Use -- to tell a command that a dash-leading filename is an operand, not an option: rm -- -name. For a file in the current directory, a path prefix works too: rm ./-name. These approaches also work with GNU cp and mv when applied to the source filename.
Why a filename beginning with a dash causes trouble
Many command-line programs interpret an argument beginning with - as an option. If a file is literally named -name, a command may interpret it as an option instead of the file you meant to act on. GNU Coreutils documents that -- ends option parsing: “Later arguments, if any, are treated as operands even if they begin with ‘-’.”
Remove, copy, or move one dash-leading file
Remove a file
From the directory containing the file, either of these GNU rm forms identifies the file named -name:
rm -- -namerm ./-name
The first uses the end-of-options marker. The second supplies a relative path beginning with ./, so the argument no longer begins with a dash. The Linux man-pages rm(1) manual documents both forms.
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Copy or move a file
For GNU Coreutils, put -- before the source operand, or use a path prefix:
cp -- -name destinationorcp ./-name destinationmv -- -name destinationormv ./-name destination
Here, destination is the destination path you intend. For mv, if you need the final operand treated as the exact destination rather than as a directory into which to move the file, GNU mv provides -T (also called --no-target-directory).
What quoting does—and does not do
Quotes protect text from shell operations such as word splitting and expansion; they do not tell the program to stop parsing options. For example, rm -- '-name' both quotes the filename and ends option parsing. If shell characters in a name need protection, quote the name and use --, or pass a path such as ./-name.
Handle multiple filenames safely
For a one-off operation on visible entries in the current directory, rm -- * passes the shell-expanded names after the option delimiter, so dash-leading names are not treated as options. The glob * does not match hidden names. Before running a destructive command, inspect which names the glob expands to and confirm the target set.
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For scripts or batches that may include spaces, newlines, or other unusual characters, do not build a filename list from newline-separated ls output. Newlines can be part of a filename, so that representation cannot safely distinguish every name. GNU documentation recommends NUL-delimited handling, for example:
find . -type f -print0 | xargs -0 commandReplace command with the operation you intend to run, using its appropriate options and operands. The GNU Coreutils documentation on NUL-safe filename handling describes pairing find -print0 with xargs -0. The Linux man-pages find(1) manual also documents find‘s argument and filename handling.
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Check portability and the target before acting
--is documented for GNU Coreutils, but do not assume every utility on every Unix-like system accepts it in the same way. Check that command’s manual when portability matters.- A path prefix such as
./is convenient for a name in the current directory; use the correct directory path if the file is elsewhere. - Before deletion or batch operations, verify the path and inspect the expansion or file list so the command acts on the intended files.
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