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This article mainly introduces the linux rm command how to use, has a certain reference value, interested friends can refer to, I hope you can learn a lot after reading this article, the following let Xiaobian take you to understand.

Overview of Linux rm command

Generally speaking, we can assume that the rm command is used to delete files and directories. Here is the syntax for this command:

Rm [options]... [file / directory to delete].

Here are the instructions for using the command:

Manual documentation for the GUN version of the rm command. Rm deletes each specified file and does not delete the directory by default.

When more than three files are deleted or the options-r,-R or-- recursive are provided, if-I (LCTT translation: uppercase I) or-- interactive=once option (LCTT translation) is given, the rm command will prompt the user whether to continue the entire deletion operation if the user response is not confirmed (LCTT translation note: no reply y) The entire order is terminated immediately.

In addition, if the deleted file is not writable and the standard input is the terminal, if the-f or-- force option is not provided, or if the-I (LCTT: lowercase I) or-- interactive=always option is provided, rm will prompt the user whether to delete the file or skip the file if the user's response is not confirmation (LCTT translation: no reply y).

The following question and answer examples will give you a better understanding of the use of this command.

Q1. How do I delete a file with the rm command?

This is very simple and intuitive. You just need to pass the file name (and add the file path if the file is not in the current directory) to the rm command.

(LCTT translation note: multiple file names can be passed in separated by spaces. )

Rm file 1 file 2.

Such as:

Rm testfile.txt

How to remove files using rm command

Q2. How do I delete a directory with the rm command?

If you try to delete a directory, you need to provide the-r option. Otherwise rm will throw an error telling you that you are trying to delete a directory.

(LCTT translation note:-r means to recursively delete all files and directories under the directory. )

Rm-r [directory name]

Such as:

Rm-r testdir

How to remove directories using rm command

Q3. How do I get a confirmation prompt before the delete operation?

If you want to have a confirmation prompt before each delete operation is completed, you can use the-I option.

Rm-I [file / directory]

For example, if you want to delete a directory "testdir", but you need a confirmation prompt for each delete operation, you can do this:

Rm-r-I testdir

How to make rm prompt before every removal

Q4. How do I get rm to ignore files or directories that don't exist?

If you delete a file or directory that does not exist, the rm command throws an error, such as:

Linux rm command example

However, if you prefer, you can use the-f option (LCTT: "force") to force this operation, ignoring the error prompt.

Rm-f [file...]

How to force rm to ignore nonexistent files

Q5. How do I get rm to confirm deletion only in certain scenarios?

Option-I ensures that only one confirmation is prompted when more than 3 files are deleted or recursively deleted (LCTT translation note: such as deleting a directory).

For example, the screenshot below shows the effect of the-I option-there is no prompt when two files are deleted and when there are more than three files.

How to make rm prompt only in some scenarios

Q6. How does rm work when deleting the root directory?

Of course, deleting the root directory (/) is the last thing Linux users want. This is why the default rm command does not support recursive deletions on the root directory. (LCTT translation note: early rm commands did not prevent this behavior. )

How rm works when dealing with root directory

However, if you have to do this, you need to use the-- no-preserve-root option. When this option is provided, rm will not specifically handle the root directory (/).

If you want to know in which scenarios Linux users will delete their root directory, click here.

Q7. How do I get rm to delete only empty directories?

If you need rm to delete only empty directories when deleting directories, you can use the-d option.

Rm-d [directory]

The screenshot below shows the purpose of the-d option-only the empty directory has been deleted.

How to make rm only remove empty directories

Q8. How do I get rm to display the details of the current delete operation?

If you want rm to show the details of the current operation when it is completed, use the-v option to do so.

Rm-v [file / directory]

Such as:

How to force rm to emit details of operation it is performing

Thank you for reading this article carefully. I hope the article "how to use the rm Command of linux" shared by the editor will be helpful to everyone. At the same time, I also hope you will support us and pay attention to the industry information channel. More related knowledge is waiting for you to learn!

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