mv Command in Linux with Examples

Navigating through a Linux system requires frequent manipulation of files and directories, whether that’s moving them to a new location, renaming them, or both. One of the most commonly used commands for such tasks is the ‘mv’ command in Linux. Standing for ‘move’, this command allows users to rename and move files and directories within the filesystem. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ‘mv’ command in Linux, covering its syntax, a myriad of practical and advanced examples, and much more.

Understanding the ‘mv’ Command in Linux

What is the mv Command?

The ‘mv’ command in Linux is a powerful command-line utility used for moving or renaming files and directories within the Linux filesystem. The beauty of the ‘mv’ command is its simplicity for such common tasks.

The Syntax of the mv Command

Understanding the syntax of the ‘mv’ command is the first step towards mastering it. Here’s the basic syntax:

mv [options] source target

In this syntax:

• mv is the command itself, standing for ‘move’.
• [options] is a placeholder for any of the available mv command options. These options modify the behavior of the command. They are optional, and you can use more than one at a time.
• source refers to the file or directory you want to move or rename.
• target can mean one of two things, depending on context:
  • If target is a directory, mv moves the source file or directory into this target directory.
  • If target does not exist or is a file, mv renames the source file or directory to the target name.

Here are some of the most commonly used options for the mv command:

• -i (interactive): With this option, mv will prompt you before overwriting any files.
• -u (update): This option makes mv only move files that don’t exist in the target directory, or are newer than the versions in the target directory.
• -v (verbose): Using this option makes mv print detailed information about its operations.
• -f (force): This option tells mv to overwrite files without prompting.
• -n (no-clobber): With this option, mv will not overwrite an existing file.

mv Command Practical Examples in Linux

Now that we understand the basics of the ‘mv’ command, let’s dive into some practical examples that demonstrate its usage.

Moving a File to a Different Directory with mv Command

One of the most basic uses of the mv command is moving a file to a different directory. Let’s move a file named file.txt from the current directory to a directory named directory:

mv file.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the file.

After running this command, file.txt will be located in directory, and it will no longer exist in the current directory.

Renaming a File with mv Command

The mv command can also be used to rename files. Let’s rename a file called file.txt to new_file.txt:

mv file.txt new_file.txt

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to rename.
• new_file.txt is the new name for the file.

After running this command, file.txt will be named new_file.txt, but it will remain in the same directory.

Moving and Renaming a File Simultaneously with mv Command

You can also use mv to move a file to a new directory and rename it simultaneously. Let’s move file.txt to directory and rename it to new_file.txt at the same time:

mv file.txt directory/new_file.txt

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move and rename.
• directory/new_file.txt is the new location and name for the file.

After running this command, file.txt will be in directory and will be named new_file.txt.

Moving Multiple Files to a Different Directory with mv Command

The mv command can also move multiple files at once. Suppose you have two files, file1.txt and file2.txt, and you want to move them to directory. You can do this with one mv command:

mv file1.txt file2.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• file1.txt and file2.txt are the source files that you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the files.

After running this command, both file1.txt and file2.txt will be located in directory.

Interactively Moving a File with -i with mv Command

When you move a file to a directory where a file with the same name already exists, mv will overwrite the existing file without prompting. If you want mv to ask you before overwriting, you can use the -i option for an interactive prompt:

mv -i file.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -i is the option for an interactive prompt.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the file.

If file.txt already exists in directory, mv will ask you whether you want to overwrite it.

Verbosely Moving a File with -v with mv Command

If you want mv to provide information about the operations it’s performing, you can use the -v (verbose) option:

mv -v file.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -v is the verbose option.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the file.

After running this command, mv will print a message indicating that it moved file.txt to directory.

Forcefully Moving a File with -f with mv Command

Sometimes, you might encounter a situation where mv refuses to overwrite an existing file, perhaps due to permissions issues. In such cases, you can use the -f (force) option to force mv to overwrite the file:

mv -f file.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -f is the force option.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the file.

After running this command, mv will move file.txt to directory, overwriting any existing file with the same name.

Prevent Overwriting with -n with mv Command

If you want to ensure that mv does not overwrite any existing files, you can use the -n (no-clobber) option:

mv -n file.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -n is the no-clobber option.
• file.txt is the source file, which is the file you want to move.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the file.

If file.txt already exists in directory, mv will not overwrite it.

mv Command Advanced Examples and Scenarios in Linux

After mastering the basic usages of the mv command, let’s explore some advanced scenarios where the mv command can be beneficial.

Updating Files with -u

The -u (update) option is handy when you want to update the files in a target directory with newer versions from a source directory. If a source file is newer than the corresponding file in the target directory, or if it doesn’t exist in the target directory, mv will move it:

mv -u source_directory/* target_directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -u is the update option.
• source_directory/* represents all files in the source directory.
• target_directory is the directory where you want to update the files.

