ECHO --- All subdirectories in C:\MyProject ---
FOR /R "C:\MyProject" %%D IN (.) DO (
    ECHO Found folder: "%%D"
)

Common Pitfalls and How to Solve Them​

Problem: The Path Contains Spaces​

If the path you are searching in contains spaces, the command will fail unless it is properly quoted.

Solution: Quote the Path and the Variable​

This is a universal best practice.

REM Correctly quoted path in the set
FOR /D %%F IN ("C:\Program Files\*") DO (
    REM Correctly quoted loop variable for use in a command
    ECHO "%%F"
)

Problem: Hidden Folders are Not Included​

The FOR /D command will not see hidden directories. This can lead to an incomplete or incorrect result if you are trying to perform a comprehensive cleanup or search.

The Solution: Use DIR with FOR /F​

The most robust way to find all directories, including hidden ones, is to use the DIR command with the appropriate attribute switches and process its output with a FOR /F loop.

REM /ADH lists directories, including hidden ones. /B gives bare format.
FOR /F "delims=" %%D IN ('DIR /ADH /B "C:\SomePath"') DO (
    ECHO Found directory (including hidden): "%%D"
)

For any script that requires absolute completeness, this DIR-based method is superior to FOR /D.

Practical Example: A Batch "Build" Script​

This script simulates a build process. It looks for all subfolders in a C:\Projects directory and, for each one it finds, it navigates into that folder and runs a build.bat script if one exists.

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
SET "ProjectsRoot=C:\Projects"

ECHO --- Multi-Project Build Runner ---
ECHO.

FOR /D %%P IN ("%ProjectsRoot%\*") DO (
    ECHO --- Checking in project: "%%~nxP" ---
    
    REM Use PUSHD to change directory and POPD to return safely.
    PUSHD "%%P"
    
    IF EXIST "build.bat" (
        ECHO build.bat found. Executing...
        CALL build.bat
    ) ELSE (
        ECHO No build.bat found in this project.
    )
    
    POPD
    ECHO.
)

ECHO --- All projects checked ---
ENDLOCAL

Conclusion​

The FOR /D loop is the specialized tool for iterating through directories in a batch script, making it easy to automate tasks across multiple folders.

Key takeaways:

  • Use FOR /D to loop through the immediate subdirectories of a given path.
  • Use FOR /R with the (.) set to loop recursively through an entire directory tree.
  • For scripts that must see hidden folders, the more robust method is to use DIR /ADH /B piped into a FOR /F loop.
  • Always quote your paths ("...") to handle spaces and prevent errors.

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