-------
<file>...::
Files to remove. Fileglobs (e.g. `*.c`) can be given to
- remove all matching files. If you want git to expand
+ remove all matching files. If you want Git to expand
file glob characters, you may need to shell-escape them.
A leading directory name
(e.g. `dir` to remove `dir/file1` and `dir/file2`) can be
The <file> list given to the command can be exact pathnames,
file glob patterns, or leading directory names. The command
-removes only the paths that are known to git. Giving the name of
-a file that you have not told git about does not remove that file.
+removes only the paths that are known to Git. Giving the name of
+a file that you have not told Git about does not remove that file.
File globbing matches across directory boundaries. Thus, given
two directories `d` and `d2`, there is a difference between
-using `git rm {apostrophe}d{asterisk}{apostrophe}` and
-`git rm {apostrophe}d/{asterisk}{apostrophe}`, as the former will
+using `git rm 'd*'` and `git rm 'd/*'`, as the former will
also remove all of directory `d2`.
REMOVING FILES THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED FROM THE FILESYSTEM
git diff --name-only --diff-filter=D -z | xargs -0 git rm --cached
----------------
+Submodules
+~~~~~~~~~~
+Only submodules using a gitfile (which means they were cloned
+with a Git version 1.7.8 or newer) will be removed from the work
+tree, as their repository lives inside the .git directory of the
+superproject. If a submodule (or one of those nested inside it)
+still uses a .git directory, `git rm` will fail - no matter if forced
+or not - to protect the submodule's history.
+
+A submodule is considered up-to-date when the HEAD is the same as
+recorded in the index, no tracked files are modified and no untracked
+files that aren't ignored are present in the submodules work tree.
+Ignored files are deemed expendable and won't stop a submodule's work
+tree from being removed.
+
+If you only want to remove the local checkout of a submodule from your
+work tree without committing the removal,
+use linkgit:git-submodule[1] `deinit` instead.
+
EXAMPLES
--------
`git rm Documentation/\*.txt`::
`Documentation` directory and any of its subdirectories.
+
Note that the asterisk `*` is quoted from the shell in this
-example; this lets git, and not the shell, expand the pathnames
+example; this lets Git, and not the shell, expand the pathnames
of files and subdirectories under the `Documentation/` directory.
`git rm -f git-*.sh`::