Trying to delete a file via FTP and unable to? Getting a “550 Prohibited file name” error? Annoying! But also very easy to fix. Create a php file called “unlink.php” with this code, replacing the “YOUR-FILENAME-HERE” with–what else?–your undeleteable file name.

<?php unlink('YOUR-FILENAME-HERE');?>

Upload it to the directory with the file in question, and visit the script in your web browser. It will remove the previously unruly file.¹

PHP noobs, please remember to have NO blank spaces before or after the beginning of your code in PHP files, or you’re liable to get a “Cannot modify header information/Headers already sent” error. You can create the file in a text program and simply rename it with a .php extension.

1. Thanks to irasmith’s forum post for this solution.