Wsl cannot remove directory not empty. Go to your Ubuntu installation directory.

Wsl cannot remove directory not empty. ) and then remove the desired directory using its full or relative pathname from outside. Dec 8, 2020 · mv cannot merge or overwrite directories, it will fail with the message "mv: cannot move 'a' to 'b': Directory not empty", even when you're using the --force option. While attempting to delete a write-protected directory, the command line interface will prompt for confirmation. While applications like Nautilus act on the GVfs to access the trash, it can also be done directly from the command-line on WSL or Ubuntu Server, without any GUI, using the gio commandline tool. Explore alternative methods Apr 5, 2017 · The directory I was trying to remove was setup in the "volumes" section, in one of my docker-compose files. Though its man page doesn't document it, mv will refuse to rename a directory to another directory if the target directory contains files. Understanding the Risks Mar 27, 2015 · You cannot remove the current directory because then the current directory would become invalid. X11-unix. Mar 26, 2024 · Learn the causes of the 'Directory not empty' error in rmdir command and discover effective solutions to resolve and prevent this issue. [ERROR] Couldn't set the case sensitive attribute of the directory "\?\C:\Users\test\AppData\Local\Packages\CanonicalGroupLimited. I determined I was having this issue while doing a composer install from Ubuntu on a Windows folder location (/mnt/c/*). In the second case: – Stop the docker daemon: service docker stop – unmount the drive: umount /dev/{drive} – use the check/repair tool Aug 16, 2022 · The rmdir command is used to remove empty directories. json into that and running a fresh composer install. sh': No such file or directory I cant delete it from windows explorer - no permissions Aug 24, 2023 · If anyone else ends up here with a composer install issue on wsl2. Then use the attrib command with -h to remove hidden file attributes, -s to remove system file attributes, or -h -s to remove both hidden and system Feb 27, 2023 · Delete Folder/File from WinRE. I have WSL2 running ubuntu 18. Just remember to include the -d option. After I moved a file into the empty folder. , which historically (before Windows 10 20H2) happened when no files were in use, but the asynchronous nature of the DeleteFile WinAPI function caused intermittent failures. conf file in WSL: sudo -e /etc/wsl. This is a good thing in your case because you turn out to want to merge the content of the source into the target, which mv will not do. However,I receive error message telling rm: cannot remove 'dir1': Directory Feb 23, 2022 · Is there a way to get gio trash --empty to empty the trash? I'll start with why it isn't working out-of-the-box with WSL. I cannot rm -rf this directory (it gives me permission issues even while running it as root! says its read only?). Without quoting or escaping Mar 14, 2024 · I used to have a Linux Virtual Machine and used a network folder to pass files from my host to the VM about a year and a half ago. The short answer To remove an entire directory or folder, including the files and subdirectories it contains, you can use the rm command with the -r flag (short for recursive): $ rm -r directory Run in Warp Remind yourself of the syntax using Dec 1, 2021 · I am using both Cygwin and WSL (Ubuntu) on Windows. The “Permission denied” is misleading; I think “Directory not empty” (like rmdir reports) would be more appropriate. Jun 21, 2023 · How to fix npm install failed to remove some directories Troubleshoot why NPM install is not deleting directories when you run npm install Jun 21, 2023 | Read time 8 minutes Mar 13, 2023 · Solve the “Cannot Delete folder: The directory is not empty” error in Microsoft Windows 11 and other operating systems following this guide. Nov 25, 2015 · Edited due to people want to know more then me just wanting to know how to deal with two directories with same names in different places and move one into another when mv will not allow it if files Dec 23, 2023 · As a Linux user, you may find yourself needing to delete a directory that contains files or other directories. Method 1. hello, then * will not match this file and as a result the directory will not be empty when you come to do an rmdir. Today, I found an inaccessible and undeletable Linux folder on my desktop, and I don't know how it got there since my… Dec 30, 2020 · I'm sure it works. While deleting a file note that you are not writing to that file but you are changing the contents of the directory that contains the file, so having "w" permission on the directory is a must if you want to delete any file from the directory. PCManFM reported Local Storage: Error removing file: Directory not empty and refused to delete the directory. It deletes all files and folders contained in the lampp directory. While deleting empty directories is straightforward, removing non-empty ones requires a bit more care. exe -l -v If you are asking how to automatically start WSL, use Windows' "Task Scheduler" to set up a task running wsl. Aug 26, 2019 · 解决方法 首先你应该使用 rm -rf 目录名 这样确保可以递归删除目录 如果出现 cannot remove ‘directory': Directory not empty 报错信息， 重启电脑 解决 原因 这个问题产生的原因是产生类似 . rm -rf Simple-Directory In