mv

mv [options] sources target

Basic command to move files and directories around on the system or to rename them. mv works as the following table shows.

Source	Target	Result
File	name	Rename file as name.
File	Existing file	Overwrite existing file with source file.

Source	Target	Result
Directory	name	Rename directory as name.
Directory	Existing directory	Move directory to be a subdirectory of existing directory.
One or more files	Existing directory	Move files to directory.

Options

--

Use this when one of the names begins with a -. For compatibility with old programs, a plain - also works.

-f

Force the move, even if target file exists; suppress messages about restricted access modes.

-i

Inquire; prompt for a y (yes) response before overwriting an existing target.