# strip(1) - man - phpMan

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## NAME
       strip - discard symbols and other data from object files

## SYNOPSIS
       strip [**-F** _bfdname_ |**--target=**_bfdname_]
             [**-I** _bfdname_ |**--input-target=**_bfdname_]
             [**-O** _bfdname_ |**--output-target=**_bfdname_]
             [**-s**|**--strip-all**]
             [**-S**|**-g**|**-d**|**--strip-debug**]
             [**--strip-dwo**]
             [**-K** _symbolname_|**--keep-symbol=**_symbolname_]
             [**-M**|**--merge-notes**][**--no-merge-notes**]
             [**-N** _symbolname_ |**--strip-symbol=**_symbolname_]
             [**-w**|**--wildcard**]
             [**-x**|**--discard-all**] [**-X** |**--discard-locals**]
             [**-R** _sectionname_ |**--remove-section=**_sectionname_]
             [**--keep-section=**_sectionpattern_]
             [**--remove-relocations=**_sectionpattern_]
             [**-o** _file_] [**-p**|**--preserve-dates**]
             [**-D**|**--enable-deterministic-archives**]
             [**-U**|**--disable-deterministic-archives**]
             [**--keep-section-symbols**]
             [**--keep-file-symbols**]
             [**--only-keep-debug**]
             [**-v** |**--verbose**] [**-V**|**--version**]
             [**--help**] [**--info**]
             _objfile_...

## DESCRIPTION
       GNU **strip** discards all symbols from object files _objfile_.  The list of object files may
       include archives.  At least one object file must be given.

       **strip** modifies the files named in its argument, rather than writing modified copies under
       different names.

## OPTIONS
### -F
       **--target=**_bfdname_
           Treat the original _objfile_ as a file with the object code format _bfdname_, and rewrite it
           in the same format.

### --help
           Show a summary of the options to **strip** and exit.

### --info
           Display a list showing all architectures and object formats available.

### -I
       **--input-target=**_bfdname_
           Treat the original _objfile_ as a file with the object code format _bfdname_.

### -O
       **--output-target=**_bfdname_
           Replace _objfile_ with a file in the output format _bfdname_.

### -R
       **--remove-section=**_sectionname_
           Remove any section named _sectionname_ from the output file, in addition to whatever
           sections would otherwise be removed.  This option may be given more than once.  Note that
           using this option inappropriately may make the output file unusable.  The wildcard
           character ***** may be given at the end of _sectionname_.  If so, then any section starting
           with _sectionname_ will be removed.

           If the first character of _sectionpattern_ is the exclamation point (!) then matching
           sections will not be removed even if an earlier use of **--remove-section** on the same
           command line would otherwise remove it.  For example:

                     --remove-section=.text.* --remove-section=!.text.foo

           will remove all sections matching the pattern '.text.*', but will not remove the section
           '.text.foo'.

       **--keep-section=**_sectionpattern_
           When removing sections from the output file, keep sections that match _sectionpattern_.

       **--remove-relocations=**_sectionpattern_
           Remove relocations from the output file for any section matching _sectionpattern_.  This
           option may be given more than once.  Note that using this option inappropriately may make
           the output file unusable.  Wildcard characters are accepted in _sectionpattern_.  For
           example:

                     --remove-relocations=.text.*

           will remove the relocations for all sections matching the patter '.text.*'.

           If the first character of _sectionpattern_ is the exclamation point (!) then matching
           sections will not have their relocation removed even if an earlier use of
           **--remove-relocations** on the same command line would otherwise cause the relocations to be
           removed.  For example:

                     --remove-relocations=.text.* --remove-relocations=!.text.foo

           will remove all relocations for sections matching the pattern '.text.*', but will not
           remove relocations for the section '.text.foo'.

### -s
### --strip-all
           Remove all symbols.

### -g
### -S
### -d
### --strip-debug
           Remove debugging symbols only.

### --strip-dwo
           Remove the contents of all DWARF .dwo sections, leaving the remaining debugging sections
           and all symbols intact.  See the description of this option in the **objcopy** section for
           more information.

### --strip-unneeded
           Remove all symbols that are not needed for relocation processing in addition to debugging
           symbols and sections stripped by **--strip-debug**.

### -K
       **--keep-symbol=**_symbolname_
           When stripping symbols, keep symbol _symbolname_ even if it would normally be stripped.
           This option may be given more than once.

### -M
### --merge-notes
### --no-merge-notes
           For ELF files, attempt (or do not attempt) to reduce the size of any SHT_NOTE type
           sections by removing duplicate notes.  The default is to attempt this reduction unless
           stripping debug or DWO information.

