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 symbolnames 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) 1991-2024 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".