Linux mv command man page

This page shows the contents of the Linux mv command man page. The Linux and Unix mv command is used to move and rename files and directories.

This mv command output was created on a CentOS Linux system. You can see this same mv command man page output by entering this command on your own Linux system:

man mv

Linux mv command man page

MV(1)				 User Commands				 MV(1)



NAME
       mv - move (rename) files

SYNOPSIS
       mv [OPTION]... [-T] SOURCE DEST
       mv [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
       mv [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY SOURCE...

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

       Mandatory  arguments  to	 long  options are mandatory for short options
       too.

       --backup[=CONTROL]
	      make a backup of each existing destination file

       -b     like --backup but does not accept an argument

       -f, --force
	      do not prompt before overwriting

       -i, --interactive
	      prompt before overwrite

       --strip-trailing-slashes remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCE
	      argument

       -S, --suffix=SUFFIX
	      override the usual backup suffix

       -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY
	      move all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY

       -T, --no-target-directory
	      treat DEST as a normal file

       -u, --update
	      move only when the SOURCE file is	 newer	than  the  destination
	      file or when the destination file is missing

       -v, --verbose
	      explain what is being done

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
	      output version information and exit

       The   backup   suffix   is  ‘~’,	 unless	 set  with  --suffix  or  SIM-
       PLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.  The version control method may be selected via  the
       --backup	 option	 or  through the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable.
       Here are the values:

       none, off
	      never make backups (even if --backup is given)

       numbered, t
	      make numbered backups

       existing, nil
	      numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise

       simple, never
	      always make simple backups

AUTHOR
       Written by Mike Parker, David MacKenzie, and Jim Meyering.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
       This is free software.  You may redistribute copies  of	it  under  the
       terms	   of	    the	     GNU      General	   Public      License
       <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.	There is NO WARRANTY,  to  the
       extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
       The  full  documentation	 for mv is maintained as a Texinfo manual.  If
       the info and mv programs are properly installed at your site, the  com-
       mand

	      info mv

       should give you access to the complete manual.

mv 5.97				 January 2009				 MV(1)

This mv command man page is included here so we can reference it directly from other mv command tutorials.