RM(1) Linux Manual Page

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rm - remove files or directories

Synopsis

rm [options] file...

POSIX options: [-fiRr] [--]

GNU options (shortest form): [-dfirvR] [--help] [--version] [--]

Description

rm removes each given file. By default, it does not remove directories. But when the -r or -R option is given, the entire directory tree below the specified directory is removed (and there are no limitations on the depth of directory trees that can be removed by `rm -r'). It is an error when the last path component of file is either . or .. (so as to avoid unpleasant surprises with `rm -r .*' or so).

If the -i option is given, or if a file is unwritable, standard input is a terminal, and the -f option is not given, rm prompts the user for whether to remove the file, writing a question to stderr and reading an answer from stdin. If the response is not affirmative, the file is skipped.

Posix Options

-f: Do not prompt for confirmation. Do not write diagnostic messages. Do not produce an error return status if the only errors were nonexisting files.
-i: Prompt for confirmation. (In case both -f and -i are given, the last one given takes effect.)
-r or -R: Recursively remove directory trees.
--: Terminate option list.

Svid Details

The System V Interface Definition forbids removal of the last link to an executable binary file that is being executed.

GNU Details

The GNU implementation (in fileutils-3.16) is broken in the sense that there is an upper limit to the depth of hierarchies that can be removed. (If necessary, a utility `deltree' can be used to remove very deep trees.)

GNU Options

-d, --directory: Remove directories with unlink(2) instead of rmdir(2) , and don't require a directory to be empty before trying to unlink it. Only works if you have appropriate privileges. Because unlinking a directory causes any files in the deleted directory to become unreferenced, it is wise to fsck(8) the filesystem after doing this.
-f, --force: Ignore nonexistent files and never prompt the user.
-i, --interactive: Prompt whether to remove each file. If the response is not affirmative, the file is skipped.
-r, -R, --recursive: Remove the contents of directories recursively.
-v, --verbose: Print the name of each file before removing it.

GNU Standard Options

--help: Print a usage message on standard output and exit successfully.
--version: Print version information on standard output, then exit successfully.
--: Terminate option list.

Environment

The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_COLLATE, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have the usual meaning.

Conforming to

POSIX 1003.2, except for the limitation on file hierarchy depth.

Notes

This page describes rm as found in the fileutils-4.0 package; other versions may differ slightly. Mail corrections and additions to aeb@cwi.nl. Report bugs in the program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.

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