How to Use Rm Command in Linux

There are times when you need to delete files in the Linux terminal. The rm command lets you delete directories, files, symbolic links, and more. This in-depth guide shows you how to use the rm command effortlessly.

Note: The rm command removes the file permanently without moving it to the Trash/Recycle Bin. Hence, ensure you fully understand the rm command, or you might end up losing your important files forever.

Also read: How to Use the lp Command in Linux to Print Files From Terminal

Knowing more about rm

To get started, you might want to use --help to find out more about rm and its usage:

rm --help

How to Remove a Single File

You can remove a single file using the following command:

rm <filename>

Also read: Useful Linux Commands to List Contents of a Directory

How to Remove Multiple Files

For removing multiple files, you only need to add the names of the files, separated with a space:

rm <filename1> <filename2> <filename3>.....

If you want to remove all the files with the same extension, you can use * as the placeholder. For example, to remove all “.txt” files:

rm *.txt

Similarly, to remove all files (with extension) in a directory, you can use:

rm *.*

How to Remove a Directory

For removing an empty directory, you can use the -d option, or rmdir command:

rm -d <empty_directory_name>

or

rmdir <empty_directory_name>

For director with files, you have to use the -r (recursive) option to remove a directory. This will also remove all files within the folder.

rm -r <directory_name>

Similarly, you can remove everything, including subfolders and the files within, from a directory:

rm -r *

Also read: How to Resize and Optimize Images From the Linux Terminal

Get a Prompt Before Removing a File

If you want to verify everything before removing any file, it is better to use the -i option. This option shows a confirmation prompt before removing any file from the system.

rm -i <filename>

Once you execute the above command, the system will ask you to press Y or N to confirm your selection.

In case you are deleting more than three files with the rm command, please use the -I option instead:

rm -I <filename1> <filename2> <filename3>.....

or

rm -I *.txt

Get a Message After Removing Files

With the -v option, the rm command shows what is being done by the command:

rm -v <filename>

You can use both the -v and -i option to remove files interactively:

rm -vi <filename>

Also read: How to Use the dd Command in Linux

Remove a File Forcefully

The -f option overrides any minor protection of a write-protected file to remove it forcefully.

rm -f <filename>

You can combine this with the -r option to forcefully remove a directory and its subfolders.

rm -rf <directory_name>

Note: the -rf option coupled with sudo can be a lethal command that can remove any/all files and folders in the system. Use it with care.

Remove a File Named with a Dash (-)

If you try to remove a file that has a dash in its name, you may get an error message.

To deal with the above error, please use a double dash (–) that works as an “end of options” instruction for a command in Linux:

rm -v -- -tech_info(sample_file).txt

Combine Rm with Xargs Command

You can combine the rm command with the xargs command in Linux to delete many files efficiently. For instance, let’s delete the files listed in the info.txt file:

xargs rm < info.txt

Also read: How to Check Sudo History in Linux

Frequently Asked Questions