Format
rm [–fiRrv] file …file …
Description
rm removes
files (provided that it is a valid path name). If you specify either . or .. as
the final component of the path name for a file, rm displays
an error message and goes to the next file. If a file does not have
write permission set, rm asks you if you
are sure you want to delete the file; type the yes expression defined
in LC_MESSAGES (the English expression is typically y or yes)
if you really want it deleted.
Restriction: A file can be removed by any user who has write
permission to the directory containing the file, unless that directory
has its sticky bit turned on. If the file is in a directory whose
sticky bit is turned on, only the file owner, the owner of the directory,
or a superuser can remove the file.
Tip: f you delete a file, remember that the
space is not actually reclaimed until any processes that have that
file open either terminate or close that file. See the
fuser — List process IDs of processes with open files command to find out how to get more
information about what processes are accessing a particular file or
directory.
Options
- –f
- Deletes read-only files immediately without asking for confirmation.
When you specify this option and a file does not exist, rm does
not display an error message and does not modify the exit status.
If you specify both –f and –i, rm uses
the option that appears last on the command line. If no files are
specified, rm –f will not issue an
error.
- –i
- Prompts you for confirmation before deleting each file. If you
specify both -R and -i, rm also
prompts you for confirmation before deleting a directory. If you specify
both –f and –i, rm uses
the option that appears last on the command line.
- –R
- Recursively removes the entire directory structure if file is
a directory.
- –r
- Is equivalent to –R.
- –v
- Displays a list of files that were removed.
Localization
rm uses
the following localization environment variables:
- LANG
- LC_ALL
- LC_COLLATE
- LC_CTYPE
- LC_MESSAGES
- LC_SYNTAX
- NLSPATH
See Localization for more
information.
Exit values
- 0
- Successful completion
- 1
- Failure due to any of the following:
- Inability to remove a file
- Attempt to remove directory without specifying –r or –R
- Inability to find file information when using –r or –R
- Inability to read directory when using –r or –R
- 2
- Failure due to any of the following:
- Incorrect command-line option
- No file was specified
Portability
POSIX.2, X/Open Portability GuideUNIX
systems.
Related information
cp, mv, rmdir