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mv

Move or rename files and directories. Use when relocating files, renaming, or moving across filesystems.

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SKILL.md
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mv - Move/Rename Files and Directories

Synopsis

mv [OPTION]... SOURCE DEST
mv [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY

Rename SOURCE to DEST, or move SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.

Flags

FlagLong FormDescription
-i--interactivePrompt before overwrite
-n--no-clobberDo not overwrite existing files
-f--forceDo not prompt before overwriting
-u--updateMove only when SOURCE is newer or DEST missing
-v--verboseExplain what is being done
-bMake backup of each existing destination file
--backup[=CONTROL]Make backup: none, off, numbered, t, existing, nil, simple, never
-S--suffix=SUFFIXOverride backup suffix (default ~)
-t--target-directory=DIRMove all SOURCE args into DIR
-T--no-target-directoryTreat DEST as normal file
--strip-trailing-slashesRemove trailing slashes from SOURCE
--helpDisplay help
--versionOutput version

Examples

# Rename a file
mv old.txt new.txt

# Move file to directory
mv file.txt /dest/dir/

# Move multiple files to directory
mv file1.txt file2.txt /dest/dir/

# Don't overwrite existing
mv -n source.txt dest.txt

# Interactive (prompt before overwrite)
mv -i source.txt dest.txt

# Move with backup of existing dest
mv --backup=numbered file.txt /dest/

# Move only if source is newer
mv -u source.txt dest.txt

# Verbose move
mv -v old_name/ new_name/

# Move into specific directory
mv -t /dest/dir/ file1.txt file2.txt

Gotchas

  • mv works on directories without -r (unlike cp).
  • Moving across filesystems is a copy + delete operation and can be slow for large files.
  • -n silently skips if destination exists. Check exit code if you need to know.
  • mv dir1 dir2 when dir2 exists moves dir1 inside dir2 as dir2/dir1/. Use -T to prevent this and treat dir2 as the target name.
  • Moving a file that is open by another process is generally safe on Unix (the process keeps its file handle).
Repository
flox/floxenvs
Commit

bb1f07d

Last updated
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