rclone Rmdir

rclone rmdir removes a single empty directory from a remote. If the directory contains any files, the command refuses to delete it — making it a safe cleanup tool.

Quick Summary

rmdir only removes empty directories. It's the safe counterpart to purge — you can never accidentally delete data with rmdir. Use rmdirs for recursive empty-directory cleanup.

Basic Syntax

rclone rmdir REMOTE:PATH

# Remove an empty directory
rclone rmdir remote:my-bucket/empty-folder

# Remove a local empty directory
rclone rmdir /var/backups/old-empty

If the directory is not empty, you'll see:

ERROR: Rmdir: directory not empty

Practical Examples

Clean Up After File Deletion

# Delete files first, then remove the empty dir
rclone delete remote:staging/old-data
rclone rmdir remote:staging/old-data

Remove a Test Directory

# Clean up after testing
rclone rmdir remote:test-bucket/scratch

Script with Safety Check

#!/bin/bash
# Only remove if directory is truly empty
if rclone ls remote:my-bucket/temp 2>&1 | grep -q .; then
  echo "Directory not empty — skipping"
else
  rclone rmdir remote:my-bucket/temp
  echo "Removed empty directory"
fi

rmdir vs rmdirs vs purge

Command	Scope	Requires Empty	Safe
rmdir	Single directory	✅	✅
rmdirs	Recursive (all empty dirs)	✅	✅
purge	Recursive (everything)	❌	❌

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Consequence	Prevention
Using rmdir on non-empty directory	Error — nothing happens (safe!)	Use delete first, then rmdir
Expecting recursive behavior	Only removes the specified directory	Use rmdirs for recursive cleanup

What's Next

Examples with Output

1. Remove an empty remote folder

Delete a directory that no longer contains files. Command:

rclone rmdir gdrive:EmptyFolder

Output:

(No output on success)

2. Attempt to remove a non-empty folder

Observe the safety check when files still exist. Command:

rclone rmdir remote:ActiveFolder

Output:

2024/01/15 12:00:00 ERROR : directory not empty

3. Delete a local empty directory

Cleanup local workspace folders. Command:

rclone rmdir ./temp_local_dir

Output:

(Local directory removed if empty)

4. Dry run for directory removal

Verify which folder would be impacted. Command:

rclone rmdir remote:maybe_empty --dry-run -v

Output:

2024/01/15 12:00:00 NOTICE: maybe_empty: Not rmdir as --dry-run is set

5. Combine with list to see result

Confirm removal after execution. Command:

rclone rmdir remote:old && rclone lsd remote:old

Output:

2024/01/15 12:00:00 ERROR : directory not found