Deleting directories and files is one of the most basic, but important functions in any operating system. In Linux, if you have a windowed environment running, you can locate and delete files using a file manager application. Perhaps you’re logging in remotely via SSH, your Linux computer doesn’t have a GUI installed or you want to have more control over what you’re deleting. As with anything in Linux, there are many reasons why it might be necessary or preferable to delete directories or files via the command line.
In this how-to, we’ll look at the rm command which removes directories and files. We’ll look at the basics of the command and how it can be used to remove both files and directories and we’ll also look at a few other enhancements to get the most out of this command. If you want to change your file’s location instead, you should check out our article on how to move and rename files in Linux.
