Linux remove directory force

rmdir force — The Ultimate Solution to Force Remove Directory in Linux

Let’s look at how to force remove a directory in Linux using the rm command.

Sue Wayne

“How do you force delete a folder in Linux (Ubuntu)?” — Quora

This is a common issue for Linux users who have trouble deleting a directory for various reasons, such as permissions or files within the directory that are still in use. This guide will cover the different steps and commands used to rmdir force remove the directory in Linux. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced Linux user, this article will provide the information and resources you need to force delete a file in Linux successfully.

In this article

Part 1. Commands to Force Remove File or Directory in Linux

You can use the rmdir or rm command to remove a directory in Linux. The rmdir or rm -d commands are applicable for empty directories, whereas the rm -r command is helpful for non-empty directories.

Before removing a directory, you must identify its name using the ls command for listing files and directories and the pwd command for finding out the current directory location.

The options chosen with these commands play an important role in their function. Here’s a brief summary of rm command options:

Part 2. How To Force Remove an Empty Directory in Linux?

To force delete an empty directory in Linux, use the rmdir command. The command has the following syntax:

rmdir [options] [directory name]

You can also combine the rmdir with additional options for specific removing demand.

The rmdir command has the following options:

• –ignore-fail-on-non-empty: Does not display an error message when attempting to remove a non-empty directory.
• -p: Removes the directory and its parent from the hierarchy.
• -v: Produces a verbose output.
• –help: Shows help text.
• –version: Indicates the command version.

Part 3. How To Force Remove a Directory That Contains Files or Sub-directories

Step 1. To force remove a directory with files and subdirectories, run the rm command with the -rf option:

Step 2. Assume you have a directory called /tmp/data/ that contains the following two files and one directory:

Step 3. If you run the rmdir command, you will receive the following error:

Step 4. As previously stated, rmdir only deletes empty directories. To remove an entire directory in Linux, you must use the rm command:

Part 4. How To Force Remove a Full Directory in Linux With Verbose Output

Step 1. Assign the -v flag to the rm command as follows:

Step 2. For example, you will delete a full directory named /tmp/bar. Take note of the output on the screen:

• -r: Recursive delete
• -f: Delete a directory by force
• -v: Produces verbose output

Part 5. Getting the Permission Denied Message? How To Fix

You must have appropriate directory access permissions to force remove a directory in linux. Otherwise, the rmdir screen will display a permission-denied message.

Step 1. Use the prefix sudo at the start of the rm command to avoid this error:

Step 2. To delete a folder whose name begins with a “—,” such as “-backups,” enter one of the following commands:

Part 6. How To Recover a Forced Removed Directory in Linux?

Every PC user eventually deals with data loss. Whether a hard drive crash or an unintentional file deletion, we have all encountered situations where we wished we could recover the destroyed data. Luckily, Linux makes it simpler to restore deleted files than other operating systems. We have picked out eight workable ways to recover deleted files in Linux.

Summing Up

Linux command-line deletion of directories and files requires properly utilizing the rm and rmdir commands. The rm command removes files and non-empty directories, whereas the rmdir command only removes empty folders.

Remember that Linux does not have a recycle bin or garbage folder. Using the command line, deleting files and folders will result in their permanent deletion. Therefore, before deleting the files and directories on your Linux, make a secure data backup with Wondershare Recoverit.

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How To Force Delete Directory In Linux?

The rmdir command is used to delete directories in Linux. The rmdir command simply removes or deletes an empty directory but does not work with non-empty directories. If we try to remove a non-empty directory in Linux with the rmdir command we get an error like below.

Force Delete Directory with rm Command

We should use the rmdir command in order to force delete the directory. Force means if there is a minor error for the deletion the removal is not stopped. Forcing to delete a directory also completes the delete operation even if the directory has files and folders. The -f option is used to specify the force option. The -r option is used to delete a directory recursively event there are child directories inside the target directory. We can simply express the -r and -f options like -rf .

We can delete a directory that is not located in the current working directory. We should provide the target directory absolute or relative path to the rm command. In the following example, we delete the tmp directory which is located under the /var .

Force Delete Multiple Directories with rm Command

We can force to delete multiple directories by using the rm command. The directory names are provided to the rm command as parameters. In the following example, we delete the directories nmap/ , tmp/ , db/ .

Verbose and Force Delete Directory

By default deleting directories forcibly does not display verbose or detailed information about the directory removals. We can use the -v option in order to delete the directory forcibly and also display information about the deleted directory.

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How To Force Remove Directory In Linux?

Linux provides the rmdir command in order to delete a directory. But while using the rmdir command we may get an error like “rmdir: failed to remove ‘nmap’: Directory not empty”. This is caused by a non-empty directory that contains child directories and files. But we can remove this directory by forcing removal with different methods. In this tutorial, we examine how to force remove a directory in Linux.

