The mv command¶
The mv command lets you move one or more files or directories from one place to another in a file system like UNIX. It can be used for two distinct functions:
- To rename a file or folder.
- To move a group of files to a different directory.
Note: No additional space is consumed on a disk during renaming, and the mv command doesn't provide a prompt for confirmation
Syntax:¶
[linux] mv [options] source (file or directory) destination
Examples:¶
- To rename a file called old_name.txt:
[linux] mv old_name.txt new_name.txt
- To move a file called essay.txt from the current directory to a directory called assignments and rename it essay1.txt:
[linux] mv essay.txt assignments/essay1.txt
- To move a file called essay.txt from the current directory to a directory called assignments without renaming it
[linux] mv essay.txt assignments
Additional Flags and their Functionalities:¶
| Short Flag | Long Flag | Description |
|---|---|---|
-f | --force | Force move by overwriting destination file without prompt |
-i | --interactive | Interactive prompt before overwrite |
-u | --update | Move only when the source file is newer than the destination file or when the destination file is missing |
-n | --no-clobber | Do not overwrite an existing file |
-v | --verbose | Print source and destination files |
-b | --backup | Create a Backup of Existing Destination File |
Last update: 2022-05-12