rmdir command

Remove empty directories from the filesystem.

Overview

The rmdir command removes empty directories from the filesystem. Unlike rm -r, which can remove directories with their contents, rmdir will only succeed if the specified directories are completely empty.

Options

-p, --parents

Remove directory and its ancestors. For example, rmdir -p a/b/c is similar to rmdir a/b/c a/b a.

$ mkdir -p test/nested/dir
$ rmdir -p test/nested/dir
$ ls test
ls: cannot access 'test': No such file or directory

-v, --verbose

Output a diagnostic message for every directory processed.

$ mkdir empty_dir
$ rmdir -v empty_dir
rmdir: removing directory, 'empty_dir'

--ignore-fail-on-non-empty

Ignore failures that occur solely because a directory is non-empty.

$ mkdir dir_with_file
$ touch dir_with_file/file.txt
$ rmdir --ignore-fail-on-non-empty dir_with_file
$ ls
dir_with_file

Usage Examples

Removing a single empty directory

$ mkdir empty_dir
$ rmdir empty_dir
$ ls
[empty_dir no longer appears in the listing]

Removing nested empty directories

$ mkdir -p parent/child/grandchild
$ rmdir -p parent/child/grandchild
$ ls
[parent directory and its subdirectories are removed]

Attempting to remove a non-empty directory

$ mkdir non_empty
$ touch non_empty/file.txt
$ rmdir non_empty
rmdir: failed to remove 'non_empty': Directory not empty

Tips:

Use rm -r for Non-Empty Directories

When you need to remove directories that contain files, use rm -r directory_name instead of rmdir. Be careful with this command as it will recursively delete everything in the directory.

Combine with find to Remove Multiple Empty Directories

You can use find with rmdir to remove multiple empty directories at once:

$ find . -type d -empty -exec rmdir {} \;

Check Before Removing

If you're unsure whether a directory is empty, use ls -la directory_name to check its contents before attempting to remove it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What's the difference between rmdir and rm -r?

A. rmdir only removes empty directories, while rm -r removes directories and all their contents recursively.

Q2. How do I remove a directory that contains files?

A. You cannot use rmdir for this purpose. Use rm -r directory_name instead.

Q3. Can I remove multiple directories at once with rmdir?

A. Yes, you can specify multiple directory names as arguments: rmdir dir1 dir2 dir3.

Q4. What happens if I try to remove a non-existent directory?

A. rmdir will display an error message indicating that the directory does not exist.

References

https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/rmdir-invocation.html

Revisions