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 the -I or interactive=once option is given,  and  there  are  more
       than  three  files  or  the  -r,  -R, or recursive are given, then rm
       prompts the user for whether to proceed with the entire operation.   If
       the response is not affirmative, the entire command is aborted.

       Otherwise,  if  a file is unwritable, standard input is a terminal, and
       the -f or force  option  is  not  given,  or  the  -i  or  interac‐
       tive=always  option is given, rm prompts the user for whether to remove
       the file.  If the response is not affirmative, the file is skipped.

OPTIONS
       Remove (unlink) the FILE(s).

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

       -i     prompt before every removal

       -I     prompt once before removing  more  than  three  files,  or  when
              removing recursively; less intrusive than -i, while still giving
              protection against most mistakes

       interactive[=WHEN]
              prompt according to WHEN: never,  once  (-I),  or  always  (-i);
              without WHEN, prompt always

       one-file-system
              when  removing  a hierarchy recursively, skip any directory that
              is on a file system different from  that  of  the  corresponding
              command line argument

       no-preserve-root
              do not treat '/' specially

       preserve-root
              do not remove '/' (default)

       -r, -R, recursive
              remove directories and their contents recursively

       -d, dir
              remove empty directories

       -v, verbose
              explain what is being done

       help display this help and exit

       version
              output version information and exit

       By default, rm does not remove directories.  Use the recursive (-r or
       -R) option to remove each listed directory, too, along with all of  its
       contents.

       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  might  be  possible  to
       recover  some  of its contents, given sufficient expertise and/or time.
       For greater assurance that the contents are truly  unrecoverable,  con‐
       sider using shred.

       GNU  coreutils  online  help:  
       Report rm translation bugs to 

AUTHOR
       Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Richard M.  Stallman,  and  Jim
       Meyering.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright  ©  2013  Free Software Foundation, Inc.  License GPLv3+: GNU
       GPL version 3 or later .
       This is free software: you are free  to  change  and  redistribute  it.
       There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
       unlink(1), unlink(2), 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 invocation'

       should give you access to the complete manual.



GNU coreutils 8.22               October 2018                            RM(1)