Reference number: CH000798

How do I remove a full directory in Linux?

Question:

How do I remove a full directory in Linux?

Answer:

To remove a directory that is full with other files and/or other directories, use the below command.

rm -r directory

Note: In the above example, you would replace "directory" with the name of the full directory you wish to delete. So if the directory was named files, you would type: rm -r files

Additional information:

When attempting to remove a directory using a command such as the rmdir command, you may receive a prompt such as "rmdir: 'dir': Directory not empty" and be unable to delete the directory.

• See our rm and rmdir commands for additional information about each of these commands and other available switches.