rm()

rm(..., list = character(), envir = as.environment(pos))

The rm() function removes one or more objects from the specified environment by name. It is commonly used to clean up temporary objects, free memory, or remove specific variables from the workspace.

Syntax

rm(..., list = character(), envir = as.environment(pos))

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
...	names	—	Object names (unquoted) to remove
list	character	character()	Character vector of object names to remove
envir	environment	as.environment(pos)	Environment to remove objects from

Examples

Basic usage

# Create some objects
x <- 1:10
y <- "hello"
z <- list(a = 1, b = 2)

# List objects in the environment
ls()
# [1] "x" "y" "z"

# Remove a single object
rm(x)
ls()
# [1] "y" "z"

Removing multiple objects

# Remove multiple objects at once
rm(y, z)
ls()
# character(0)

# Create fresh objects
a <- 10
b <- 20
c <- 30

# Remove all at once using ...
rm(a, b, c)
ls()
# character(0)

Using the list parameter

# Create some objects
df <- data.frame(x = 1:5)
mat <- matrix(1:9, nrow = 3)
vec <- c(1, 2, 3)

# Remove using character vector
to_remove <- c("df", "mat")
rm(list = to_remove)
ls()
# [1] "vec"

Cleaning up from a specific environment

# Create a new environment
my_env <- new.env()
my_env$temp <- 123
my_env$data <- iris

ls(my_env)
# [1] "temp" "data"

# Remove from specific environment
rm(temp, envir = my_env)
ls(my_env)
# [1] "data"

Removing all objects except some

# Create many objects
x <- 1
y <- 2
z <- 3
keep <- "important"

# Remove all except "keep"
rm(list = setdiff(ls(), "keep"))
ls()
# [1] "keep"

Common Patterns

Clear the entire workspace

rm(list = ls())

Note: This removes all objects. A safer approach keeps hidden objects:

rm(list = ls(envir = .GlobalEnv), envir = .GlobalEnv)

Remove temporary objects after analysis

# After computation
temp_result <- sum(rnorm(1000))

# Clean up when done
rm(temp_result)

Selective cleanup in functions

process_data <- function(df) {
  # Intermediate calculations
  temp_mean <- mean(df$value)
  temp_sd <- sd(df$value)
  
  # Return only final result
  result <- list(mean = temp_mean, sd = temp_sd)
  
  # Clean up intermediate values
  rm(temp_mean, temp_sd)
  
  return(result)
}

See Also

• round()
• rep()
• rownames()