- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1Linux Topics Index
- 2How to Create a File in Linux
- 3How to Rename a File in Linux
- 4How to Copy a File in Linux
- 5How to Move a File in Linux
- 6How to Delete a File in Linux
- 7How to Create a Directory in Linux
- 8How to Delete a Directory in Linux
- 9How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
- 10Delete Directories Recursively in Linux
- 11How to View Hidden Files in Linux
- 12How to Create a Hidden File in Linux
- 13How to Create a Hidden Directory in Linux
- 14How to Find Files in Linux Using find Command
- 15Find Files in Linux Using locate Command
- 16How to View File Contents Using cat in Linux
- 17How to View File Contents Using less in Linux
- 18View File Contents Using the more Command in Linux
- 19Compare Files Using diff Command in Linux
- 20Compare Files in Linux Using cmp Command
- 21Check File Type in Linux with file Command
- 22Create Symbolic Links with ln -s in Linux
- 23How to Archive Files Using tar Command in Linux
- 24Compress Files with gzip in Linux – Beginner Tutorial
- 25How to Compress Files Using bzip2 in Linux
- 26Compress Files in Linux Using zip Command
- 27Extract Compressed Files using tar in Linux
- 28Extract ZIP Files on Linux with unzip
- 29How to Extract .gz Files using gunzip in Linux

- 1How to Add a New User in Linux
- 2Modify Existing User in Linux
- 3Delete a User in Linux — Step-by-Step for Beginners
- 4Create a User Group in Linux - Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 5Linux: Add User to Group
- 6How to Remove a User from a Group in Linux
- 7Delete a User Group in Linux - Beginner Friendly Tutorial
- 8Linux su Command Tutorial – Switch Users Easily
- 9Linux sudo Command - Execute as Another User
- 10Change a User's Password in Linux Using passwd
- 11Set Password Expiry in Linux using chage
- 12Lock a User Account in Linux
- 13How to Unlock a User Account in Linux
- 14Configure User Login Shell in Linux
- 15How to Configure User Environment Variables in Linux
- 16Edit .bashrc and .profile in Linux - User Startup Files Tutorial
How to Delete a Directory in Linux
Next Topic ⮕How to Copy Directories Recursively in Linux
How to Delete a Directory in Linux
In this tutorial, we’re going to learn how to delete directories in Linux—safely.
If you're just starting out, you might be wondering: "Why are there different commands to delete directories? And what happens if the folder has files inside it?" Don't worry—we'll cover it all in simple steps.
Deleting an Empty Directory: rmdir
Let’s start with the simplest case—deleting an empty folder. Linux gives us a command called rmdir
just for that.
rmdir myfolder
This will work only if myfolder
is completely empty.
rmdir: failed to remove 'myfolder': Directory not empty
See that error? If the folder has even a single file or subfolder inside, rmdir
won't work.
Deleting a Directory with Files: rm -r
Now here’s the real deal. If your directory contains files or other folders, use rm
with the -r
flag. It stands for “recursive”—which means it will go inside and delete everything.
rm -r myfolder
But be careful: this command is powerful. It deletes the folder and everything in it—forever.
Prompt Before Deletion: rm -ri
If you're nervous (which is totally normal), add the -i
flag to ask for confirmation before deleting each file:
rm -ri myfolder
rm: descend into directory 'myfolder'? y
rm: remove regular file 'myfolder/file1.txt'? y
rm: remove directory 'myfolder'? y
Great! Now you're in control.
Force Deletion (Use with Caution!): rm -rf
If you're absolutely sure and want to skip all prompts—even if files are read-only—you can use -f
for force:
rm -rf myfolder
Warning: This will delete everything inside myfolder
without asking. Only use it if you know what you're doing.
Summary
rmdir folder
— delete an empty directoryrm -r folder
— delete a folder and all its contentsrm -ri folder
— delete interactively with confirmationrm -rf folder
— force delete without confirmation
And that’s it! You now know how to safely delete directories in Linux. Practice on test folders first to get comfortable.