OSF

NAME

mv − Moves files and directories

SYNOPSIS

mv [-i | f] [--] file1 file2

mv [-i | f] [--] file1 ...  directory

mv [-i | f] [--] directory1 ...  destination_directory

The mv command moves files from one directory to another or renames files and directories. 

FLAGS

-fOverrides the -i flag and any mode restrictions.  (If both -f and -i are specified – for example, because an alias includes one of them – whichever appears last overrides the other.) 

-iPrompts you with the name of the file followed by a question mark whenever a move is to supercede an existing file.  If the answer begins with y, or the locale’s equivalent of a y, the move continues.  Any other reply prevents the move from occurring.  (If both -f and -i are specified – for example, because an alias includes one of them – whichever appears last overrides the other.) 

--Interprets all following arguments to mv as filenames.  This allows filenames to start with a - (dash). 

DESCRIPTION

If you move a file to a new directory, mv retains the original filename.  When you move a file, all other links to the file remain intact. 

In the second form, one or more files are moved to directory with their original filenames.  In the third form, one or more directories are moved to the destination directory with their original names. 

Note that mv does not move a file onto itself. 

When you use mv to rename a file, the target file can be either a new filename or a new directory pathname.  If moving the file would overwrite an existing file that does not have write permission set and if standard input is a tty, mv displays the permission code of the file to be overwritten and reads one line from standard input.  If the line begins with y, or the locale’s equivalent of a y, the move takes place and the file is overwritten.  If not, mv does nothing with the file. 

When you use mv to move a directory into an existing directory, the directory and its contents are added under the existing directory. 

The LC_MESSAGES variable determines the locale’s equivalent of y or n (for yes/no queries). 

EXAMPLES

     1.To rename a file, enter:

mv  file1  file2

This renames file1 to file2.a.  If a file named file2 already exists, its old contents are replaced with those of file1. 

     2.To move a directory, enter:

mv  dir1  dir2

This moves dir1 to dir2.  It moves all files and directories under dir1 to the directory named dir2, if the second directory exists.  Otherwise, the directory dir1 gets renamed dir2. 

     3.To move a file to another directory and give it a new name, enter:

mv  file1  dir1/file2

This moves file1 to dir1/file2.  The name file1 is removed from the current directory, and the same file appears as file2 in the directory dir1. 

     4.To move a file to another directory, keeping the same name, enter:

mv  file1  dir1

This moves file1 to dir1/file1. 

     5.To move several files into another directory, enter:

mv  file1  dir1/file2  /u/dir2

This moves file1 to /u/dir2/file1 and dir1/file2 to /u/dir2/file2. 

     6.To use mv with pattern-matching characters, enter:

mv  dir1/∗  .

This moves all files in the directory dir1 into the current directory (.), giving them the same names they had in dir1.  This also empties dir1.  Note that you must type a space between the ∗ (asterisk) and the . (dot). 

NOTES

If the source is on a different file system than the destination, mv must copy the source to the destination’s file system and then delete the source.  In this case, the user ID becomes that of the current user, but the mode and times are not changed.  The effect is quivalent to:

rm -f destination && cp -pr source destination && rm -rf source

CAUTIONS

The mv command may overwrite existing files unless the -i flag is specified to prompt you first. 

RELATED INFORMATION

Commands:  cp(1), ln(1), rm(1). 

Functions: rename(2).