How to remove directory in Linux

Removing a directory in Linux is a common task, whether you're cleaning up your system or managing files on a server. While graphical tools such as Nautilus and Dolphin make it easy to delete files and folders, using command-line tools offers more flexibility and control and is a necessity when working on the command line especially in an SSH session.

The two main command-line tools for directory removal are rmdir and rm. While rmdir is specifically designed to remove empty directories, rm is a more versatile tool that can delete both files and folders, even if they contain data.

1. Navigate to the directory containing the folder you want to delete (optional).

   $ cd /path/to/parent-directory

2. Remove an empty folder using rmdir.

   $ rmdir myfolder/
   rmdir: failed to remove 'myfolder/': Directory not empty
   $ rm myfolder/*
   $ rmdir myfolder

   Content of the folder or directory must be deleted first or else the command will fail.

   More options for rmdir:

   $ rmdir --help
   Usage: rmdir [OPTION]... DIRECTORY...
   Remove the DIRECTORY(ies), if they are empty.
   
         --ignore-fail-on-non-empty
                     ignore each failure that is solely because a directory
                       is non-empty
     -p, --parents   remove DIRECTORY and its ancestors; e.g., 'rmdir -p a/b/c' is
                       similar to 'rmdir a/b/c a/b a'
     -v, --verbose   output a diagnostic for every directory processed
         --help     display this help and exit
         --version  output version information and exit
   
   GNU coreutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
   Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/rmdir>
   or available locally via: info '(coreutils) rmdir invocation'

3. Delete files and folders (including non-empty ones) with the rm command using the recursive option.

   $ rm myfolder/
   rm: cannot remove 'myfolder/': Is a directory
   $ rm -r myfolder/

   More options for rm:

   $ rm --help
   Usage: rm [OPTION]... [FILE]...
   Remove (unlink) the FILE(s).
   
     -f, --force           ignore nonexistent files and arguments, never prompt
     -i                    prompt before every removal
     -I                    prompt once before removing more than three files, or
                             when removing recursively; less intrusive than -i,
                             while still giving protection against most mistakes
         --interactive[=WHEN]  prompt according to WHEN: never, once (-I), or
                             always (-i); without WHEN, prompt always
         --one-file-system  when removing a hierarchy recursively, skip any
                             directory that is on a file system different from
                             that of the corresponding command line argument
         --no-preserve-root  do not treat '/' specially
         --preserve-root[=all]  do not remove '/' (default);
                                 with 'all', reject any command line argument
                                 on a separate device from its parent
     -r, -R, --recursive   remove directories and their contents recursively
     -d, --dir             remove empty directories
     -v, --verbose         explain what is being done
         --help     display this help and exit
         --version  output version information and exit
   
   By default, rm does not remove directories.  Use the --recursive (-r or -R)
   option to remove each listed directory, too, along with all of its contents.
   
   To remove a file whose name starts with a '-', for example '-foo',
   use one of these commands:
     rm -- -foo
   
     rm ./-foo
   
   Note that if you use rm to remove a file, it might be possible to recover
   some of its contents, given sufficient expertise and/or time.  For greater
   assurance that the contents are truly unrecoverable, consider using shred.
   
   GNU coreutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
   Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/rm>
   or available locally via: info '(coreutils) rm invocation'

4. Remove write-protected or system folders by running the appropriate command with sudo for elevated privileges.

   $ rm -r myfolder/
   rm: descend into write-protected directory 'myfolder/'? y
   rm: cannot remove 'myfolder/myfile.txt': Permission denied
   $ sudo rm -r myfolder/
   [sudo] password for user: 
   $

   Related: How to set up passwordless sudo in Linux