# strip

## 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_]
                 [**--strip-section-headers**]
                 [**-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** _bfdname_
           **--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** _bfdname_
           **--input-target=**_bfdname_
               Treat the original _objfile_ as a file with the object code
               format _bfdname_.
    
           **-O** _bfdname_
           **--output-target=**_bfdname_
               Replace _objfile_ with a file in the output format _bfdname_.
    
           **-R** _sectionname_
           **--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'.
    
           **--strip-section-headers**
               Strip section headers.  This option is specific to ELF files.
               Implies **--strip-all** and **--merge-notes**.
    
           **-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** _symbolname_
           **--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** _symbolname_
           **--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** _file_
               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.
    


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