Rmdir command on Linux (remove directory) [Basic Guide]

The rmdir command on Linux removes one or more empty directories from the system.

The most common options are:

• -p Remove a directory and its subdirectories
• –ignore-fail-on-non-empty Ignore the error if the directory is not empty

Examples:

Remove the favorites directory:

$ rmdir favorites

Remove the a/b/c/d subdirectories:

$ rmdir -p a/b/c/d

Try to remove the music directory, but it’s not empty:

$ rmdir songs rmdir: failed to remove “songs”: Directory not empty

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Uirá Endy Ribeiro

Uirá Endy Ribeiro is a Software Developer and Cloud Computing Architect with a 23-year career. He has master's degrees in computer science and fifteen IT certifications and is the author of 11 books recognized in the IT world market. He is also Director at Universidade Salgado de Oliveira and Director of the Linux Professional Institute - LPI Director's Board.