A directory in Linux is a location on your file system that you can navigate to using the command cd. When you navigate to an existing directory, you access its content. A directory can contain other directories, which are like file folders or containers for files (think of them as one big file folder). Directories are like your house or apartment in which other people live. This can be used to store important information like passwords, account numbers, and user IDs. The directory must be created on a partition that is separate from the root partition of your hard disk.
But at times you might need to delete or remove a directory. This can be because of the space issue or it might have become unnecessary. In order to remove the directory, you need to be sure about the directory you are removing and the content that is within the directory. There are multiple commands to remove a directory. So, this article will discuss all such possibilities and preferable commands at the time of deleting a directory.
Deleting a Directory in Linux
Deleting an empty directory in Linux is a simple and straightforward step. There are multiple ways to delete a directory. Some methods require root privileges while others do not. To find out how to delete an empty directory, you’ll need to know the following: What type of Linux server or computer you are using? How much space do you have available on your hard drive? How much free space is left after deleting the file that needs to be removed? or How many files or directories are within the directory where the file is supposed to go?
There are multiple commands used to delete a directory in Linux but the functions of the command have to be appropriate and one has to have a clear understanding before using such a command to delete. Each point in the below paragraphs will have a detailed explanation about deleting a directory.
- The rm command is used to delete an empty directory. It will not prompt you for confirmation when deleting a directory and gives no warning before doing it.
Syntax: rm dir_name - The “rm -rf dir” can be used to delete empty directories. In many cases, you don’t need the directory already removed, so it might be advisable to first list all directories whose names start with the string you want to remove before typing rm -rf. You can delete a directory with files in Linux using the rm command. This will remove all files within that directory and subdirectories. Deleting a directory with files in Linux is not an easy task. You need to use the right command to delete directories and other types of files by deleting the file system.
Syntax: rm -rf directory_name- To delete a directory in Linux, you can use the -r option of the rmdir command. If you want to delete a directory tree, you could use the rm -r option twice to delete everything inside.
Syntax: rm -r dir_name- It is possible to forcefully delete a directory with its files in Linux. In fact, the command “ It is possible to forcefully delete a directory with its files in Linux. In fact, the command “ rm -rf name (pathname) ” will delete all its records in the filesystem. If a file or directory is removed, it is gone and cannot be undone. In Linux, this can be accomplished using the rm command to remove a folder or file. You must first be logged into your account before you can delete any folders.
Syntax: rm -rf dir_name [path_name]- The rm -f is a command in Linux that lets you delete directories and free their space. This command does not undo deleting the directory or any of its files; deleting a directory simply prevents it from being read by anyone else in its current state.
Syntax: rm -f dir_name- The rm -i can be used to delete the contents of a directory. It first lists all files in the directory and verifies that the specified files are not present there. On finding an error, rm-i prompts you to confirm the operation but otherwise continues on its way to remove every file in that directory.
Syntax: rm -i dir_name - The rm -l uses a file containing a list of files to delete. By default, it will not output any prompt before deleting more than three files. This can be changed by passing an argument to rm -l. For example ls -l, rm -l, rm -al.
Syntax: rm -l dir_name- The rm* is a command which is used to remove files and directories. Using * you indicate multiple characters, this will look into those characters specifically and make sure that only those are deleted.
Syntax: rm* .txt- The rmdir -p path is a command used in Linux to remove a directory. This command has only the rmdir option, which stands for change directory. Changing a directory is the same as copying a file and pasting it into another location. The rmdir -p is used to remove empty directories. The base operation is rmdir, but rmdir -p removes only empty directories and the parent directory of these directories.
Syntax: rmdir -p /directory/subdirectory- The rmdir -v will remove files or directories recursively with no confirmation or warning. This command is best used on files that should not be left behind. The -v flag tells rmdir to show the directory contents as it goes to remove it, and then also tells it to fail if some file or directory within the directory doesn’t exist.
Syntax: rmdir -v dir_name Conclusion
Deleting directories in Linux involves creating the directory, navigating to the directory, selecting the target directory, and running a command. You can delete a directory with files in Linux using the rm command without any parameter. However, you need to be careful while deleting a directory that has files present inside. So, be careful before deleting anything from your server’s disk drive or partition.