rm: Deleting Files

rm (remove) permanently deletes files. Unlike a graphical trash can, there is no undo.

Deleting a file

rm photo.jpg

Gone. There is no confirmation prompt by default.

Deleting multiple files

rm file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt

Targeting a file in another directory

rm downloads/photo.jpg

You don't have to cd into the directory first.

What rm cannot do by default

rm documents/
# rm: cannot remove 'documents/': Is a directory

rm refuses to delete directories unless you explicitly say so with -r. This is a safety feature — the next lesson covers recursive deletion.

The -f flag (force)

-f suppresses "no such file" errors and skips confirmation prompts:

rm -f maybe-exists.txt

Useful in scripts where you want to delete a file only if it exists without the script failing.

Always double-check before pressing Enter

rm is permanent. On a real machine, mistyping a filename can delete important data. In this playground the filesystem resets when you click Reset. On your computer it doesn't.

Practice

Delete downloads/photo.jpg.