Command line recycle bin for Linux

rm is a great tool that gives users enough power to inadvertently erase data. While the data may be recoverable, there is a tool that gives users recycle bin behavior.

What is trash-cli

trash-cli is a Python tool that implements the freedesktop.org trash specification. In contrast to rm, users can recover deleted files easily.

Installing trash-cli

The recommended way to install trash-cli is through pip (the Python package manager):

1pip3 install trash-cli

Alternatively, trash-cli is available on some package managers:

Debian/Ubuntu:

1sudo apt install trash-cli

Arch:

1pacman -S trash-cli

Fedora:

1dnf install trash-cli

trash-cli simple usage

Using trash-cli is straightforward.

Trash a file:

1trash path/to/file

Trash many files:

1trash path/to/file1 path/to/file2

List trashed files:

1$ trash-list
22023-05-20 21:43:02 /Users/thomas/example2.txt
32023-05-20 21:43:02 /Users/thomas/example1.txt

Remove specific trashed files:

1$ trash-rm example2.txt
2$ trash-list
32023-05-20 21:43:02 /Users/thomas/example1.txt

Restore trash:

1$ trash-restore
2   0 2023-05-20 21:43:02 /Users/thomas/example1.txt
3What file to restore [0..0]: 0

Lastly, emptying trash:

1$ trash-empty
2Would empty the following trash directories:
3    - /Users/thomas/.local/share/Trash
4Proceed? (y/n) y