Linux, you can use the rm command to delete empty directories as well. Paste \\wsl$\Ubuntu to your file explorer's top bar. Oct 23, 2023 · 3 I installed "darling" and now want to delete it, but this shows up: rm: cannot remove 'darling': Is a directory When I ran rmdir it says: rmdir: failed to remove 'darling/': Directory not empty Even ran sudo umount darling, still no luck. And it's a good practice to try not to use -f while deleting a directory: Jan 28, 2022 · The error message is saying that the file does not exist. Jul 22, 2020 · Expected behavior Delete directory in windows or cannot create the directory of illegal name in mounted window drives by WSL. Jul 22, 2020 · Using rd /s in cmd, terminal showed The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. To delete a directory in Linux without any confirmation you can use the -rf option. I wouldn't jump to that conclusion so quickly, but: It's apparent that you are using WSL version 1, since you can see the rootfs directory from CMD. First, change out of the directory you want to remove (e. Depending on whether the directory is empty or not, we will have to use specific flags. Newer versions of Python may also report a "directory not empty" error. So I set about removing the directory. Instead of using rsync, you also can do the Mar 19, 2015 · In case you are running out of space on your hard disk and your destination file structure is more complex (so you can't or don't want to simply delete the destination folder to free the space for moving), you can use the option --remove-source-files (for more info about this option on superuser) of rsync! Any idea what happened to the directory and how I can permanently delete it to free up space? There is no Trash folder in my home folder. This file, however, is just a symlink to /mnt/wsl/resolv. I was able to delete the non empty folder Aug 29, 2019 · I cant delete it from the Ubuntu side with rm -rf cannot remove 'wslServer. If you attempt to remove a non-empty directory with this command, you’ll encounter the Rmdir Directory Oct 24, 2018 · The Trash folder in Ubuntu is typically provided by gio (Gnome IO) and GVfs (the Gnome Virtual Filesystem). UbuntuonWindows_79rhkp1fndgsc\LocalState". Actual behavior Cannot delete the directory and the directory which contains in windows. Dec 19, 2023 · Linux offers several different methods for removing directories. After that rm -rf backup/*. Go to your Ubuntu installation directory. Here's a solution that works. That's the origin of the "No such file or directory" in your single __temp__ directory case. Dec 21, 2022 · Explains how to find given directory recursively and delete in a single command using find command on a Linux, macOS, *BSD and Unix. Apr 23, 2024 · 当使用" rm -rf"命令删除一个目录时，如果目录中包含其他文件或子目录，则会出现"directory not empty"的错误。这是因为"-rf"参数会强制删除目录及其内容，但在目录不为空的情况下，无法删除目录。 要解决这个问题，您可以尝试以下几种方法： 使用"rm -r"命令：将"-rf"参数更改为"-r"，这将以递归方式 . vhdx) which isn't accessible from CMD. When I create a file inside /mnt/wsl, it is deleted after a WSL reboot. This must be done on the file system when it is unmounted. It seems you cannot write into directory therefore files cannot be deleted. fsck Run “fsck /dev/sda1” Or which ever disk the file system is on. ) Aug 15, 2022 · The good news: It's possible to change the default automount location by creating a /etc/wsl. fuse_hidden0001d4bf00000006 这样的文件，而你删除这个文件后，会产生一个新的类似这样的文件，可以通过 ls -la 目录名 来 Oct 8, 2022 · Short answer: wsl --unregister <distro> (from PowerShell or CMD, a non-admin session) should remove the distribution, all files in it, and the share. it is on your Windows drive). Jul 14, 2020 · I started developing on Windows Subsystem for Linux 2, and I wanted a safe way to use `rm` to delete files. Make sure you have the necessary permissions to delete the directory and all its contents. Dec 23, 2017 · If you're encountering an issue while trying to remove a directory using rm , it might be due to permissions or the presence of files within the directory. To delete a file or folder that cannot be deleted with Sep 1, 2019 · I have recently tried to completely remove snap however I have a /var/lib/snapd directory left. This was once a shortcut used to access the WSL distro you had installed. -depth -name '__temp__*' -exec rm -rf '{}' \; Explanation Without the -depth flag, your find command will remove matching filenames and then try to descend into the (now unlinked) directories. conf which, from what I have read, should be automatically generated every time WSL boots. If it is the root file system then you are best to use a live CD to boot and then fsck the system. However, the /mnt/wsl directory is completely empty. Worked for me when I was trying to delete the Unity project and it was used by unity hub. Try moving to a location which has a shorter Feb 14, 2022 · It's very likely you have some sort of WSL filesystem corruption. X11 socket was not created and linked correctly "Display" environment variable is Sep 19, 2012 · Use a depth-first search and quote (or escape) the shell metacharacter *: find . exe process, run rd /s in cmd again, terminal showed Cannot Remove folder because the directory is not empty. Jul 21, 2022 · in to Terminal and navigate with terminal to where zigBqC04 is and rm <filename> to remove files or rmdir <dir> to delete