rm

RM(1) User Commands RM(1)

NAME

rm - remove files or directories


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

DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents the GNU version of rm. rm removes each
specified file. By default, it does not remove directories.


If a file is unwritable, the standard input is a tty, and the -f or
--force option is not given, rm prompts the user for whether to remove
the file. If the response does not begin with "y" or "Y", the file is
skipped.


OPTIONS
Remove (unlink) the FILE(s).


-d, --directory
unlink FILE, even if it is a non-empty directory (super-user
only; this works only if your system


supports "unlink" for nonempty directories)


-f, --force
ignore nonexistent files, never prompt


-i, --interactive
prompt before any removal


--no-preserve-root do not treat "/" specially (the default)


--preserve-root
fail to operate recursively on "/"


-r, -R, --recursive
remove the contents of directories recursively


-v, --verbose
explain what is being done


--help display this help and exit


--version
output version information and exit


To remove a file whose name starts with a "-", for example "-foo", use
one of these commands:


rm -- -foo


rm ./-foo


Note that if you use rm to remove a file, it is usually possible to
recover the contents of that file. If you want more assurance that the
contents are truly unrecoverable, consider using shred.

AUTHOR

Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Richard Stallman, and Jim Mey-
ering.


REPORTING BUGS
Report bugs to .

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2004 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions. There is
NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE.



SEE ALSO

chattr(1), shred(1)


The full documentation for rm is maintained as a Texinfo manual. If
the info and rm programs are properly installed at your site, the com-
mand


info coreutils rm


should give you access to the complete manual.






rm (coreutils) 5.2.1 July 2004 RM(1)