How to Move Files Between Directories in Ubuntu: A Beginner-Friendly Guide

Moving files between directories is something every Ubuntu user will need to do at some point. Whether you’re organizing your personal files, tidying up your desktop, or moving critical system data, learning how to move files quickly and efficiently can save you time and frustration. If you’re not too familiar with the command line, don’t worry. In this blog post will explain the process in a friendly, easy-to-understand way.

In this post, I’ll cover how to move files using the mv command, explain how file permissions work, and show you some handy tips to get more out of the command line. I’ll also answer a few common questions that beginners often ask.

1. Moving Files with the mv Command

In Ubuntu, the simplest and most common way to move files is by using the mv command. If you’re new to Linux, don’t let the terminal intimidate you. It’s actually pretty straightforward once you learn it.

Let’s have a look at the basic syntax for the mv command:

mv [source] [destination]

• Source: This is the file you want to move.
• Destination: This is where you want the file to go.

Example:

Let’s say you have a file called example.txt in your Documents folder, and you want to move it to the Desktop folder. Then you will have to follow the steps below:

1. Open the terminal: You can open it by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.
2. Navigate to the folder where the file is located using the cd command:

   cd /home/yourusername/Documents

3. Move the file to your desktop using the mv command:

   mv example.txt /home/yourusername/Desktop

That’s it! The file will now be sitting on your desktop. You can double-check it by opening your Desktop folder or running:

ls /home/yourusername/Desktop

This will list all the files in the Desktop directory, and you should see example.txt there.

2. Handling File Permissions

Sometimes, you might try to move a file and get an error saying you don’t have permission. Ubuntu uses a system of file permissions to protect important files from being accidentally modified. Every file has three types of permissions: read, write, and execute.

Understanding Permissions

Here’s a quick breakdown of file permissions:

• Read (r): You can open and view the file.
• Write (w): You can edit or delete the file.
• Execute (x): You can run the file (for programs or scripts).

Viewing Permissions:

To see the permissions of a file, use the ls -l command:

ls -l example.txt

You might see something like this:

-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 1024 Oct 1 14:45 example.txt

In this case, the owner of the file can read and write it, but everyone else can only read it. If you need to move or edit a file and don’t have permission, you can use the sudo command to give yourself temporary administrative rights:

sudo mv example.txt /var/www/html

Be careful when using sudo – you’re effectively overriding the system’s safeguards, so always double-check your command before running it.

If you want to learn more about file permission then we have a dedicated blog post on File Permissions in Ubuntu.

3. Moving Multiple Files at Once

Sometimes you need to move more than one file at a time. Fortunately, Ubuntu makes it easy to do this using the mv command.

Example 1: Moving All Files of a Certain Type

Let’s say you have a bunch of .jpg images in the Downloads folder of your Ubuntu system, and you want to move them to your Pictures folder. Here’s how you’d do it:

mv ~/Downloads/*.jpg ~/Pictures/

This command will move every .jpg file in the Downloads folder to Pictures.

Example 2: Moving Multiple Specific Files

If you want to move just a few specific files, you can list them all in the command like this:

mv file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt ~/Documents/

This will move file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt to your Documents folder.

4. Common Issues and How to Fix Them

Error: “Permission Denied”

If you see a “permission denied” error, it’s because you don’t have the necessary rights to move the file. This is especially common when trying to move files in system directories. To fix this, run the command with sudo:

sudo mv example.txt /var/www/html

This will give you the necessary permissions to move the file.

Error: “No Such File or Directory”

This error occurs if the file or destination you specified doesn’t exist. Double-check the file name and the path you’re using. You might have a typo in the directory or file name.

5. Practical Examples of Moving Files

Let’s look at a couple of everyday scenarios where moving files might come in handy.

Scenario 1: Cleaning Up Downloads

We all know how cluttered the Downloads folder can get. To tidy up, you might want to move all your .pdf files to the Documents folder:

mv ~/Downloads/*.pdf ~/Documents/

This will organize your PDFs in one place, making them easier to find later.

Scenario 2: Renaming While Moving

You can rename a file as you move it to a new directory. For example, if you want to move old_report.txt from Documents to Desktop and rename it to final_report.txt, you’d use:

mv ~/Documents/old_report.txt ~/Desktop/final_report.txt

6. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Can I move an entire directory using the mv command?

Yes, you can! The mv command works for directories too. For example, if you want to move a folder called Projects from Documents to Desktop:

mv ~/Documents/Projects ~/Desktop/

Q2: What if there’s already a file with the same name in the destination?

If a file with the same name exists, mv will overwrite it without warning. To avoid this, use the -i option, which prompts you before overwriting:

mv -i example.txt ~/Desktop/

Q3: Can I undo a move?

There’s no built-in undo for the mv command. However, you can manually move the file back to its original location:

mv ~/Desktop/example.txt ~/Documents/

7. Final Thoughts

Moving files between directories in Ubuntu is one of the simplest yet most useful tasks you’ll do as a Linux user. By mastering the mv command, you can quickly organize files, clean up clutter, and manage your system more effectively.

Key Takeaways:

• Use the mv command to move files or directories from one location to another.
• When you encounter permission issues, use sudo to execute the command with administrative rights.
• Always double-check the file paths and names before moving files to avoid overwriting or losing data.