SYMLINK_REMOVE(1)

📦 version 1.8.16.1, in nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable

okay bestie, welcome to symlink_remove from the AFS Command Reference — this is the manual page for symlink_remove(1), and yes the vibes are immaculate.

✨ NAME ✨

symlink_remove — remove a symbolic link [Windows only] 🪟

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

symlink remove [-name] <file name> [-help]

like, that's the whole spell you're casting. periodt. 💅

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so the symlink remove command does exactly one thing and does it gorgeously: it removes a symbolic link to a file. that's it. that's the task. main character energy, minimal drama. ✨

💀 CAUTIONS 💀

ngl, this is the important part, so pay attention bestie 😭

the symlink commands are only available on Windows platforms. on any other platform? they literally don't exist. on those, you use the rm command instead. fr fr, don't come crying to me when symlink remove ghosts you on Linux. 🫶

💖 OPTIONS 💖

  • [-name] <file name> — specify one or more symbolic links to remove. the -name part is optional, but the file name is not — you gotta give it something to delete, bestie. 🙈
  • -help — prints the online help for this command. and listen: all other valid options are ignored when you do this. it's giving "I'm the main character now." 👑

🌈 OUTPUT 🌈

this command has no output except error and help messages. silent queen behavior. 🤫

but okay, here's the tea: if the command is passed a real file instead of a symlink, it doesn't delete it — it prints

symlink: 'file name' is not a symlink

and refuses to touch it. iconic safety feature, honestly. 🎀

🍓 EXAMPLES 🍓

say mylink is a link pointing to the file myfile. both of these commands will remove the link mylink:

% symlink remove -name mylink
% symlink remove mylink

see? the -name is optional. the file name is not. we been knew. 💅✨

👑 PRIVILEGE REQUIRED 👑

the issuer must have the l (look) and d (delete) permissions on the ACL of the directory that houses the symlink. no look, no delete, no slay. it's giving strict. 🔥

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

go read those too, bestie, iykyk 📚💜

Copyright 2007 Jason Edgecombe <jason@rampaginggeek.com>

This documentation is covered by the BSD License as written in the doc/LICENSE file. This man page was written by Jason Edgecombe for OpenAFS.

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🦋💖 this beauty is from OpenAFS, dated 2026-06-25, and it's the SYMLINK_REMOVE(1) page — go forth and remove those symlinks responsibly, mwah 🎀✨💅

📦 where this page comes from