Remove files with names containing strange characters such as spaces, semicolons, and backslashes in Unix

If you've transferred files to your Unix account from a PC or Macintosh with filenames containing what Unix considers to be meta-characters, they may cause problems. Meta-characters (including semicolons, spaces, backslashes, dollar signs, question marks, and asterisks) are characters that are interpreted under Unix as commands or instructions. Although these characters may not cause any trouble in other operating systems, their special Unix interpretations may cause problems when you try to delete them. Try the following suggestions for deleting these files:

• Try the regular rm command and enclose your troublesome filename in quotes. This may solve the problem of deleting files with spaces in their name, for example:

   rm "File Name"

  You can also remove some other characters in this manner, for example:

   rm "filename;#"

  The quotes prevent the semicolon from being interpreted as a stacking command. (Since you can string commands together in Unix with semicolons, Unix will interpret a semicolon in a filename that way, unless you put it in quotes.)

• You can also try renaming the problem file, using quotes around your original filename, by entering:

   mv "filename;#" new_filename

  If this command successfully renames the file, you can then use the rm command to delete the file using the new name.

• If this doesn't work, insert a backslash ( \ ) before the meta-character in your filename. The backslash causes the character that follows to be interpreted literally. For example, to remove the file named my$project, enter:

   rm my\$project

• To remove a file whose name begins with a dash (-) character, refer to the file with the following syntax:

   rm ./-filename

  Using the redundant ./ directory information prevents the dash from occurring at the beginning of the filename, and being interpreted as an option of the rm command.

• There are some characters that you cannot remove using any of the above methods, such as forward slashes, interpreted by Unix as directory separators. To remove a file with such meta-characters, you may have to FTP into the account containing the file from a separate account and enter the command:

   mdel

  You will be asked if you really wish to delete each file in the directory. Be sure to answer n (for no) for each file except the file containing the difficult character that you wish to delete. Delete that file by typing y (for yes) when prompted. Once you've deleted the intended file, you may press Ctrl-c to discontinue the mdel process. Use this approach cautiously to avoid deleting other files by mistake.

  If you're using a graphical FTP client, remove these files as you would any other file.

• Some Emacs editors allow you to directly edit a directory, and this provides yet another way to remove a file with a troublesome name. Consult Emacs documentation for more information.