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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 --interactive=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 and arguments, 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 giving 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

       -d, --dir
              remove empty directories

       -v, --verbose
              explain what is being done

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit


       GNU   coreutils   online   help:   <http://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>  Report  rm  translation  bugs  to
       <http://translationproject.org/team/>

AUTHOR
       Written by Paul Rubin, David MacKenzie, Richard M. Stallman, and Jim Meyering.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright  ©  2013  Free  Software  Foundation,  Inc.   License  GPLv3+:  GNU   GPL   version   3   or   later
       <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This  is  free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent per‐
       mitted 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 command

              info coreutils 'rm invocation'

       should give you access to the complete manual.



GNU coreutils 8.22                                  November 2016                                               RM(1)