How do you delete a file in Linux?

1 Command line

The most common way to delete a file in Linux is to use the command line, which is a text-based interface that lets you execute commands. To delete a file, you need to use the rm command, followed by the name or path of the file. For example, to delete a file named test.txt in your current directory, you would type: rm test.txt You can also delete multiple files at once by specifying more than one name or using wildcards. For example, to delete all files that end with .txt in your current directory, you would type: rm *.txt Be careful when using the rm command, as it does not ask for confirmation and does not move the files to a trash bin. Once you delete a file, it is gone forever, unless you have a backup. To avoid accidental deletion, you can use the -i option, which prompts you for confirmation before deleting each file. For example: rm -i test.txt

2 Graphical interface

Another way to delete a file in Linux is to use a graphical interface, which is a user-friendly way to interact with your system. Depending on your Linux distribution and desktop environment, you may have different graphical file managers such as Nautilus, Dolphin, Thunar, or Nemo. To delete a file, you need to locate it in your file manager and either right-click on it and select Delete or drag and drop it to the trash bin. For example, if you wanted to delete a file named test.txt in your Documents folder, you would open your file manager and navigate to your Documents folder, right-click on the file test.txt and select Delete from the menu, or alternatively drag and drop the file test.txt to the trash bin icon on your desktop or panel. You can also restore deleted files from the trash bin unless you empty it or delete them permanently. To restore a file, open the trash bin icon on your desktop or panel, right-click on the file test.txt and select Restore from the menu, or drag and drop it to its original location.

3 Secure deletion

Sometimes, you may want to delete a file in Linux in a way that makes it impossible or very difficult to recover. This is useful if you want to protect your sensitive or confidential data from unauthorized access. To do this, you need to use a tool that can overwrite the file with random data before deleting it, making it unreadable. One such tool is shred, which is a command line utility that can securely delete files and devices. To delete a file with shred, you need to use the -u option, which removes the file after overwriting it. For example, to delete a file named test.txt with shred, you would type: shred -u test.txt You can also specify how many times you want to overwrite the file with the -n option, and what pattern of data you want to use with the -z option. For example, to delete a file named test.txt with shred, overwriting it 3 times and filling the final overwrite with zeros, you would type: shred -u -n 3 -z test.txt Be aware that shred may not work on some file systems or devices that use caching, compression, or encryption. Also, shred does not delete the file name or metadata, which may still reveal some information about the file. To delete the file name and metadata, you need to use another tool, such as wipe, which is a command line utility that can securely delete files and directories. To delete a file with wipe, you need to use the -f option, which forces the deletion of the file. For example, to delete a file named test.txt with wipe, you would type: wipe -f test.txt You can also specify how many times you want to overwrite the file with the -r option, and what pattern of data you want to use with the -p option. For example, to delete a file named test.txt with wipe, overwriting it 3 times and filling the final overwrite with zeros, you would type: wipe -f -r 3 -p 0 test.txt

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?