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Asked: 2024-09-27T04:33:34+05:30 In:

How can I remove specific files using wildcards in the terminal on Ubuntu?

I’ve got a bit of a conundrum that I could really use some help with. So, I’ve been going through my files on Ubuntu and I’ve accumulated a lot of random stuff over time. I’m trying to tidy up, but here’s the thing: I’ve got a bunch of specific files that I want to remove, but they’re scattered across different directories and the file names are not exactly the same.

I’ve heard that you can use wildcards in the terminal for this kind of situation, but I honestly feel a bit lost when it comes to that. Like, I know the basics of how to use the terminal, but when it comes to commands that involve wildcards, I’m worried I’ll mess something up, delete the wrong stuff, or, heaven forbid, wipe out something important.

For example, let’s say I have a directory with a load of text files, but some of them have a specific naming pattern—like they all start with “temp” or they all have “backup” in the name. I want to get rid of those specific files without touching anything else. Is it really possible to use wildcards to only target those files?

What command should I use, and how do wildcards even work, really? I recall hearing something about the asterisk (*) and maybe the question mark (?), but I’m not exactly sure how to put those into practice. Also, is there anything I should be cautious about?

To make matters more interesting, let’s say I want to do this across multiple folders, not just one. Can I run a single command that looks through all subdirectories, or do I need to handle each folder one by one? I’d love some examples if anyone has some handy!

I really appreciate any help or guidance you can throw my way. I just want to clean house without accidentally ruining something important in the process! Thanks in advance!

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    2 Answers



    1. Cleaning Up Files with Wildcards

      Cleaning Up Your Files on Ubuntu

      Sounds like you’re in a bit of a tricky spot with all those files! Don’t worry, you can totally use wildcards to help you tidy up without messing things up. Here’s a simple guide.

      Understanding Wildcards

      Wildcards are super handy when you’re dealing with file names. The most common ones are:

      • * – This represents any number of characters. For example, temp* will match any file that starts with “temp” like temp1.txt or temp_backup.txt.
      • ? – This represents a single character. So, file?.txt would match file1.txt but not file10.txt.

      Removing Files with Wildcards

      If you want to delete all files that start with “temp” and have a wild card after it, you could use:

      rm temp*

      This command will delete all files in the current directory that start with “temp”. But be careful! It won’t ask for confirmation, so make sure you’re in the right directory.

      Searching Multiple Directories

      If you want to look through all subdirectories and get rid of those pesky “backup” files, you can combine the find command with rm like this:

      find . -name "*backup*" -exec rm {} \;

      Here’s what’s happening:

      • find . means “start looking in the current directory.”
      • -name "*backup*" tells it to find any file with “backup” in the name.
      • -exec rm {} \; will delete each of those found files.

      Caution!

      Make sure to double-check the files you’re about to delete. You can replace rm with echo first to see what would be deleted:

      find . -name "*backup*" -exec echo {} \;

      This way, you can see the list without actually deleting anything. Once you’re sure, switch it back to rm.

      Final Thoughts

      Using wildcards can be a bit intimidating at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll love how much faster it makes tidying up! Just take your time, and you’ll be fine!


    2. To target and remove files with specific naming patterns in Ubuntu using the terminal, wildcards can indeed be very useful. The asterisk (*) is a wildcard that matches zero or more characters, while the question mark (?) matches a single character. If you have multiple files starting with “temp” in your directories, for example, you can use the command `rm temp*` to delete all files that begin with “temp.” Similarly, if you want to remove files with “backup” anywhere in their name, you can use `rm *backup*`. This will only remove those specific files without affecting others. However, caution is essential; running these commands will permanently delete the files without sending them to any kind of trash folder. To ensure that you’re only deleting what you intend, consider using `ls` first to preview the files that match your wildcards by running `ls temp*` or `ls *backup*` before executing the `rm` command.

      To handle multiple folders and subdirectories at once, you can use the `find` command alongside wildcards. For example, if you want to find and delete all files across your current directory and its subdirectories that start with “temp,” you would run: find . -name "temp*" -exec rm {} \;. This command finds files recursively from the current directory (denoted by ‘.’) with names matching the specified pattern and executes the `rm` command on each one. In this case, the `-name “temp*”` option allows you to specify the pattern, while the `-exec rm {}` part runs the removal command on the found files. As always, be very careful with these commands, and consider backing up important files or using the `-i` option with `rm` to prompt you for confirmation before each deletion.

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