rm - Remove Files in Linux
From the Linux Essential Commands cheat sheet · File & Directory Operations · verified Jul 2026
rm - Remove Files
Delete files and directories (use with caution)
bash
# Remove files
rm file.txt
rm file1.txt file2.txt
# Remove directories
rm -r directory/
rm -rf directory/ # Force remove (no confirmation)
# Remove with confirmation
rm -i file.txt
# Remove empty directory
rmdir empty_dir/✅ -r (recursive) required for directories
💡 -f forces deletion without prompts (dangerous!)
🔍 Use rm -i to confirm before deleting important files
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