Force Remove Directory

The rmdir command is created to remove empty directories and can not be used for directories with content. This content can be another directory or file. This means the rmdir is the safe way to delete empty directories but in daily operations, we generally work with directories with some content. The rm command can be used to force remove the directory with some parameters. The -r option is used to remove recursively all of the child directories and files. The -f option is used to force the remove operation. We should use the -r and -f options like -rf to force remove directory.

Force Remove Directory Verbosely

By default, the removing directory by force does not create any ouıtput unless there is an error. All directories and files are removed silently. If we want to print output about every delete directory we can use the -v verbose option.

Force Remove Directory Using sudo

Linux uses directory ownership to manage permissions to access directories. If a directory is owned by another or privileged user we can not delete it. We can force to delete the directory by using root privileges with the sudo command. The sudo command simply gets root privileges to delete a directory.

$ sudo rm -rf -v /home/ismail/data

Force Remove Directory with Specific Names

We can also force the removal of directories with specific names. In the following example, we delete directories whose names start with “tmp”.

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How to Force Remove Directory in Linux? [Step-by-Step]

A Linux system contains thousands of files and directories. Some files or directory is necessary and some are not necessary in long run. Keeping those unnecessary files or directories is not a good manner for maintaining an efficient system. If those files or directories are write-protected then you need to force remove the directory in Linux. In this article, I will demonstrate some approaches to remove a directory in Linux forcefully.

Key Takeaways

• Getting familiar with the process of forcefully removing any directory in Linux.
• Learning about the recursive and force options of the rm command in Linux.

Process Flow Chart

Distro Used Throughout the Tutorial: Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS

Common Unsuccessful Approach to Remove Write-Protected Folder

The most common approach to removing any write-protected directory is using the rm -r command. If you try to remove any write-protected directory using the rm -r command, you will get a confirmation prompt. It can not remove a write-protected directory without confirming from the confirmation prompt.

Watch Step-by-Step Process to Force Remove a Write Protected Directory in Linux

Step-by-Step Process to Force Remove a Write Protected Directory in Linux

You can easily remove a write-protected directory using the rf option with the rm command. In this case, I will remove a write-protected directory named sample without asking for any confirmation. To do so, follow the below procedures.

Steps to Follow >

➋ Now, for printing the permission mode of the sample directory execute the following command.

• ls: Lists all the contents of the current directory.
• -l: Lists all the contents of the current directory with size, permission information, owner information, group information, last modification time, etc.

➌ Then, run the following command in the terminal to remove the sample directory forcefully.

• rm: Deletes folder.
• -rf: Deletes the following directory forcefully without asking for any confirmation.
• sample: Directory name.

➍ Now, to see the existence of the sample directory execute the following command

• ls: Lists all the contents of the current directory.
• -l: Lists all the contents of the current directory with size, permission information, owner information, group information, last modification time, etc.

The above image shows that I have successfully removed the write-protected sample directory forcefully.

Complementary Information

Besides knowing the process of forcibly removing the directory in Linux, you will find the below information helpful.

How to Remove Directory Recursively in Linux Using the rm Command

You can easily remove a directory recursively in Linux using the rm command in Linux. Here I will remove a folder named folder1 using the rm command in Linux. To do so, follow the below procedures.

Steps to Follow >

➊ At first, open the Ubuntu terminal.

➋ Now, for printing the permission mode of the folder1 directory execute the following command.

• ls: Lists all the contents of the current directory.
• -l: Lists all the contents of the current directory with size, permission information, owner information, group information, last modification time, etc.

➌ Then, run the following command in the terminal to remove the folder1 directory recursively.

• rm: Deletes folder.
• -r: Deletes the following directory recursively.
• folder1: Directory name.

➍ Now, to see the existence of the folder1 directory execute the following command.

• ls: Lists all the contents of the current directory.
• -l: Lists all the contents of the current directory with size, permission information, owner information, group information, last modification time, etc.

The above image shows that I have successfully removed the directory named “folder1” recursively.

Conclusion

In this article, I have discussed the process of forcefully removing directories in Linux. I hope that after going through this article, you will find the necessary information and be productive enough to remove directories forcefully in Linux.

People Also Ask

How do you force delete a directory?

You can delete a directory forcefully by executing the “rm -rf DIRECTORY_NAME” command in the command prompt.

How do you force delete a file in Linux?

If you want to delete a file forcefully in Linux, execute the “rm -rf FILE_NAME” command in the Ubuntu terminal.

How do I delete a directory in Linux without permission?

You can easily delete a directory in Linux without permission forcefully by running the “rm -rf DIRECTORY_NAME” command into the Ubuntu terminal.

What is ‘rm -rf FILE/DIRECTORY_NAME’ in Linux?

The “rm -rf FILE/DIRECTORY_NAME” is the command syntax for removing a file or directory forcefully in Linux.

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