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rm

summary

    This subchapter looks at rm, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

    rm removes or deletes files or directories.

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rm

    This subchapter looks at rm, a UNIX (and Linux) command.

    rm is used to remove or erase a file.

    rm was part of the original 1969 version of UNICS (the original name for UNIX).

delete a file

    Use the rm (remove) command to delete a file. This example assumes you created the names saved_names and old_names files in the quick tour subchapter.

    $ rm old_names
    $

    You can use the ls command to confirm that the file was really deleted.

    $ ls
    Desktop          Movies        Send registration
    Documents        Music         Sites
    Downloads        Pictures      names
    Library
    $

safety

    Before using rm, especially rm with globbing (such as using wild cards), try the same glob with ls first to make sure you will be removing the files you intend to remove.

    For example, before running rm foo*.txt, run ls foo*.txt. Read the list and be sure that you are going to delete the files you really intend to delete.

    Some UNIX and Linux users modify the rm command by aliasing it with the interactive form, rm -i. This changes the behavior of rm to always ask before deleting files.

    $ alias rm="rm -i"

    Unfortunately, this alias can cause some scripts to fail (possibly including system scripts that were provided with your distribution).

    An alternative is to alias to a different, non-conflicting name. In this case, del might be appropriate.

    $ alias del="rm -i"

PC-DOS equivalent

    rm -i is the UNIX equivalent of the MS-DOS or PC-DOS command DEL. You can add the PC-DOS equivalent to your shell session with the alias command. To make the change permanent, add the following line to the .bashrc file in your home directory. Note that this version adds interactive questioning before deleting a file, in a manner similar to PC-DOS.

    $ alias DEL="rm -i"

recursive

    Type rm followed by the option -r followed by directory name to delete recursively. This means that the directory and all of its subdirectories will be removed, even for non-empty direcories. This is a fast way to remove directories and files in a single command.

    $ rm -r directory-name
    $

other

    On November 8, 2010, Ramesh Natarajan named this the number 27 most frequently used UNIX/Linux command at this web page 50 Most Frequently Used UNIX / Linux Commands (With Examples).

    In June 2009, Ken Milberg named this command as one of the Top 50 universal UNIX commands at this web page Top 50 Universal INIX commands. Note that this web page requires agreeing to be spammed before you can read it.

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