•Arnošt Havelka
Moving and Renaming Files
Use mv to move files between directories and rename them.
Start Interactive Lesson
The mv command moves and renames files. It's faster than copy-then-delete because it doesn't duplicate data.
Rename a File
Use mv oldname newname to rename a file in the same directory.
Try the command
Rename a file!
Build the command
mv[source][destination]
mv
Terminal
~$mv old.txt new.txt
Change a name:
Terminal
~$mv draft.txt final.txt
ls
Move to Another Directory
Use mv file directory/ to move a file to a different folder.
Try the command
Move file to another folder!
Build the command
mv[source][destination]
mv
directory/Target directory - relocates file to the specified folder.
Terminal
~$mv file.txt ~/Documents/
Relocate a file:
Terminal
~$mv file.txt Archive/
ls
Move and Rename Together
Combine both operations by specifying the full path with a new name.
Try the command
Move and rename together!
Build the command
mv[source][destination]
mvold.txt~/Archive/new.txt
directory/newnameFull path with new name - moves and renames in one step.
Terminal
~$mv old.txt ~/Archive/new.txt
Two operations at once:
Terminal
~$mv draft.txt Archive/final.txt
ls
Knowledge Check
1 / 3What does mv do?
References
These documentation links provide authoritative details for the commands used in this article.
Up Next
Removing Files and Directories
Learn rm and rmdir to delete files and directories safely.