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Command documentation sourced from the linux-command project This comprehensive command reference is part of the linux-command documentation project.

rm - Remove Files and Directories

The rm command removes (deletes) files and directories from the filesystem. This is a permanent action that cannot be undone without backups, so caution is essential when using this command.

Basic Syntax​

rm [OPTIONS] FILE...
rm [OPTIONS] DIRECTORY...

Common Options​

Safety Options​

  • -i, --interactive - Prompt before every removal
  • -I, --interactive=once - Prompt once before removing more than 3 files
  • --interactive=WHEN - Prompt according to WHEN (never, once, always)
  • --no-preserve-root - Don't treat '/' specially (dangerous)

Directory Options​

  • -r, -R, --recursive - Remove directories and their contents recursively
  • -d, --dir - Remove empty directories

Force Options​

  • -f, --force - Ignore nonexistent files and never prompt
  • --preserve-root - Don't remove '/' (default)

Verbose Options​

  • -v, --verbose - Explain what is being done

Usage Examples​

Basic File Removal​

# Remove a single file
rm file.txt

# Remove multiple files
rm file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

# Remove files matching pattern
rm *.tmp
rm *.log.*

# Remove file with verbose output
rm -v important_file.txt
# Prompt before removing each file
rm -i file.txt

# Prompt once when removing multiple files
rm -I *.log

# Remove with confirmation
rm -i dangerous_file.*

Directory Removal​

# Remove empty directory
rmdir empty_directory

# Remove empty directory with rm
rm -d empty_directory

# Remove directory and all contents (DANGEROUS)
rm -r directory_name

# Remove directory with verbose output
rm -rv directory_name

Force Removal​

# Remove files without prompting (USE WITH CAUTION)
rm -f file.txt

# Force remove directory recursively (EXTREMELY DANGEROUS)
rm -rf directory_name

# Remove read-only files
rm -f protected_file.txt

Safety Practices​

Safe Removal Aliases​

# Create safe aliases
alias rm='rm -i'
alias rm_r='rm -ir'
alias rm_rf='echo "Dangerous command - use rm -rf manually"'

# Test before executing
echo "Files to remove: *.tmp"
read -p "Continue? (y/N) " && rm -i *.tmp

Confirmation Prompts​

# Safer directory removal
rm -ir directory/

# Batch removal with confirmation
find . -name "*.log" -exec rm -i {} \;

# Remove old files with date check
find /tmp -name "*.tmp" -mtime +7 -exec rm -i {} \;

Advanced Usage​

Conditional Removal​

# Remove files older than 30 days
find /path -type f -mtime +30 -delete

# Remove empty files
find /path -type f -empty -delete

# Remove files by size
find /path -type f -size +100M -delete

Pattern-Based Removal​

# Remove files with specific extensions
rm *.tmp *.bak *.old

# Remove files matching pattern
rm file?.txt
rm *_backup.*

# Remove files in subdirectories
rm */*.*
rm **/*.tmp

Safe Cleanup Scripts​

#!/bin/bash
# Safe cleanup script

TRASH_DIR="$HOME/.trash/$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p "$TRASH_DIR"

# Move files to trash instead of deleting
for file in "$@"; do
    if [ -e "$file" ]; then
        mv "$file" "$TRASH_DIR/"
        echo "Moved $file to trash"
    fi
done

Common Scenarios​

Log File Cleanup​

# Remove old log files
rm /var/log/*.old

# Remove log files older than 7 days
find /var/log -name "*.log" -mtime +7 -delete

# Clean temporary log files
rm -f /tmp/*.log

Development Cleanup​

# Remove build artifacts
rm -rf build/ dist/

# Remove compiled files
rm *.o *.exe *.class

# Clean backup files
rm *~ *.bak *.swp

Temporary File Removal​

# Remove temporary files
rm -rf /tmp/temp_*

# Clean user temp directory
rm -rf ~/tmp/*

# Remove session files
rm -rf /tmp/sess_*

Dangerous Examples (Use with Extreme Caution)​

# WARNING: These commands can cause data loss!

# Remove everything in current directory
rm -rf *

# Remove everything from filesystem (NEVER RUN THIS!)
rm -rf /

# Remove system files (DANGEROUS)
sudo rm -rf /etc/*

Recovery Options​

From Trash​

# If using trash-cli
trash-list
trash-restore file.txt

# Manual trash recovery
mv ~/.trash/file.txt ./file.txt

From Backups​

# Restore from backup
tar -xvf backup.tar.gz path/to/file.txt

# Use rsync to restore
rsync backup/ restored/

Filesystem Behavior​

What Happens During Removal​

  1. Unlinks file: Directory entry is removed
  2. Decrements link count: Inode reference count decreases
  3. Frees blocks: When link count reaches zero
  4. Updates metadata: Filesystem structures updated

Secure Deletion​

# Overwrite before deletion (more secure)
shred -vfz file.txt

# Use secure delete
srm file.txt

# Multiple overwrite passes
shred -n 3 file.txt
  • rmdir - Remove empty directories
  • mv - Move files (safer alternative)
  • trash-cli - Move to trash instead of deleting
  • shred - Securely delete files
  • find - Find and delete files conditionally

Best Practices​

Before Using rm​

  1. Double-check paths and filenames
  2. Use ls first to verify what will be deleted
  3. Use -i or -I for important files
  4. Have backups before large deletions
  5. Test with echo in scripts to verify

Safe Scripting​

#!/bin/bash
# Example safe removal script

LOG_FILES="/var/log/*.old"
if [ -n "$(echo $LOG_FILES)" ]; then
    echo "Found old log files:"
    ls $LOG_FILES
    read -p "Remove these files? (y/N) " confirm
    if [[ $confirm == [yY] ]]; then
        rm -v $LOG_FILES
    fi
fi

Recovery Preparation​

# Install trash-cli as rm alternative
sudo apt install trash-cli
alias rm='trash'
alias rm_permanent='/bin/rm -i'

# Create safe rm function
function safe_rm() {
    local trash="$HOME/.trash"
    mkdir -p "$trash"
    mv "$@" "$trash/"
}

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. "Permission denied": Check file permissions
  2. "Directory not empty": Use -r option
  3. "Operation not permitted": File is in use or protected
  4. "No such file or directory": File doesn't exist

Solutions​

# Check permissions
ls -la file.txt

# Change permissions if needed (use carefully)
chmod u+w file.txt

# Find processes using file
lsof file.txt

# Force remove with sudo (DANGEROUS)
sudo rm -f file.txt

The rm command is powerful but dangerous. Always exercise caution, use interactive options when possible, and maintain regular backups to prevent accidental data loss.

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