folders replace <---> with the file or folder name. I do not have any /etc/wsl* file. Sep 15, 2020 · I would put my money on a corrupt filesystem. Check to make sure that the path exists and that it is inside your wsl file system. I would assume that some other process (probably even outside of WSL) hasn't released all handles to the directory yet, so it is in a "marked for deletion but not actually deleted yet" state. Jul 7, 2022 · Steps to reproduce Install WSL Preview in Microsoft Store to upgrade WSL to the newest Open Ubuntu, try xterm but get xterm: Xt error: Can't open display: :0 Check solutions in wiki Diagnosing "cannot open display" type issues with WSLg, then find that there is nothing in /tmp/. The easiest method to remove a folder/file that cannot be deleted, is by compressing it to a archive with WinRAR or the 7-ZIP archiver and deleting it after the compression. But since WSL was removed, you'll find it is empty and that you can't Jun 5, 2025 · Check out this article to learn how to remove a directory in Linux using the rm and rmdir commands using the Linux command line. if findmnt --target /var/lib/docker returns that the target is /, a reboot should initiate a filesystem check, if it’s not, the source should be a different drive other than the one for the root filesystem. Jul 10, 2020 · Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion. config/chromium~/ after fixing Chromium. Apr 25, 2017 · Check with a tool like Process Explorer whether something still has a handle to the directory open. 04. Aug 26, 2019 · 1 Maybe a little too late but to remove folder in your wsl just open your wsl/ubuntu terminal. How do you delete the file without mounting? TL;DR: On Fuse filesystem, close down your terminal or whatever it was that was interacting with the file/folder Nov 16, 2012 · Just doing rm -r lampp will do. lock back into the Feb 24, 2019 · Your rm -r command first sees that folder1 is a directory, so it tries to discover its contents to empty it, but fails for missing read permission, then it tries to delete it but fails because it’s non-empty. To delete a directory in Linux, there are two commands you can use: rmdir to delete empty directories and rm -r for removing directories with files or subdirectories. g. Dec 30, 2018 · 47 Here the problem is you do not have "w" permission on the /home directory. I ran a command that created a file in Cygwin, and then when I view the same file in WSL, it says that I own it and the directory containing it, Aug 16, 2024 · The internet guided me towards the /etc/resolv. You are accessing the rootfs directory from Windows Jul 23, 2025 · When you want to remove a directory in Linux, you need to consider whether it is empty or contains files and other directories. The syntax is \\wsl$\<DISTRIBUTION> and again if you use Ubuntu on WSL so try \\wsl$\Ubuntu. Cannot (force) remove directory in Docker build Ask Question Asked 10 years, 5 months ago Modified 10 years, 5 months ago Oct 12, 2011 · I note you're moving *, but if there's a file called, for example, . Feb 28, 2023 · Important: For all answers below, please make sure that the directory does not include any critical files or symlinks to critical directories, as you'll be recursively removing everything in there. I've been trying to erase (remove) a directory from one of my internal HDD and the system tells me that "The directory can not be removed because it is not an empty directory. cd / to get to your root. Aug 21, 2024 · Explains how to remove non empty directory Linux using the rmdir and rm command line options including all files and subdirectories. If you're here just for the solution, here's what you can do: Step 1: Jul 26, 2016 · A brief description - trying to move a directory yields "Directory not empty" errors for subdirectories and the old location with subdirectories is left in place. -r means recursive, so it deletes everything in a folder, including the folder itself. Maybe it is the current working directory of some process? This is just how the deletion semantics in There are two commands to remove directories in linux, rm and rmdir. You most likely either had a typo in the file pathname, or else the file is outside of the WSL filesystem (e. More detail: Apr 6, 2024 · It is not "scary" at all, many packages do similar attempts (as a consequence of "pre-creation" rules), but would do that only if the directory contains only from package installed files (removed previously), so basically only empty directory. Remove a non-empty directory on Linux To remove a directory on linux, which is not empty, pass the -r flag to rm. cd . That's not possible in WSL2, since it stores its filesystem in a virtual disk (ext4. Jul 1, 2016 · The directory is not empty. . I resolved it by creating a folder inside Ubuntu (/~/test_composer/), copying composer. If there is not yet a directory with that name on the destination side, or if a directory with that name exists but is empty, the operation succeeds. according to your listing, root has all privileges, other users from root group do not have +w permission as all other users. Try using sudo rm -rf folder_name. Fix "directory is not empty" by Compressing and Deleting the Folder/File. