rm

Remove files or directories

Overview

Deletes files or directories. Use with caution.

rm [OPTION]... [FILE]...

-f, --force

Ignore nonexistent files and arguments, never prompt.

-i

Prompt before every removal.

-r, -R, --recursive

Remove directories and their contents recursively.

-d, --dir

Remove empty directories.

-v, --verbose

Explain what is being done.

$ rm myfile.txt

Deletes the file myfile.txt.

$ rm -f oldfile.log

Forcefully deletes oldfile.log without prompting.

$ rm -i important_document.doc

Prompts for confirmation before deleting important_document.doc.

$ rm -r my_directory/

Recursively deletes the directory my_directory and all its contents. (Use with extreme caution).

$ rm -v *.tmp

Deletes all files ending with .tmp in the current directory and shows what is being done.

List directory contents

Copy files and directories

Move or rename files and directories

Remove empty directories

Change file timestamps or create empty files

Search for files in a directory hierarchy

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