How to Fix – rm: Cannot Remove Directory/: Permission Denied

In Linux, file removal, particularly directories, is a common task performed using the rm command. However, encountering a “Permission Denied” error can hinder this process, often due to insufficient permissions or system restrictions. This article explores into various solutions to resolve the ‘rm: Cannot Remove Directory/: Permission Denied‘ error, ensuring smooth and effective directory removal in Linux systems.

Below are the solutions to resolve the “rm: Cannot Remove Directory/: Permission Denied” problem in the Linux Operating System.

Solution 1: Using sudo to Remove the Directory

Using sudo to remove the directory involves elevating your permissions to superuser level, which grants us the authority to perform actions that require higher privileges, such as deleting system files or directories. When we encounter the “rm: Cannot Remove Directory/: Permission Denied” error, using sudo rm -r directory_name allows us to bypass the permission restrictions and delete the directory.

Syntax:

sudo rm -r directory_name

Example:

sudo rm -r gfg

Output:

Solution 2: Change Permissions Before Removing

Here, we are changing permissions before removing the directory involves modifying the directory’s permissions to grant write access to ourself. This can be done using the chmod command with the +w option, which adds write permissions to the directory. After changing the permissions, we can use the rm -r directory_name command to remove the directory without requiring sudo privileges.

Syntax:

chmod +w directory_name
rm -r directory_name

Example:

chmod +w gfg
rm -r gfg

Output:

In conclusion, when facing the “rm: Cannot Remove Directory/: Permission Denied” error in Linux, two effective solutions are available. Firstly, using sudo with the rm -r command grants superuser privileges, enabling the deletion of directories despite permission restrictions. Alternatively, changing permissions using chmod +w allows write access to directories, facilitating their removal without sudo requirements. These methods offer practical approaches to overcome permission-related obstacles during directory removal operations in Linux systems.