clean - The Cargo Book

# cargo clean

## NAME

cargo-clean - Remove generated artifacts

## SYNOPSIS

`cargo clean [OPTIONS]`

## DESCRIPTION

Remove artifacts from the target directory that Cargo has generated in the past.

With no options, `cargo clean` will delete the entire target directory.

## OPTIONS

### Package Selection

When no packages are selected, all packages and all dependencies in the workspace are cleaned.

-p SPEC…​
--package SPEC…​

  Clean only the specified packages. This flag may be specified multiple times. See cargo-pkgid(1) for the SPEC format.

### Clean Options

--doc

  This option will cause `cargo clean` to remove only the `doc` directory in the target directory.

--release

  Clean all artifacts that were built with the `release` or `bench` profiles.

--target-dir DIRECTORY

  Directory for all generated artifacts and intermediate files. May also be specified with the `CARGO_TARGET_DIR` environment variable, or the `build.target-dir` config value. Defaults to `target` in the root of the workspace.

--target TRIPLE

  Clean for the given architecture. The default is the host architecture. The general format of the triple is `<arch><sub>-<vendor>-<sys>-<abi>`. Run `rustc --print target-list` for a list of supported targets.

  This may also be specified with the `build.target` config value.

### Display Options

-v
--verbose

  Use verbose output. May be specified twice for "very verbose" output which includes extra output such as dependency warnings and build script output. May also be specified with the `term.verbose` config value.

-q
--quiet

  No output printed to stdout.

--color WHEN

  Control when colored output is used. Valid values:

  - `auto` (default): Automatically detect if color support is available on the terminal.

  - `always`: Always display colors.

  - `never`: Never display colors.

  May also be specified with the `term.color` config value.

### Manifest Options

--manifest-path PATH

  Path to the `Cargo.toml` file. By default, Cargo searches in the current directory or any parent directory for the `Cargo.toml` file.

--frozen
--locked

  Either of these flags requires that the `Cargo.lock` file is up-to-date. If the lock file is missing, or it needs to be updated, Cargo will exit with an error. The `--frozen` flag also prevents Cargo from attempting to access the network to determine if it is out-of-date.

  These may be used in environments where you want to assert that the `Cargo.lock` file is up-to-date (such as a CI build) or want to avoid network access.

### Common Options

-h
--help

  Prints help information.

-Z FLAG…​

  Unstable (nightly-only) flags to Cargo. Run `cargo -Z help` for details.

## ENVIRONMENT

See the reference for details on environment variables that Cargo reads.

## Exit Status

0

  Cargo succeeded.

101

  Cargo failed to complete.

## EXAMPLES

1. Remove the entire target directory:

       cargo clean

2. Remove only the release artifacts:

       cargo clean --release

## SEE ALSO

cargo(1), cargo-build(1)