Macintosh Terminal Pocket Guide

Name

rm — stdin  stdout  - file  -- opt  --help  --version

Synopsis

rm [options] files | directories

The rm (remove) command can delete files:

➜ rm file1 file2 file3

or recursively delete directories and all their subdirectories:

➜ rm -r dir1 dir2

rm Deletes Files Immediately

The rm command does not move files into the trash. They are deleted instantly with no warning.^[5] For a safer removal command, use rm -i which prompts before deletion:

➜ rm -i myfile
remove myfile? y

To make rm prompt before deletion all the time, put this alias into your $HOME/.bash_profile startup file:

alias rm="/bin/rm -i"

then close and reopen your Terminal window.

Useful options

-i	Interactive mode. Ask before deleting each file.
-f	Force the deletion, ignoring any errors or warnings.
-r	Recursively remove a directory and its contents. Use with caution, especially if combined with the -f option, as it can wipe out many files quickly.

^[5] A file removed by rm can theoretically be recovered by an undelete program. To remove a file more permanently, say, in a high-security environment, use the srm command instead. See man srm for details.