Windows
Linux
File Management
File System
Windows move equivalent in Linux
Moves files to a new location, or renames them. In Linux, renaming IS moving.
Windows
→
move
Linux equivalents
mv
mv
mv
Overview
What this command does
Moves files to a new location, or renames them. In Linux, renaming IS moving.
Migration tip: In Linux there's no separate rename command — you just use
mv with a different destination name. This works for both files and directories.Practical tasks
Common use cases
Move or rename files
Moves files to a new location, or renames them. In Linux, renaming IS moving.
mv -i
Prompt before overwriting
mv -v
Verbose — show what moved where
mv -u
Move only if source is newer
Ready to run
Copyable Linux commands
Review paths, device names, package names and permissions before running any command.
mv file.txt Documents/
mv oldname.txt newname.txt
mv OldFolder NewFolder
mv -v *.log /var/log/archive/
Walkthrough
Examples with explanations
# Windows: move file.txt Documents\
mv file.txt Documents/ # move a file
# Windows: rename oldname.txt newname.txt
mv oldname.txt newname.txt # rename a file
mv OldFolder NewFolder # rename a directory
mv -v *.log /var/log/archive/ # move all .log filesReference
Common options and variations
| Command or option | Use |
|---|---|
mv -i | Prompt before overwriting |
mv -v | Verbose — show what moved where |
mv -u | Move only if source is newer |
mv -n | Do not overwrite existing files |
Distro differences
Debian/Ubuntu vs Fedora vs Arch
This command is the same on Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux when the relevant tool is installed.
| Distribution | Package manager / base | Equivalent command | Difference to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian/Ubuntu | same command | mv |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Fedora | same command | mv |
Same command on this distribution. |
| Arch | same command | mv |
Same command on this distribution. |
Keep learning