rmdir − remove empty directories

rmdir [options] directory...

POSIX options: [−p] [−−]

GNU options (shortest form): [−p] [−−ignore−fail−on−non−empty] [−−help] [−−version] [−−]

rmdir removes empty directories.

If any directory argument does not refer to an existing empty directory, it is an error.

−p

If directory includes more than one pathname component, remove it, then strip the last component and remove the resulting directory, etc., until all components have been removed. Thus, ‘rmdir −p a/b/c’ is equivalent to ‘rmdir a/b/c; rmdir a/b; rmdir a’.

−−

Terminate option list.

−−ignore−fail−on−non−empty

Normally rmdir will refuse to remove a directory that is not empty. This option causes rmdir to ignore the failure to remove a directory, if that failure is due to the directory being non-empty. (New in fileutils-4.0.)

−p, −−parents

As above.

−−help

Print a usage message on standard output and exit successfully.

−−version

Print version information on standard output, then exit successfully.

−−

Terminate option list.

The variables LANG, LC_ALL, LC_CTYPE and LC_MESSAGES have the usual meaning.

POSIX 1003.2

The command ‘rmdir foo’ will remove the directory foo if it is empty. To remove a nonempty directory, together with everything below, use ‘rm -r foo’.

This page describes rmdir as found in the fileutils-4.0 package; other versions may differ slightly. Mail corrections and additions to aeb@cwi.nl. Report bugs in the program to fileutils-bugs@gnu.ai.mit.edu.