rm, rm -r & rmdir

Delete with care

Lesson 7 of 20 · 8 min · Module 2: Shape your files

The terminal has no recycle bin. A deleted file is gone, so deleting is a moment to slow down.

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Delete files and folders
Prefer the safest command that does the job
Check a target before deleting it

The idea

rm file deletes a file. rmdir folder deletes a folder only if it is empty, which makes it a safe choice. rm -r folder deletes a folder and everything inside it. Always run ls on the target first.

ls logs/old
rm -r logs/old

01rmdir is the safe default for folders

rmdir only removes empty folders. If a folder still has files, it stops with "Directory not empty", which is exactly the warning you want.

rmdir logs

Output

rmdir: failed to remove 'logs': Directory not empty

02rm -r is powerful

rm -r removes a folder and all of its contents in one step. Combined with -f (force) it does not ask or complain. That is why rm -rf deserves extra care.

03Look, then delete

Run ls on the exact path you plan to remove. If the listing surprises you, stop. On real systems many people also use rm -i, which asks before each file.

Your turn

Delete data/photo.jpg. Delete the empty Downloads folder with rmdir. Then delete the logs/old folder and its contents. Leave everything else in place.

What the checks look for

Deletes data/photo.jpg
Removes Downloads with rmdir
Deletes logs/old but keeps the other logs

Try it in the editor →

Take this with you

Deleting is permanent: check with ls, then use the narrowest command.

Go a little further

Try rm on a folder without -r and read the error message it gives.