How to delete files in Linux (2024)

FAQs

How do I delete files from Linux? ›

To delete a file in Linux, you can use the rm command followed by the file name. For example, if you want to delete a file named "example. txt", you would type rm example. txt in the terminal.

Using the rm Command

The rm command is one of the most common and basic commands for deleting files and directories in Linux. To delete a directory and all its contents, you can use the -r option, which stands for recursive.

Delete the directory and its contents: To delete the directory and all its contents, use the rm command with the -r option, which stands for recursive. Type rm -r my_directory and press "Enter". You will be prompted to confirm the deletion. Type y and press "Enter" to confirm.

To delete files or directories on a Linux system, you must understand the rm and rmdir commands. The rm command lets you delete files and folders, while rmdir is only for empty directories. You can attach various options with them, such as -rf, -i, and -l.

The rm command, which facilitates deleting one or more files simultaneously, is a more widely used command for Deleteing files in Linux. The rm command deletes files without showing any messages. Using the rm command with the -v flag to see what the rm command is currently doing.

To empty a file on Linux using the truncate command:

Open the terminal on your Linux PC. You may be able to press Ctrl+T to open this. In the terminal, type: truncate -s 0 /home/document/path and press Enter. Make sure to replace /home/document/path with the correct path to the file you want to empty.

Delete Empty Files in a Directory

First, search all the empty files in the given directory and then, delete all those files. This particular part of the command, find . -type f -empty -print, will find all the empty files in the given directory recursively. Then, we add the -delete option to delete all those files.

How to delete a file in command line? ›

After reaching the desired folder, use the del command, followed by the file name.The syntax for deleting a file is: del “filename"For instance, if you want to delete Math_file.txt, run the following command:C:\Users\Reyansh\Documents> del “Math_file.txt”If you receive a prompt to delete the file, type 'Y' and press ' ...

With the command “rm” followed by a file name, you can easily delete single files in Linux.

Clear Using `CTRL + L` Shortcut in Linux System.

We can clear our terminal by using short cut `CTRL+L`.

We can select and delete specific texts using the Shift + V keys and then using the dd command. Let's delete the line Welcome to Linux!

To permanently delete files in Linux using a file manager, select the files you want to delete and press the “Shift + Delete” keys together. It is also a good practice to empty the “Trash” from time to time to restore much-needed storage space on your Linux device.