Removing Files

The rm command is used to delete files and directories. It is important to keep in mind that deleted files and directories do not go into a "trash can" as with desktop oriented operating systems. When a file is deleted with the rm command, it is almost always permanently gone.

rm [OPTIONS] FILE

Follow Along

Use the following command to switch to the Documents directory:

sysadmin@localhost:~$ cd ~/Documents

Without any options, the rm command is typically used to remove regular files:

sysadmin@localhost:~/Documents$ rm linux.txt
sysadmin@localhost:~/Documents$ ls linux.txt
ls: cannot access linux.txt: No such file or directory 

The rm command will ignore directories that it's asked to remove; to delete a directory, use the recursive option, either the -r or -R options. Just be careful since this will delete all files and all subdirectories:

sysadmin@localhost:~/Documents$ rm Work
rm: cannot remove 'Work': Is a directory
sysadmin@localhost:~/Documents$ rm -r Work

Warning

The rm command removes files permanently. To repeat the examples above, reset the terminal using the reset button.

Consider This

Permissions can have an impact on file management commands, such as the rmcommand.

To delete a file within a directory, a user must have write and execute permission on a directory. Regular users typically only have this type of permission in their home directory and its subdirectories.