Linux remove link to directory

How to Remove Symbolic Link in Linux with Example

Symbolic links or Soft links work like pointers to another file. Note that there is only one copy of the actual file on the hard disk and in this way you can save valuable hard disk space by simply creating a link to it. Deleting a symbolic link is the same as removing a real file or directory.

A symbolic link is a link that refers to the name of a file. Its most important advantage is that it can be used to refer to a file that is anywhere, even on a computer on the other side of the world. The symbolic link will still work. However, the biggest disadvantage is that the symbolic link is naturally dependent on the original file. There are some properties of symbolic links

• Links have different inode numbers : every Linux file or directory (from a technical point of view, there’s no real difference between them) has an inode and this inode contains all of the file’s metadata (that is, all the administrative data needed to read a file is stored in its inode)
• ls -l command shows all links with second column value 1 and the link points to original file.
• Link contains the path for original file and not the contents.
• Removing soft link doesn’t affect anything but when the original file is removed, the link becomes a dangling link that points to nonexistent file.

rm and unlink commands to remove symbolic link

Symbolic links can be removed with two commands: rm and unlink. You can use any one of the following commands to remove symbolic links.

• rm: is the terminal command to remove each given file including symbolic links. Because a symbolic link is considered as a file on Linux, you can delete it with the rm command.

• unlink: deletes a single specified file name including symbolic links.

To remove the symbolic link file, you should list it with ls -l command as below

pac -> /root/pac shows the path of the original file which is /root/pac and the 1 value on the second column indicates that the file is a symbolic link file.

Delete symbolic link file — Example

To see how we can delete symbolic link file, we will first create a soft link a below

To list how soft link looks:

To delete symbolic link, you can use its relative or absolute path but to limit error, I recommend you to use a relative path.

With absolute path we have

We can check as below

With relative path, we first need to move to the symbolic link file directory

Now you can use one of the commands above

Be careful when you use unlink command because it can delete regular file. If you write an existing regular filename instead of a symbolic link filename, the regular file will be deleted. See below

You can see that file1 is not a symbolic link. Now we will use unlink command and we will see the result.

You see that file1 doesn’t exist. It has been deleted

Delete symbolic link directory — Example

To delete a symbolic link directory, we will use the same procedure as above. We will create a soft link:

pac is the folder which will be used for the test.

Now to delete the test symbolic link directory, we will use the relative path. We have moved to /home/papso/test folder

We will check now with absolute path

unlink command and rm command without -R option doesn’t delete regular directory. The two commands delete symbolic link from directory because it’s considered as a file so, when using the rm or unlink command to remove a symbolic link from a directory, make sure you don’t end the target with a / character because that will create an error.

Now let’s try to delete the symbolic link

Because the / at the end indicates a directory, the command doesn’t work

Now let’s try without the / character at end of the filename

Now let’s check it the file exists

You can see that the symbolic link has been deleted

Conclusion

Basically, a symbolic link makes it easier to find files you need. You can create symbolic links for the files, directories and you can use them to make life easier for users as well. Symbolic link is considered as a normal file because you can delete it with the basic rm command. Don’t forget the biggest disadvantage which imply that the symbolic link is naturally dependent on the original file.

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How To: Linux Delete Symbolic Link ( Softlink )

• rm command – Removes each given FILE including symbolic links in Linux.
• unlink command – Deletes a single specified file name including symbolic links in Linux.

Tutorial details
Difficulty level	Easy
Root privileges	No
Requirements	Linux terminal
Est. reading time	4 minutes

Let us see some examples about to remove (delete) symbolic links in Linux.

Warning : Care must be taken with the following rm, unlink, and find command as those commands won’t prompt for removal confirmation. The author or nixCraft site is not responsible for any data loss. Please use all command with care and think twice before you press the [Enter] key. Always keep a verified backup of all files and data.

Linux Delete Symbolic Link File

Use the following syntax:

Examples

First, we are going to create a new symbolic link in Linux using the ln command. Use the cd command to /tmp/ directory:

Now we are going to delete the dns symbolic link using the rm command or unlink command as follows:

Getting confirmation prompt

We can force prompt before every removal of symbolic links by passing the -i to the rm:
rm -i rm -i -v test-link

Delete Symbolic Link Directory

The syntax is same:

Please avoid appending / at the end of linkDirName . cd in to the /tmp/ using the cd command:

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Now delete the test symbolic link directory using any one of the following command:

Make sure symbolic link is removed using the ls command:

Remove Symbolic Links with find command

Here is we can search and list all symbolic links using the find:

Say list all symlinks in /tmp/bin/, run:
find /tmp/bin/ -type l -print
Only list *.txt or *.sh symlinks, run:

Find all symbolic links with find and delete them

All you have to do is replace the -print action with the -delete as follows to delete all ‘*.sh’ symlinks:
find /tmp/bin/ -lname «*.sh» -delete
To get confirmation use the following syntax when you need to find all “*.txt” symlinks and delete them:

Finding and deleting broken symbolic links

Again, we use the find command:

Here is what I see from the last command:

To remove that broken symlink, run:

Where find command options are:

• -type l : Find only symbolic link
• -lname «*.txt» :File is a symbolic link whose contents match shell pattern such as “*.txt”. Pass the -ilname «pattern» to the find for the case insensitive match. This option only works the latest version of GNU/find.
• -print : Print matched file lists.
• -delete : Remove/delete matched symlinks.
• -exec rm -i <> + : Remove/delete matched symlinks using the rm command with confirmation
• -xtype l : Deal with a symbolic link (find only symlinks).
• -ls : List symbolic links if found.

