RM(1) RM(1)
NAME
rm - remove files or directories
SYNOPSIS
rm [options] file...
POSIX options: [-fiRr] [--]
GNU options (shortest form): [-dfirvR] [--help] [--ver-
sion] [--]
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 diag-
nostic 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.
-- Terminate option list.
SVID DETAILS
The System V Interface Definition forbids removal of the
last link to an executable binary file that is being exe-
cuted.
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
GNU fileutils 4.0 November 1998 1
RM(1) RM(1)
-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 direc-
tory 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-4.0 pack-
age; other versions may differ slightly. Mail corrections
and additions to aeb@cwi.nl. Report bugs in the program
to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.
GNU fileutils 4.0 November 1998 2