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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.

GNU rm, like every program that uses the getopt function to parse its arguments, lets you use the -- option to indicate that all following arguments are non-options. To remove a file called `-f' in the current directory, you could type either

rm -- -f
or
rm ./-f
The Unix rm program's use of a single `-' for this purpose predates the development of the getopt standard syntax.

Options

Remove (unlink) the FILE(s).

-d, --directory
unlink directory, even if non-empty (super-user only)
-f, --force
ignore nonexistent files, never prompt
-i, --interactive
prompt before any removal
-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

Reporting Bugs

Report bugs to <bug-fileutils@gnu.org>.

See Also

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

should give you access to the complete manual.


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