How to delete a folder in linux

How to delete folders in Linux: 1. Use the rmdir command to delete empty folders. The syntax is "rmdir [-p] folder name". The option "-p" is used to delete empty directories recursively. 2. Use the rm command to permanently delete the specified folder in the file system. The syntax is "rm -rf folder name"; when using this command to delete files or directories, the system will not generate any prompt message.

#The operating environment of this tutorial: linux7.3 system, Dell G3 computer.

There are two ways to delete folders in Linux: rmdir command and rm command. Many people are accustomed to using rmdir, but once the directory is not empty, they will fall into deep distress. At this time, they need to use the rm command. Let’s take a look at these two commands.

Linux rmdir command: delete empty directories (empty folders)

mdir (abbreviation for remove empty directories) command is used to delete empty directories Directory, the basic format of this command is:

rmdir [-p] 文件夹名

• -p option is used to recursively delete empty directories.

[Example 1]

[root@localhost ~]#rmdir cangls

It’s that simple, just add the directory name after the command, but whether the command is executed successfully or not depends on Whether the directory to be deleted is an empty directory, because the rmdir command can only delete empty directories.

[Example 2]

By learning the mkdir command, we know that using mkdir -p can create a directory recursively. Similarly, the rmdir command can use the -p option to create a directory recursively. Delete the directory. For example:

[root@localhost ~]# rmdir -p lm/movie/jp/cangls

Note that this method first deletes the lowest level directory (cangls is deleted first), and then deletes the upper-level directories layer by layer. When deleting, you also need to ensure that the directories at all levels are empty directories.

[Example 3]

The rmdir command has a very limited effect because it can only delete empty directories, so once there is content in the directory, an error will be reported. For example:

[root@localhost # mkdir test
#建立测试目录

[root@localhost ~]# touch test/boduo
[root@localhost ~]# touch test/longze
#在测试目录中建立两个文件

[root@localhost ~]# rmdir test
rmdir:删除"test"失败：目录非空

This command is relatively "stupid", so it is not commonly used. The rm command is introduced below. Using this command, you can not only delete directories, but also delete files.

Linux rm command: delete files or directories

When the Linux system has been used for a long time, there may be some files that are no longer useful. (i.e. garbage), these files will not only consume valuable hard disk resources, but also reduce the operating efficiency of the system, so they need to be cleaned up in time.

rm is a powerful deletion command that can permanently delete specified files or directories in the file system. When using the rm command to delete a file or directory, the system will not generate any prompt message. The basic format of this command is:

rm[选项] 文件或目录

Options:

• -f: force deletion (force), the opposite of the -i option, use - f, the system will no longer ask, but directly delete the target file or directory.

• -i: Just the opposite of -f. Before deleting a file or directory, the system will give a prompt message. Using -i can effectively prevent accidental deletion. Useful files or directories.

• -r: Recursive deletion, mainly used to delete directories. It can delete the specified directory and all the content it contains, including all subdirectories and files.

Note that the rm command is a destructive command because the rm command will permanently delete the file or directory. This means that if the file or directory is not deleted, After making a backup, once you delete it using the rm command, it cannot be restored. Therefore, be careful when using the rm command to delete a directory.

【Example 1】Basic usage

If the rm command does not add any options, the default execution is "rm -i file name", that is, That is, before deleting a file, it will ask whether to delete it. For example:

[root@localhost ~]# touch cangls
[root@localhost ~]# rm cangls
rm:是否删除普通空文件"cangls"?y
#删除前会询问是否删除

[Example 2] Delete directory

If you need to delete the directory, you need to use the "-r" option. For example:

[root@localhost ~]# mkdir -p /test/lm/movie/jp
#递归建立测试目录

[root@localhost ~]# rm /test
rm:无法删除"/test/": 是一个目录
#如果不加"-r"选项，则会报错

[root@localhost ~]# rm -r /test
rm:是否进入目录"/test"?y
rm:是否进入目录"/test/lm/movie"?y
rm:是否删除目录"/test/lm/movie/jp"?y
rm:是否删除目录"/test/lm/movie"?y
rm:是否删除目录"/test/lm"?y
rm:是否删除目录"/test"?y
#会分别询问是否进入子目录、是否删除子目录

You will find that if each level of directory and each file needs to be confirmed, it will be a disaster in actual use!

[Example 3] Forced deletion

If there are 10,000 subdirectories or subfiles in the directory to be deleted, then ordinary rm deletion requires at least 10,000 confirmations . Therefore, when actually deleting files, we will choose to force delete. For example:

[root@localhost ~]# mkdir -p /test/lm/movie/jp
#重新建立测试目录

[root@localhost ~]# rm -rf /test
#强制删除，一了百了

After adding the force function, deletion will become very simple, but it should be noted that data cannot be recovered after force deletion, unless relying on third-party data recovery tools, such as extundelete, etc. But please note that data recovery is difficult to restore complete data. Generally, it is very rare to recover 70%~80%. Therefore, instead of betting on data recovery, it is better to develop good operating habits.

Although the "-rf" option is used to delete directories, no error will be reported when deleting files. Therefore, for ease of use, generally the "-rf" option will be used directly whether deleting files or directories.

Related recommendations: "Linux Video Tutorial"

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