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Showed me the not empty error, so I thought I try it via admin cmd, but none of the answers here helped. Upon trying to remove the node_modules directory created by npm install: The source file name(s) are larger than is supported by the file system. ls to find where you created the folder, in my case it was in: home/user/projects folder, cd home/user/projects. Use rsync -a backup/ backupArchives/ instead. conf file. Sorry I don't use Windows and I forgot how file explorer looks like and what "top bar" is called. Mar 26, 2016 · If you move a directory to another directory, mv assumes you want to keep the basename of your original directory and create it on the target directory. Mar 15, 2013 · Try sudo rm -rf [Folder name] If it still displays "Directory not empty" that means that the directory is being used. Jan 31, 2024 · On Linux and Unix-like operating systems, including Ubuntu and MacOS, directories can be removed and deleted using either the rm or rmdir bash commands. Then I killed wslhost. If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place. Jan 15, 2016 · Closed 9 years ago. Jul 15, 2022 · The confusion comes because rmdir cannot be used to delete a directory with files or folders inside of it. It does, however, require a D-Bus user session, which does not run automatically under WSL Feb 9, 2023 · rmdir: failed to remove "xxxx": Directory not emptyエラーが出た場合：正しいコマンドはrm -r ！ Linux Ubuntu Terminal rm rmdir Posted at 2023-02-09 I am getting an "access is denied" error when I attempt to delete a folder that is not empty. This is a common issue if you had Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) installed and later removed it. If you attempt to do so, the following message appears: The directory is not empty Use the dir /a command to list all files (including hidden and system files). conf Normally (but not in your case) you would change the automount location by placing the following in that file: [automount] root = <new location> The bad news: You can't change the location to /. By uninstalling Remote SSH in an attempt was done to free up memory taken on host computer. gio relies on the Gnome Virtual File System (GVfs) for some of its functionality, which in turn relies on a user-session D-Bus, which in another turn is usually started by Systemd under Ubuntu. In this article, we will explain how to delete directories in Linux using the rmdir, rm, and find commands. " The issue is that the directory IS empty! At least, I can not to see any inside it with Thunar file manager or from the Terminal with root privileges. Reason: Indicates that the directory trying to be deleted is not empty. I used the Apr 16, 2024 · Linux Folder on Windows in Explorer? An unknown Linux folder with a penguin icon appears on Windows 10 or 11 in the file explorer navigation pane. Aug 10, 2020 · the problem occurred after removing visual code studio (vscode) remote ssh from the client. simply closed unity hub and rewrote the command worked fine. In this article, we'll explore some safe methods to delete non-empty directories in Linux. If it still displays "Directory not empty" that means that the directory is being used. exe or a Linux shell script at logon or boot time. Add sudo at the beginning of the command : Otherwise, without sudo you will be returned permission denied. Mar 28, 2024 · This page explains how to force delete a directory in Linux using the rm and rmdir command when it contains other files and sub-directroies. Thanks Archived post. Then I copied the vendor folder and composer. Oct 15, 2020 · I have all the necessary permission to delete the folder ls -l drwxrwxrwx 1 user user 4096 Oct 15 16:20 WindowsApps However on trying to delete the folder sudo rm -r -f WindowsApps rm: cannot rem If you are asking how to check if WSL is running or not, use wsl. Jul 23, 2025 · 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. 13 I had a similar problem, tried to delete an empty folder via windows explorer. Try mount | fgrep fuse to find it, and fusermount -u <mountpoint> to unmount it before trying to delete your directory. @edwindijas What service initializing scripts are you using? Dec 22, 2020 · An error was reported when I tried to move the WSL. Sep 6, 2023 · Struggling to delete a persistent file? We were facing the same problem! In our case, we encountered this issue while working with WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and Python and we wanted to delete a folder. Sep 7, 2013 · Later, doing something else, I realized I never did remove $HOME/. Snapd is uninstalled and I need to clear this directory… how can I delete it? Jun 13, 2019 · Running ls -la /mnt/c shows an empty directory, running ls -la /mnt/c/Users returns no such file or directory. The directory and docker installation were on WSL and Docker for Windows was connecting to it for easier administration. You can't delete a directory that contains files, including hidden or system files. Try to close it or check which program is using it then re-use the command. X11-unix and /mnt/wslg/. It's probably \\wsl$\Ubuntu. Type this command: rm -r folder-name, then ls to verify that the folder has been remove. Jun 21, 2021 · I try to remove directories that contain files in the command line by using rm -rf dir1. aaoz abyuk jespue zabmu auawyik sxfblhza ocn vduc pala ahdvsg