The rm command¶
rm which stands for "remove" is a command used to remove (delete) specific files. It can also be used to remove directories by using the appropriate flag.
Example:¶
rm filename.txt
Syntax¶
rm [OPTION] [FILE|DIRECTORY]
Flags and their Functionalities:¶
| Short Flag | Long Flag | Description |
|---|---|---|
-f | --force | Ignore nonexistance of files or directories, never prompt |
-i | Prompt before every removal | |
-I | Prompt once before removal of more than 3 files, or when removing recursively | |
-d | --dir | remove empty directories |
-v | --verbose | explain what is being done |
-r or -R | --recursive | remove directories and their contents recursively |
--help | Display help then exit | |
--version | First, Print version Information, Then exit | |
--no-preserve-root | do not treat / specially | |
-preserve-root[=all] | do not remove / (default) with 'all', reject any command line argument on a separate device from its parent | |
--interactive[=WHEN] | prompt according to WHEN, never, once -I, or always -i, without WHEN, prompt always | |
--one-file-system | when removing a hierarchy recursively, skip any directory that is on a file system different from that of the corresponding command line argument0 |
IMPORTANT NOTICE: 1. rm doesn't remove directories by default, so use -r, -R, --recursive options to remove each listed directory, along with all of its contents. 2. To remove a file whose name starts with - such as -foo, use one of the following commands: - rm -- -foo - rm ./-foo 3. To ensure that files/directories being deleted are truly unrecoverable, consider using the shred command.
Last update: 2022-05-12