How to remove directories in linux/unix

To remove/delete directories (folders), we can use the rm command and the rmdir command.

• rmdir 
  a command-line utility for deleting empty directories
• rm
  remove directories and their contents recursively

In this tutorial, we will show you how to use the rm and rmdir commands to remove directories in Linux/Unix.

Use rmdir or rm -d to delete an empty directory, followed by the name of the directory

➜  rmdir emptyDir

➜  rm -d emptyDir

Use the rm command -r option to recursively delete a non-empty directory and all files in it

➜  rm -r nonEmptyDir

Use the rm -r command to delete multiple directories at once, separated by spaces

➜  rm -r nonEmptyDir1 nonEmptyDir2  nonEmptyDir3

Use the rm -r command and bracket expansion to delete multiple directories at once

➜  rm -r {a..c}_dir

Use the rm -rf command to force delete the non-empty directory without prompt

➜  rm -rf nonEmptyDir