how to delete a file in linux

How do I delete a file under a Linux / UNIX / *BSD / AIX / HP-UX operating system using command line options?

To remove or delete a file or directory in Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, macOS, or Unix-like operating systems, use the rm command or unlink command. This page explains how to delete a given file on a Linux or Unix like system using the command line option.

How to delete Files Using Linux Or Unix Command Line

Tutorial details
Difficulty level	Easy
Root privileges	No
Requirements	rm and unlink command on Linux or Unix
Est. reading time	4 minutes

Syntax: rm command to remove a file

rm (short for remove) is a Unix / Linux command which is used to delete files from a filesystem. Usually, on most filesystems, deleting a file requires write permission on the parent directory (and execute permission, in order to enter the directory in the first place). The syntax is as follows to delete the specified files and directories:

rm {file-name} rm [options] {file-name} unlink {file-name} rm -f -r {file-name}
Where,

-f : Forcefully remove file
-r : Remove the contents of directories recursively

When rm command used just with the file names, rm deletes all given files without confirmation by the user.

Warning : Be careful with filenames as Unix and Linux, by default, won't prompt for confirmation before deleting files. Always keep verified backups of all critical files and data.

Unix Remove or delete a file example

Say you have a file named abc.txt and you want to remove it:
$ rm abc.txt

Linux delete multiple files

Delete three files named foo.mp4, bar.doc, and demo.txt, run:

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            rm            foo.mp4 bar.doc demo.txt            ls

Linux recursively delete all files

Remove all files and sub-directories from a directory (say deltree like command from MS-DOS world), enter:
$ rm -rf mydir

Linux delete a file and prompt before every removal

To request confirmation before attempting to remove each file pass the -i option to the rm command:
$ rm -i filename
Sample outputs:

Gif 01: rm command demo

Pass the -I option to prompt only once before removing more than three files but still providing protection against many mistakes at the cli:
$ rm -I foo.conf bar.conf resume.doc cakeday.png $ rm -I -r -f ~/olddata/

Force rm command to explain what is being done with file

Pass the -v option as follows:
$ rm -v moiz.list.txt bios-updates.doc removed 'moiz.list.txt' removed 'bios-updates.doc'

How to delete empty directories

To remove empty directory use rmdir command and not the rm command:
$ rmdir mydirectory $ rmdir dirNameHere $ rmdir docs

How to read a list of all files to delete from a text file

The rm command is often used in conjunction with xargs to supply a list of files to delete. Create a file called file.txt:
$ cat file.txt
List of to delete:

file1 /tmp/file2.txt ~/data.txt

Now delete all file listed in file.txt, enter:
$ xargs rm

How do I delete a file named -foo.txt or a directory named -bar?

To delete a file called -foo.txt:
rm -- -foo.txt
OR
rm -- ./-foo.txt
To delete a directory called -bar:
rm -r -f -- -bar
The two -- dashes tells rm command the end of the options and rest of the part is nothing but a file or directory name begins with a dash.

Never run rm -rf / as an administrator or normal UNIX / Linux user

WARNING! These examples will delete all files on your computer if executed.

$ rm -rf / $ rm -rf *
rm -rf (variously, rm -rf /, rm -rf *, and others) is frequently used in jokes and anecdotes about Unix disasters. The rm -rf / variant of the command, if run by an administrator, would cause the contents of every writable mounted filesystem on the computer to be deleted. Do not try these commands.

Using wildcards (globbing) with rm command

A wildcard is nothing but a symbol to match an unknown character or set of characters. For instance, the asterisk ( * ) and the question mark ( ? ) are examples of a wildcard. Long ago, in UNIX V6, there was a program /etc/glob that would expand wildcard patterns. Soon afterward, this became a shell built-in. Thus, we can use wildcard matching for removing files in bulk.
Say I can type the following rm command. It will remove all files starting with a character such as abc.txt aaa.doc amazing_pic.jpg, and so on:
rm a*
Want to delete all files with .pl extension? Try
rm *.pl
The asterisk ( * ) represents any number of unknown characters and is very powerful. On the other hand, the question mark ( ? ) represents only one unknown character. For instance, to remove all files pattern such as aa, ab, ac, and so on, you can type:
rm a?

Please note that these wildcards are used by nearly any Linux or Unix-like system commands and are not limited to the rm. Be careful with wildcards, as you might end up deleting all or unwanted files. Do check wildcards using the ls command before running the rm command. For example:
ls *.txt
Then if you see desired outputs, run:
rm *.txt

Conclusion

You learned how to delete files on Linux and Unix-like operating systems. Here are all important options for GNU rm command (read man page here)

Remove files command summary
Option	Description
`-f`	Ignore nonexistent files and arguments, never prompt
`-i`	Prompt before every file 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[=all]`	do not remove '/' (default); with 'all', reject any command line argument on a separate device from its parent
`-r`	remove directories and their contents recursively
`-R`	same as above
`-d`	rmove empty directories
`-v`	Explain what is being done

Do read the following man pages using the man command or help command:
man rm man 7 glob man 3 glob
See also:

How to delete a file securely on a Linux

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