RM(1)

NAME
rm - remove files or directories

SYNOPSIS
rm [options] file...

POSIX options: [-fiRr]

GNU options (shortest form): [-dfirvR] [--help] [--version] [--]

DESCRIPTION
rm removes each given file. By default, it does not remove directories. But when the -r or -R option is given, the entire directory tree below the specified directory is removed (and there are no limitations on the depth of directory trees that can be removed by `rm -r'). It is an error when the last path component of file is either . or .. (so as to avoid unpleasant surprises with `rm -r .*' or so).

If the -i option is given, or if a file is unwritable, standard input is a terminal, and the -f option is not given, rm prompts the user for whether to remove the file, writing a question to stderr and reading an answer from stdin. If the response is not affirmative, the file is skipped.

POSIX OPTIONS

-f  Do not prompt for confirmation. Do not write diagnostic messages. Do not produce an error return status if the only errors were nonexisting files.

-i  Prompt for confirmation. (In case both -f and -i are given, the last one given takes effect.)

-r or -R
    Recursively remove directory trees.

SVID DETAILS
The System V Interface Definition forbids removal of the last link to an executable binary file that is being executed.

GNU DETAILS
The GNU implementation (in fileutils-3.16) is broken in the sense that there is an upper limit to the depth of hierarchies that can be removed. (If necessary, a utility `deltree' can be used to remove very deep trees.)

GNU OPTIONS

-d, --directory
    Remove directories with unlink(2) instead of rmdir(2), and don't require a directory to be empty before trying to unlink it. Only works if you have appropriate privileges. Because unlinking a directory causes any files in the deleted directory to become unreferenced, it is wise to fsck(8) the filesystem after doing this.

-f, --force
    Ignore nonexistent files and never prompt the user.

-i, --interactive
    Prompt whether to remove each file. If the response is not affirmative, the file is skipped.

-r, -R, --recursive
    Remove the contents of directories recursively.

-v, --verbose
    Print the name of each file before removing it.

GNU STANDARD OPTIONS

--help
    Print a usage message on standard output and exit successfully.

--version
    Print version information on standard output, then exit successfully.

--  Terminate option list.

ENVIRONMENT
The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_COLLATE, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have the usual meaning.

CONFORMING TO
POSIX 1003.2, except for the limitation on file hierarchy depth.

NOTES
This page describes rm as found in the fileutils-3.16 package; other versions may differ slightly. Mail corrections and additions to aeb@cwi.nl and aw@mail1.bet1.puv.fi and ragnar@lightside.ddns.org . Report bugs in the program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.