What is the difference between rmdir and rm -rf?

rmdir only removes empty directories and fails if the directory contains anything. rm -rf removes a directory and all of its contents, including subdirectories and files, without asking for confirmation. Use rmdir for empty folders and rm -rf when the folder is not empty.

How do I remove a directory that is not empty?

rmdir will not do it. Use rm -rf dirname instead, which deletes the directory along with every file and subdirectory inside it in one step.

Is rm -rf reversible?

No. On Linux and Unix, files removed with rm are not sent to a trash or recycle bin and cannot be recovered except from a backup. Double-check the path before running rm -rf, especially with wildcards.

How do I delete the contents of a folder but keep the folder?

Add /* to the path: rm -rf /path/to/dir/* removes everything inside the directory while leaving the directory itself in place. Note that this does not remove hidden dotfiles by default.

How to Force Remove a Directory in Linux (rm -rf Examples)

Q: How do I force remove a directory in Linux?

Use rm -rf followed by the directory name, for example rm -rf /path/to/dir. The -r flag removes the directory and everything inside it recursively, and the -f flag forces the removal without prompting for confirmation.

Updated Sep 2026 · originally published Jan 2021 · Tested on Linux, Unix, macOS

To force remove a directory in Linux, including one that is not empty, use rm -rf:

rm -rf /path/to/directory

The -r flag removes the directory and everything inside it recursively. The -f flag forces the removal without prompting for confirmation. That single command is what most people are looking for. The rest of this page explains what it does, the safer variations, and when to reach for rmdir instead.

rmdir vs rm -rf

There are two commands for removing directories, and they do different jobs.

rmdir removes empty directories only. If the directory has any file or subdirectory inside it, rmdir refuses and reports “Directory not empty.”

rm -rf removes a directory and all of its contents. This is what you need for a directory that is not empty.

rmdir emptydir          # works only if emptydir is empty
rm -rf fulldir          # removes fulldir and everything in it

What the flags mean

rm on its own only removes files, and it will not touch a directory. The flags change that:

-r (recursive) lets rm descend into a directory and remove it along with all its subdirectories and files. This is required to remove any directory, even an empty one.
-f (force) skips the confirmation prompts and ignores “no such file” errors. Without it, rm may ask you to confirm each deletion.

Combined as rm -rf, they force-remove a directory and its entire contents in one step, no prompts.

Examples

Remove a directory and everything under it, including the directory itself:

rm -rf /home/james/logs

Empty a directory but keep the directory itself:

rm -rf /home/james/logs/*

Remove several directories at once:

rm -rf dir1 dir2 dir3

Do it safely

On Linux and Unix, rm does not move files to a trash or recycle bin. A deleted file is gone and can only be restored from a backup. A few habits prevent disaster:

Check the path before you press Enter, especially with wildcards. rm -rf /home/james /logs (note the stray space) is very different from rm -rf /home/james/logs.
Use -i when unsure. rm -ri dirname prompts before each deletion, which is a useful safety net on important paths.
Use -v to see what is happening. The verbose flag prints each file as it is removed, so you can confirm you are deleting the right thing.

rm -rvf /home/james/logs     # force-remove, but print everything it deletes

Quick reference

Command	What it does
`rmdir dir`	Remove `dir` only if it is empty
`rm -rf dir`	Force-remove `dir` and all its contents
`rm -rf dir/*`	Empty `dir` but keep the directory
`rm -ri dir`	Recursively remove, prompting for each item
`rm -rvf dir`	Force-remove and print what is deleted