mv – Move or Rename Files and Directories

The mv command moves files or directories from one location to another. It can also be used to rename files or directories.

Syntax

mv [OPTION]... SOURCE... DESTINATION

• SOURCE can be one or multiple files or directories.
• DESTINATION is either a directory or the new name for a single file.

Options

Practical Examples

1. Move a file to another directory

mv file.txt /path/to/destination/

Moves file.txt into the /path/to/destination/ directory.

2. Rename a file

mv oldname.txt newname.txt

Renames oldname.txt to newname.txt in the current directory.

3. Move multiple files into a directory

mv file1.txt file2.txt /path/to/destination/

Moves file1.txt and file2.txt into the specified directory.

4. Prompt before overwriting files

mv -i file.txt existingfile.txt

If existingfile.txt exists, you will be prompted before overwriting it.

5. Force overwrite without prompting

mv -f file.txt existingfile.txt

Overwrites existingfile.txt without any warning.

6. Verbose output to see what is being moved

mv -v file.txt /path/to/destination/

Output:

‘file.txt’ -> ‘/path/to/destination/file.txt’

7. Move and backup existing destination files

mv --backup file.txt existingfile.txt

Creates a backup of existingfile.txt before overwriting it.

Tips

• To avoid accidentally overwriting files, consider always using -i.
• To rename directories, simply specify the directory as source and new name as destination.
• Combine with shell wildcards to move multiple files at once, e.g.:

mv *.txt /backup/textfiles/

See Also

• cp – copy files and directories
• rm – remove files and directories
• rename – batch rename files (different utility, varies by system)

Summary

mv is an essential command for moving and renaming files or directories. Use options like -i for safety and -v for clarity during operations.