### -N
       **--strip-symbol=**_symbolname_
           Remove symbol _symbolname_ from the source file. This option may be given more than once,
           and may be combined with strip options other than **-K**.

### -o
           Put the stripped output in _file_, rather than replacing the existing file.  When this
           argument is used, only one _objfile_ argument may be specified.

### -p
### --preserve-dates
           Preserve the access and modification dates of the file.

### -D
### --enable-deterministic-archives
           Operate in _deterministic_ mode.  When copying archive members and writing the archive
           index, use zero for UIDs, GIDs, timestamps, and use consistent file modes for all files.

           If _binutils_ was configured with **--enable-deterministic-archives**, then this mode is on by
           default.  It can be disabled with the **-U** option, below.

### -U
### --disable-deterministic-archives
           Do _not_ operate in _deterministic_ mode.  This is the inverse of the **-D** option, above: when
           copying archive members and writing the archive index, use their actual UID, GID,
           timestamp, and file mode values.

           This is the default unless _binutils_ was configured with **--enable-deterministic-archives**.

### -w
### --wildcard
           Permit regular expressions in _symbolname_s used in other command line options.  The
           question mark (?), asterisk (*), backslash (\) and square brackets ([]) operators can be
           used anywhere in the symbol name.  If the first character of the symbol name is the
           exclamation point (!) then the sense of the switch is reversed for that symbol.  For
           example:

                     -w -K !foo -K fo*

           would cause strip to only keep symbols that start with the letters "fo", but to discard
           the symbol "foo".

### -x
### --discard-all
           Remove non-global symbols.

### -X
### --discard-locals
           Remove compiler-generated local symbols.  (These usually start with **L** or **.**.)

### --keep-section-symbols
           When stripping a file, perhaps with **--strip-debug** or **--strip-unneeded**, retain any symbols
           specifying section names, which would otherwise get stripped.

### --keep-file-symbols
           When stripping a file, perhaps with **--strip-debug** or **--strip-unneeded**, retain any symbols
           specifying source file names, which would otherwise get stripped.

### --only-keep-debug
           Strip a file, emptying the contents of any sections that would not be stripped by
           **--strip-debug** and leaving the debugging sections intact.  In ELF files, this preserves
           all the note sections in the output as well.

           Note - the section headers of the stripped sections are preserved, including their sizes,
           but the contents of the section are discarded.  The section headers are preserved so that
           other tools can match up the debuginfo file with the real executable, even if that
           executable has been relocated to a different address space.

           The intention is that this option will be used in conjunction with **--add-gnu-debuglink** to
           create a two part executable.  One a stripped binary which will occupy less space in RAM
           and in a distribution and the second a debugging information file which is only needed if
           debugging abilities are required.  The suggested procedure to create these files is as
           follows:

           1.<Link the executable as normal.  Assuming that it is called>
               "foo" then...

           1.<Run "objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.dbg" to>
               create a file containing the debugging info.

           1.<Run "objcopy --strip-debug foo" to create a>
               stripped executable.

           1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.dbg foo">
               to add a link to the debugging info into the stripped executable.

           Note---the choice of ".dbg" as an extension for the debug info file is arbitrary.  Also
           the "--only-keep-debug" step is optional.  You could instead do this:

           1.<Link the executable as normal.>
           1.<Copy "foo" to "foo.full">
           1.<Run "strip --strip-debug foo">
           1.<Run "objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.full foo">

           i.e., the file pointed to by the **--add-gnu-debuglink** can be the full executable.  It does
           not have to be a file created by the **--only-keep-debug** switch.

           Note---this switch is only intended for use on fully linked files.  It does not make
           sense to use it on object files where the debugging information may be incomplete.
           Besides the gnu_debuglink feature currently only supports the presence of one filename
           containing debugging information, not multiple filenames on a one-per-object-file basis.

### -V
### --version
           Show the version number for **strip**.

### -v
### --verbose
           Verbose output: list all object files modified.  In the case of archives, **strip** **-v** lists
           all members of the archive.

       **@**_file_
           Read command-line options from _file_.  The options read are inserted in place of the
           original @_file_ option.  If _file_ does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will
           be treated literally, and not removed.

           Options in _file_ are separated by whitespace.  A whitespace character may be included in
           an option by surrounding the entire option in either single or double quotes.  Any
           character (including a backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be
           included with a backslash.  The _file_ may itself contain additional @_file_ options; any
           such options will be processed recursively.

## SEE ALSO
       the Info entries for _binutils_.

## COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (c) 1991-2022 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the
       GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free
       Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-
       Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free
       Documentation License".



binutils-2.38                                2025-12-03                                     [STRIP(1)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/STRIP/1/markdown)