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)