This blog post discusses how to delete files recursively in Linux. It is beneficial for deleting large numbers of files. It can be used in cases where you want to delete all the files in a directory and its subdirectories. Let's start!
The first thing is to open the terminal and navigate to the directory containing the files you want to delete. To do this, use the cd command. For example, if the files are in your home directory, you would type:
cd ~
Learn more about the cd command >>> https://www.geekbits.io/how-to-use-the-cd-command-in-linux/
After navigating to the correct directory, you can start deleting files.
Deleting files in Linux
Use the rm command to delete a single file. For example, if you wanted to delete a file named "test.txt", you would type:
rm test.txt
Multiple files
You can use the rm command with the -r option to delete multiple files. The -r flag stands for "recursive."
Example:
To delete all the files in a directory named "test", you would type:
rm -r test
This command will delete the test directory and everything inside.
Deleting Certain types of files in Linux
If you only want to delete certain types of files, you can specify the files extension together with an asterisk to mean all files with that extension. For example, if you only want to delete PDF files, you can use the following command:
rm *.PDF
This command will delete all PDF files in the current directory. Again, be very careful with this command, as it will delete any PDF file it finds without asking for confirmation.
Deleting directories in Linux
Deleting directories in Linux is similar to deleting files. You can use the rm command with the r option to delete an entire directory and its contents.
Example:
To delete a directory named "test" and all of its contents, you would type:
rm -r test
Be very careful with the command, as it will delete any files it finds without asking for confirmation. Make sure to specify the correct path to the directory you want to delete. Otherwise, you may accidentally delete important files on your system.
Conclusion
Deleting files recursively in Linux is a simple process that can be very useful in certain situations. Remember to be careful when recursively using the rm command, as it will permanently delete the files without confirmation.
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