rm — remove files and directories

What it does

rm removes files and directories from the filesystem. Unlike a desktop trash can, rm unlinks the file immediately and permanently — the space is freed and the data is gone. With -r it descends into directories, and with -f it suppresses prompts and ignores missing files.

Why it matters

rm is how you clean up: deleting temp files, build artifacts, old logs, and unused code. It is also the command behind countless accidents, because there is no confirmation by default and no recycle bin. Knowing exactly what rm does — and what it does not do — is a core part of being safe on a Unix system.

Example

$ rm notes.txt

$ ls
notes.txt  report.md
$ rm notes.txt
$ ls
report.md

$ rm -rf build/

$ ls
build/  src/  package.json
$ rm -rf build/
$ ls
src/  package.json

Common flags

-r

recursively remove directories and their contents

-f

force — ignore missing files and never prompt

-i

interactive — ask for confirmation before each removal

-v

verbose — report each file as it is removed

-d

remove empty directories (like rmdir)

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end of options — lets you remove files whose names start with a dash