rm manual

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, 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 giv‐
             ing 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

      -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  is  usually  possible  to
      recover the contents of that file.  If you want more assurance that the
      contents are truly unrecoverable, consider using shred.

AUTHOR
      Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Richard Stallman, and Jim  Mey‐
      ering.

REPORTING BUGS
      Report bugs to .

COPYRIGHT
      Copyright  ©  2008  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 rm

      should give you access to the complete manual.



GNU coreutils 6.9.92.4-f088d-dirtJanuary 2008                            RM(1)