How to Use rmdir Command in Linux: Syntax and Examples

The rmdir command in Linux removes empty directories. Use rmdir directory_name to delete a directory only if it is empty; otherwise, it will show an error.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the rmdir command is:

• rmdir [options] directory_name

Here, directory_name is the name of the empty directory you want to remove. Options can modify the behavior, such as removing parent directories if they become empty.

bash

rmdir [options] directory_name

Example

This example shows how to create an empty directory and then remove it using rmdir. It demonstrates that rmdir only works on empty directories.

bash

mkdir testdir
rmdir testdir
rmdir testdir

Output

rmdir: failed to remove 'testdir': No such file or directory

Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is trying to remove a directory that is not empty, which causes rmdir to fail. Also, trying to remove a directory that does not exist will show an error.

To remove a directory with files, use rm -r directory_name instead.

bash

mkdir testdir
mkdir testdir/subdir
rmdir testdir

Output

rmdir: failed to remove 'testdir': Directory not empty

Quick Reference

Command	Description
rmdir directory_name	Remove an empty directory
rmdir -p dir1/dir2	Remove directory and its empty parent directories
rm -r directory_name	Remove directory and its contents recursively (use with caution)

Key Takeaways

Use rmdir only to remove empty directories.

Trying to remove a non-empty directory with rmdir causes an error.

Use rm -r to remove directories with files inside.

The -p option removes parent directories if they become empty.

Always double-check directory contents before removing to avoid data loss.