How to Remove Symbolic Links in Ubuntu Linux

Open the terminal

Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open the terminal. A terminal window should appear with a prompt waiting for input. If the shortcut does nothing, open the Activities overview, type Terminal in the search 🔍 box and click the app.

• Press Ctrl+Alt+T on your keyboard. This keyboard shortcut launches the terminal window. You don’t need administrator rights just to open it.

Change to the symbolic link directory

To remove a symbolic link in Ubuntu, first move into the folder where the shortcut lives. Type cd followed by the folder path in the terminal and press Enter. This puts your session in the right folder, so you can work with the link by its short name and avoid touching other files by accident.

If you see “No such file or directory”, check the path for typos. Pressing Tab while you type completes folder names for you. If a folder name contains spaces, put the whole path in quotes.

Substitute ~/Downloads with the actual path to the directory containing your symbolic link.

cd ~/Downloads

Remember to replace ~/Downloads with the actual path to the directory containing your symbolic link. A path that starts with / is absolute and works from anywhere. A path without it is relative to the folder you are in now.

Identify the symbolic link

Before you delete anything, check the exact name of the shortcut. Type ls -l in the terminal to get a detailed list of everything in the current folder. Symlinks are easy to spot because their line starts with the letter l. Each one also shows the file or folder it points to, which confirms you have the right link.

ls -l

Look for entries starting with lrwx, indicating they function as symbolic links. Regular files and folders start with a different character, so they are easy to tell apart.

ls -l /usr/bin/python

The output also displays where the link points. The link name comes first, then an arrow, then the target. Make a note of the link name exactly as it appears, including capital letters, because Linux file names are case-sensitive. If the target no longer exists, the link is broken, and it is safe to remove.

lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 Apr 16  2023 /usr/bin/python -> python3

Remove the symbolic link

The first way to remove a symbolic link in Ubuntu is the rm command. It deletes the shortcut and leaves the original files alone. Type rm followed by the name of your link and press Enter. The link is removed straight away, with no Trash and no undo. The target file or folder stays safe and intact.

rm symlink_name

This command removes the symlink itself, preserving the target file or directory. If the link points to a folder, type the name without a slash at the end. A trailing slash makes the shell treat it as the folder itself, and the command will fail with an error. If you get "Permission denied", you don't have write access to the folder that holds the link. In that case, run the same command with sudo in front.

Appending the -i option triggers a prompt before removing the symlink. The terminal asks whether you really want to remove the link. Type y and press Enter to confirm, or press Enter alone to cancel. This is a good habit when you are working in a folder with many similar names:

rm -i symlink_name

Remove symbolic links with unlink

The second way to remove a symbolic link in Ubuntu is the unlink command, which deletes one shortcut at a time. Type unlink followed by the name of your link and press Enter. It does only this one job, so it is harder to misuse than rm. It removes the link and does not touch your original data.

The unlink command focuses on handling one symlink at a time. It accepts a single name and has no options, so you can't use it to delete several links in one go.

Run the unlink command followed by the symlink name as an argument to delete a symbolic link. As with rm, leave off any trailing slash. If the command prints nothing, it worked:

unlink symlink_name

That completes the process. To check, run ls -l again in the same folder. The link should no longer be listed, and the original file or folder should still be in its own location. If you removed a link by mistake, you can create it again, since the target was never touched.

Removing symbolic links helps reduce clutter and avoid confusion when accessing files and directories. Use either the rm or unlink command depending on your setup. Use rm if you want the confirmation prompt, and unlink if you want a command that handles only a single link.

• Removing symbolic links in Ubuntu Linux is essential for maintaining a clean and efficient file system.
• Properly managing symbolic links helps reduce clutter, improve system performance, and avoid confusion when accessing files and directories.
• The rm command or the unlink command can remove symbolic links based on your specific requirements.
• Always exercise caution when removing symbolic links to ensure you do not inadvertently delete essential files or directories. Run ls -l first and confirm the line starts with l.
• Feel free to share your feedback or tips in the comments section below.