NAME

mv − move files

SYNOPSIS

mv [ −f ] [ −i ] file1 [ file2 ...] target

DESCRIPTION

The mv command moves filen to target. filen and target may not have the same name.  (Care must be taken when using sh(1) metacharacters).  If target is not a directory, only one file may be specified before it; if it is a directory, more than one file may be specified.  If target does not exist, mv creates a file named target.  If target exists and is not a directory, its contents are overwritten.  If target is a directory the file(s) are moved to that directory.  target and filen do not have to share the same parent directory. 

If mv determines that the mode of target forbids writing, it will print the mode [see chmod(2)], ask for a response, and read the standard input for one line.  If the line begins with y, the mv occurs, if permissible; otherwise, the command exits.  When the parent directory of filen is writable and has the sticky bit set, one or more of the following conditions must be true:

the user must own the file
the user must own the directory
the file must be writable by the user
the user must be a privileged user

The following options are recognized:

−i mv will prompt for confirmation whenever the move would overwrite an existing target.  A y answer means that the move should proceed.  Any other answer prevents mv from overwriting the target. 

−f mv will move the file(s) without prompting even if it is writing over an existing target.  This option overrides the −i option.  Note that this is the default if the standard input is not a terminal. 

You can use mv to move directories as well as files.  If filen is a directory, target must be a directory in the same physical file system. 

If filen is a file and target is a link to another file with links, the other links remain and target becomes a new file. 

NOTES

If filen and target are on different file systems, mv copies the file and deletes the original; any links to other files are lost. 

A −− permits the user to mark explicitly the end of any command line options, allowing mv to recognize filename arguments that begin with a −.  As an aid to BSD migration, mv will accept − as a synonym for −−.  This migration aid may disappear in a future release.  If a −− and a − both appear on the same command line, the second will be interpreted as a filename. 

SEE ALSO

chmod(1), cp(1), cpio(1), ln(1), rm(1)

  —  Essential Utilities