After running this command, mv will update the files in target_directory with any newer files from source_directory.

Backing Up Existing Files with –backup

The --backup option tells mv to make a backup of each existing destination file:

mv --backup source_file target_file

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• --backup is the backup option.
• source_file is the file you want to move.
• target_file is the target file.

If target_file already exists, mv will rename it with a tilde (~) appended to its name before moving source_file.

Moving Files with Wildcards

Wildcards are powerful tools in Linux, and you can use them with the mv command to move multiple files that match a certain pattern. For instance, if you want to move all .txt files to a new directory, you can use a wildcard (*):

mv *.txt directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• *.txt represents all files in the current directory that end with .txt.
• directory is the target directory, where you want to move the files.

After running this command, all .txt files in the current directory will be moved to directory.

Recursive Move with Directories

By default, the mv command moves directories recursively. That means if you move a directory, mv will move the directory and everything inside it:

mv directory new_directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• directory is the source directory, which you want to move.
• new_directory is the new location and/or name for the directory.

After running this command, directory and all its contents will be moved to new_directory.

Move Without Prompting for Overwrite

In some scripts or automated tasks, you might want to move files without getting prompts to overwrite. In such cases, you can combine the -f option with the -v option for a forceful, verbose move:

mv -fv source_file target_file

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -fv represents the combination of the force and verbose options.
• source_file is the file you want to move.
• target_file is the target file.

After running this command, mv will forcefully move source_file to the location of target_file, overwriting it if it exists, and provide verbose output.

Rename a Directory

Just like files, directories can be renamed using the mv command. Suppose we want to rename a directory named old_directory to new_directory, we’d use the following command:

mv old_directory new_directory

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• old_directory is the directory you want to rename.
• new_directory is the new name for the directory.

After running this command, old_directory will now be known as new_directory.

Move Files Interactively with Backup Option

Sometimes, you may want to move files but still keep a backup of existing files just in case. You can achieve this by using the --backup option in interactive mode:

mv -i --backup=t source_file target_file

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• -i is the interactive mode option.
• --backup=t tells the mv command to make numbered backups.
• source_file is the file you want to move.
• target_file is the target file.

After running this command, if a file with the same name exists in the target location, mv will keep a numbered backup of the existing file and then move the new file.

Move and Rename Multiple Files

The mv command also allows moving and renaming multiple files simultaneously. This is particularly useful when you need to batch rename files following a specific pattern:

for file in *.jpg; do mv "$file" "new_${file}"; done

In this command:

• for file in *.jpg; do is the start of a loop that iterates over every .jpg file.
• mv "$file" "new_${file}" renames each file by prefixing it with new_.
• done signals the end of the loop.

After running this command, all .jpg files in the current directory will be renamed to start with new_.

Move All Files of a Specific Type to a Different Directory

Suppose you have a directory filled with various types of files and you want to move all files of a certain type, say .txt, to a different directory. You can use the mv command as follows:

mv *.txt target_directory/

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• *.txt represents all files in the current directory that have a .txt extension.
• target_directory/ is the destination directory.

After running this command, all .txt files in the current directory will be moved to target_directory.

Move a File to the Parent Directory

To move a file to the parent directory of your current location in the file system, use the mv command as follows:

mv source_file ../

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• source_file is the file you want to move.
• ../ represents the parent directory.

After running this command, source_file will be moved to the parent directory of the current directory.

Moving Files with Regular Expressions

The mv command can also work with regular expressions, which provide patterns for matching certain file names. For instance, you can use the following command to move all files that start with ‘sample’ to a new directory:

mv sample* target_directory/

In this command:

• mv is the move command.
• sample* represents all files that start with ‘sample’.
• target_directory/ is the destination directory.

After running this command, all files that start with ‘sample’ will be moved to target_directory.

Changing File Extensions

You can use the mv command in a loop to change file extensions. For instance, if you want to change all .txt files to .doc files, use the following command:

for file in *.txt; do mv "$file" "${file%.txt}.doc"; done

In this command:

• for file in *.txt; do is the start of a loop that iterates over every .txt file.
• mv "$file" "${file%.txt}.doc" changes the extension of each file from .txt to .doc.
• done signals the end of the loop.

After running this command, all .txt files in the current directory will have their extensions changed to .doc.

Conclusion

In the Linux world, the mv command is an indispensable tool for managing files and directories. Through numerous practical and advanced examples, we’ve shown how you can use it to move and rename files and carry out more complex operations, such as moving files based on patterns or changing file extensions. By mastering the use of the mv command, you’re one step closer to becoming proficient in Linux.