mv

Rename a file or folder, or move it somewhere else. One command does both.

>_ Try it: a simulated Linux, right herenothing runs on your computer

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Examples

mv todo.txt tasks.txt rename a file
mkdir archive a folder to move things into
mv -v ideas.txt archive/ move a file into it, saying so
mv archive old-stuff rename the folder
ls old-stuff its contents came along
mv -n tasks.txt old-stuff/ideas.txt nothing happens: the name is taken

How it works

mv renames and moves: mv old.txt new.txt renames the file, mv notes.txt archive/ moves it into the folder archive.

Unlike cp, nothing is left behind, and folders move without -r. Like cp, it replaces a file with the same name, so add -n when you want to be safe.

Syntax

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

Options

Option	What it does
`-v`	say what was moved
`-n`	never overwrite a file that already exists

Good to know

A slash at the end (archive/) says "into this folder": if the folder doesn't exist you get an error instead of a file called archive.
To move several files at once, end with a folder: mv a.txt b.txt archive/.