How to Remove a Symbolic Link (Symlink) in Linux

A symbolic link (symlink) is a special type of file that points to another file or directory. It works like a shortcut, letting you organize and access files more efficiently. You can create symlinks with the ln command .

This guide explains how to remove symbolic links in Linux using the rm, unlink, and find commands.

Quick Reference #

Before You Begin #

To remove a symlink, you must have write permissions on the directory containing it. Otherwise, the command returns a permission-related error.

When you remove a symlink, the file or directory it points to is not affected. Only the link itself is deleted.

Use the ls -l command to check whether a file is a symbolic link and see where it points:

ls -l /usr/bin/python3

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 Aug 18  2024 /usr/bin/python3 -> python3.12

The first character l indicates that the file is a symlink. The -> symbol shows the target file.

Remove Symbolic Links with rm #

The rm command removes files and directories.

To delete a symlink, invoke rm followed by the symbolic link name:

rm symlink_name

On success, the command produces no output and exits with zero.

You can remove more than one symbolic link at once by passing multiple names separated by spaces:

rm symlink1 symlink2

To get a confirmation prompt before removing the symlink, use the -i option:

rm -i symlink_name

Type y and press Enter to confirm:

rm: remove symbolic link 'symlink_name'?

Avoid the Trailing Slash #

If the symbolic link points to a directory, do not append a trailing / to the symlink name. Otherwise, rm treats it as a directory and returns an error:

rm symlink_to_dir/

rm: cannot remove 'symlink_to_dir/': Is a directory

This happens because, when used without the -d or -r option, rm cannot remove directories.

Never use recursive removal when deleting symbolic links. If you run rm -rf on a symlink with a trailing slash, rm can follow the link and remove the contents of the target directory:

rm -rf symlink_to_dir/

This can delete the actual files inside the target directory, not just the symlink. Always omit the trailing slash when removing symlinks.

Remove Symbolic Links with unlink #

The unlink command deletes a single file. Unlike rm, it accepts only one argument.

To delete a symbolic link with unlink, pass the symlink name as an argument:

unlink symlink_name

If the command succeeds, it produces no output.

Do not append a trailing / to the symlink name because unlink cannot remove directories.

Find and Delete Broken Symbolic Links #

If you delete or move the target file, the symbolic link becomes dangling (broken) and no longer works.

To find all broken symbolic links under a given directory, run the following command:

find /path/to/directory -xtype l

/path/to/directory/symlink1
/path/to/directory/subdir/symlink2

The -xtype l test matches symbolic links whose targets do not exist.

To limit the search to the current directory level without descending into subdirectories, pass the -maxdepth 1 option to find :

find /path/to/directory -maxdepth 1 -xtype l

/path/to/directory/symlink1

Once you find the broken symlinks, you can remove them manually with rm or unlink, or use the -delete option of find to remove them all at once:

find /path/to/directory -xtype l -delete

Troubleshooting #

rm: cannot remove ‘symlink/’: Is a directory
You appended a trailing / to a symlink that points to a directory. Drop the slash: rm symlink. Never use rm -rf symlink/ because it can follow the link and remove the target directory contents.

rm: cannot remove ‘symlink’: No such file or directory
The symlink does not exist at that path, or you are in the wrong directory. Verify with ls -l symlink and use an absolute path if needed.

unlink: cannot unlink ‘symlink’: Operation not permitted
You do not have write permission on the parent directory. Check ownership with ls -ld . and rerun with sudo only if the parent is system-owned.

FAQ #

Does removing a symlink delete the original file?
No. Removing a symlink only deletes the link itself. The original file or directory it points to remains intact.

How do I check if a file is a symlink?
Run ls -l filename. If the first character of the permissions string is l, the file is a symbolic link. The output also shows the target after a -> arrow.

What happens to a symlink when the target is deleted?
The symlink becomes a dangling (broken) link. It still exists on disk, but any attempt to access it will fail with a “No such file or directory” error. Use find /path -xtype l to locate broken symlinks.

What is the difference between rm and unlink for removing symlinks?
Both commands remove symlinks the same way. The main difference is that unlink only accepts a single argument, while rm can remove multiple files at once and supports options like -i for interactive confirmation.

Conclusion #

To remove a symbolic link, use rm or unlink followed by the symlink name. Do not append a trailing slash when removing a symlink that points to a directory. Use find /path -xtype l when you need to clean up broken links after moving or deleting target files.

About the authors

Dejan Panovski

Dejan Panovski is the founder of Linuxize, an RHCSA-certified Linux system administrator and DevOps engineer based in Skopje, Macedonia. Author of 800+ Linux tutorials with 20+ years of experience turning complex Linux tasks into clear, reliable guides.

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