Command to remove (delete) symbolic link in Linux

You may sometimes need to create or delete symbolic links in Linux. If so, do you know what to do? Have you done this before? Have you fallen into any trap? If you've made mistakes, that's fine. If you haven’t, don’t worry, we’re here to help you.

The operation of removing (deleting) symbolic links can be accomplished using the rm and unlink commands.

What is a symbolic link?

A symbolic link (symlink), also known as a soft link, is a special file type that points to another file or directory in Linux. It is similar to a shortcut in Windows. It can refer to a file or directory in the same or a different file system or partition.

Symbolic links are usually used to link library files. It can also be used to link log files to folders on mounted NFS (Network File System).

What is rm Command?

The rm command is used to remove files and directories. It is very dangerous and you should be very careful every time you use the rm command.

What is unlink command?

The unlink command is used to remove specific files. It is installed as part of GNU Gorutils.

1) How to remove symbolic link files using rm command

The rm command is the most frequently used command in Linux, which allows us to remove symbolic links as described below.

# rm symlinkfile

Always use the rm command with -i to understand what is being done.

# rm -i symlinkfile1
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkfile1'?y

It allows us to remove multiple symbolic links at once:

# rm -i symlinkfile2 symlinkfile3
 
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkfile2'?y
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkfile3'?y

1a) How to remove a symbolic link directory using rm command

This is like removing a symbolic link file. Use the following command to remove the symbolic link directory.

# rm -i symlinkdir
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkdir'?y

Use the following command to remove multiple symbolic link directories.

# rm -i symlinkdir1 symlinkdir2
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkdir1'?y
rm:remove symbolic link 'symlinkdir2'?y

If you add a / at the end, the symbolic link directory will not be deleted. If you add it, you will get an error.

# rm -i symlinkdir/
rm: cannot remove 'symlinkdir/': Is a directory

You can add -r to deal with the above problems. But if you add this parameter, it will delete the contents of the target directory and it will not delete the symbolic link file. (LCTT translation note: This may not be your original intention.)

# rm -ri symlinkdir/
rm:descend into directory'symlinkdir/'?y
rm:remove regular file 'symlinkdir/file4.txt'?y
rm:remove directory'symlinkdir/'?y
rm: cannot remove 'symlinkdir/': Not a directory

2) How to remove symbolic links using unlink command

The unlink command deletes the specified file. It accepts only one file at a time.

Delete the symbolic link file:

# unlink symlinkfile

Delete the symbolic link directory:

# unlink symlinkdir2

If you add / at the end, you cannot remove the symbolic link directory using the unlink command.

# unlink symlinkdir3/
 
unlink: cannot unlink 'symlinkdir3/': Not a directory

Summarize

The above is the command for removing (deleting) symbolic links in Linux introduced by the editor. I hope it will be helpful to everyone. If you have any questions, please leave me a message and the editor will reply to you in time. I would also like to thank everyone for their support of the 123WORDPRESS.COM website!
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