Linux Remove Symbolic Link Command Options

Type the following command:
rm —help
unlink —help

Conclusion

You learned the rm and unlink command to delete or remove a symbolic link under Linux operating systems. See the rm/unlink command man page by typing the following man command or read it online here:
man rm
man find
man unlink

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Как удалить (удалить) символические ссылки в Linux

How to Remove (Delete) Symbolic Links in Linux

В этом руководстве мы покажем вам , как удалит символические ссылки в системах Linux / UNIX с использованием rm, unlink и find команды.

Символическая ссылка, также известная как символическая ссылка, представляет собой специальный тип файла, который указывает на другой файл или каталог. Это что-то вроде ярлыка в Windows. Символьная ссылка может указывать на файл или каталог в той же или другой файловой системе или разделе.

Прежде чем вы начнете

Чтобы удалить символическую ссылку, вам нужно иметь права на запись в каталог, который содержит символическую ссылку. В противном случае вы получите ошибку «Операция не разрешена».

Когда вы удаляете символическую ссылку, файл, на который она указывает, не затрагивается.

Используйте ls -l команду, чтобы проверить, является ли данный файл символической ссылкой, и найти файл или каталог, на который указывает символическая ссылка.

Первый символ «l» указывает, что файл является символической ссылкой. Символ «->» показывает файл, на который указывает символическая ссылка.

Удалить символические ссылки с rm

Команда rm удаляет указанные файлы и каталоги.

Чтобы удалить символическую ссылку, вызовите rm команду, за которой следует символическое имя ссылки в качестве аргумента:

В случае успеха команда завершается с нуля и не выводит никаких данных.

С rm его помощью вы можете удалить более одной символической ссылки одновременно. Для этого передайте имена символических ссылок в качестве аргументов через пробел:

Чтобы получить запрос перед удалением символической ссылки, используйте -i параметр:

Для подтверждения типа y и нажмите Enter .

Если символическая ссылка указывает на каталог, не добавляйте / завершающий слеш в конце. В противном случае вы получите ошибку:

Если имя аргумента заканчивается на / , rm команда предполагает, что файл является каталогом. Ошибка возникает потому, что при использовании без параметра -d или -r , rm невозможно удалить каталоги.

Чтобы быть в безопасности, никогда не -r вариант при удалении символических ссылок с rm . Например, если вы наберете:

Содержимое целевого каталога будет удалено.

Удалить символические ссылки с unlink

Чтобы удалить символическую ссылку, запустите unlink команду с именем символической ссылки в качестве аргумента:

Если команда выполняется успешно, она не отображает вывод.

Не добавляйте / косую черту в конце имени символической ссылки, потому что unlink не можете удалить каталоги.

Найти и удалить неработающие символические ссылки

Если вы удалите или переместите исходный файл в другое место, символический файл останется висящим (поврежденным).

Команда выведет список всех неработающих ссылок в каталоге и его подкаталогах.

Если вы хотите исключить символические ссылки, содержащиеся в подкаталогах, передайте -maxdepth 1 параметр find :

После того, как вы найдете нарушенные символические ссылки, вы можете вручную удалить их с rm или unlink или использовать -delete опцию в find команде:

Вывод

Чтобы удалить символическую ссылку, используйте команду rm или, unlink за которой следует имя символической ссылки в качестве аргумента. При удалении символической ссылки, указывающей на каталог, не добавляйте косую черту к имени символической ссылки.

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How to Remove (Delete) Symbolic Links in Linux

You may have the opportunity to create or remove symbolic links on Linux.

If yes, do you know how to do it?

Have you already done that? Are you aware of that?

If yes then there is no problem. If not, don’t worry, we are here to help you with this.

This can be done using the rm and unlink commands.

What is Symbolic Link?

A symbolic link, also known as a symlink or soft link, is a special type of file that points to another file or directory in Linux.

It’s similar to a shortcut in Windows.

It can point to a file or a directory on the same or a different filesystem or partition.

In general Symbolic links are used to link libraries. Also, used to link log files and folders on mounted NFS (Network File System) shares.

What is rm Command?

The rm command is used to remove files or directories. This is very dangerous and be cautious every time you use the rm command.

What is unlink Command?

The unlink command is used to remove the specified file. It is already installed as it is part of the GNU Gorutils.

1) How to Remove Symbolic Link Files Using the rm Command

The rm command is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux. Furthermore, it allows us to remove the symbolic links as described below.

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

It also allows us to remove multiple symbolic links at once.

1a) How to Remove Symbolic Link Directories Using the rm Command

This is like removing a symbolic link file.

Use the below command to remove Symbolic Link directory.

Use the below command to remove multiple Symbolic Link directory.

If you add “/” trailing slash at the end, the symbolic link directory cannot be deleted. If you add, you get an error.

You may need to add the “-r” switch to deal with the above problem. If you add this, it will delete the contents of the target directory, while it will not delete the symbolic link directory.

2) How to Remove Symbolic Links Using the unlink Command

The unlink command deletes a given file. It accepts only a single file at a time.

To delete symbolic link file

To delete symbolic link directory

If you append the “/” trailing slash at the end, you cannot remove the symbolic link directory using the unlink command.

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