Copy, Move & Remove

Copy

In Bash, cp, mv, and rm are three fundamental commands for managing your files and directories. They allow you to copy, move (or rename), and remove items on your system.

Basic Usage

To make a copy of a file, specify the source file and then the destination file name for the copy.

bash
cp myfile.txt backup.txt

Now, you will have two identical files: myfile.txt and backup.txt.

Copying a File to a Directory

You can also copy a file into an existing directory. In this case, the destination is the path to the directory. The copied file will retain its original name within that directory.

Example: To copy report.docx into the documents folder:

bash
cp report.docx documents/

Or, to copy it into documents and give it a new name final_report.docx:

bash
cp report.docx documents/final_report.docx

cp Options

  • -r Copy directories recursively (including all files and subdirectories).
  • -i Interactive mode: Prompts before overwriting an existing file.
  • -u Update: Copy only if the source file is newer than the destination file, or if the destination file doesn't exist.
  • -v Verbose mode: Shows the name of each file as it's copied.

-r Copy Directories & Files Recursively

Example: Copy files to directory Copy multiple files to any directory.

bash
cp -r text.txt myfile.txt mynote.txt /sandbox

Example: Copy directory to another directory

bash
cp -r myfolder sandbox

Learn more about cp

Move or Rename Files and Directories

The mv command is used for two main purposes: moving files/directories to a different location, or renaming files/directories.

Moving a File

To move a file, specify the source file and the destination directory.

bash
mv <source_file> <destination_directory>/

Renaming Files and Directories

mv is also the command you use to rename a file or directory. You simply specify the current name as the source and the new name as the destination.

bash
mv <old_name> <new_name>
mv draft.txt final_version.txt

Similarly, to rename a directory:

bash
mv old_project_folder new_project_folder

mv Options

  • -i Interactive mode: Prompts before overwriting an existing file/directory.
  • -u Update: Move only if the source file is newer than the destination file, or if the destination file doesn't exist.
  • -v Verbose mode: Shows the name of each file/directory as it's moved. Learn more about mv

Remove Files or Directories

The rm command is used to remove (delete) files or directories. Use rm with caution, as deleted files are not moved to a "Recycle Bin" or "Trash" and can be difficult or impossible to recover!

Basic Usage: Removing a File

To delete a single file, simply use rm followed by the filename.

bash
rm temporary.log

Remove Directories Recursively

You cannot remove an empty directory with rm by default (you'd use rmdir for that). To remove a directory that contains files or other subdirectories, you must use the -r (recursive) option.

bash
rm -r old_data_folder

Force Delete

The -f (force) option overrides any prompts or warnings. It will delete files even if they are write-protected, and it will not ask for confirmation. This option is dangerous if used carelessly, as it can lead to irreversible data loss.

bash
rm -f <filename>
rm -rf <directory_name>

Learn more about rm