mv

Command Function

This command is used to move files.

Syntax

mv [-fivn] SOURCE... DEST

Parameters

Table 1 Parameter description

Parameter Description Value Range
-help Displays help information. N/A
-f Forcibly overwrites the target file. N/A
-i Provides information before moving a file that would overwrite an existing file or directory. Enter y to overwrite the file or directory, and enter n to cancel the operation. N/A
-n Do not overwrite any existing file or directory. N/A
-v This parameter does not take effect although it is supported by the latest Toybox code. N/A
SOURCE Specifies the file to move. This command cannot be used to move a directory. It can be used to move multiple files at a time.
DEST Specifies the destination file path. Both a directory and a file are supported.

Usage Guidelines

  • SOURCEFILE supports wildcard characters * and ?. The asterisk (*) indicates any number of characters, and the question mark (?) represents a single character. DEST does not support wildcard characters. If the specified SOURCE matches multiple files, DEST must be a directory.

  • If DEST is a directory, this directory must exist. In this case, the destination file is named after the source file.

  • If DEST is a file, the directory for this file must exist.

  • If the destination file already exists, it will be overwritten.

Note

Currently, the shell does not support this command. mksh supports it. To switch to mksh, run cd bin and ./mksh.

Example

Run the following commands:

  • mv -i test.txt testpath/

  • mv test?.txt testpath/ (Move test3.txt, testA.txt, and test_.txt)

Output

Example 1: Move a file.

OHOS:/$ touch test.txt
OHOS:/$ mkdir testpath
OHOS:/$ touch testpath/test.txt
OHOS:/$ mv -i test.txt testpath/
mv: overwrite 'testpath//test.txt' (Y/n):y
OHOS:/$ ls
bin  etc  proc    storage  testpath  usr
dev  lib  sdcard  system   userdata  vendor
OHOS:/$ cp testpath/test.txt ./
OHOS:/$ ls
bin  etc  proc    storage  test.txt  userdata  vendor
dev  lib  sdcard  system   testpath  usr
OHOS:/$ mv -i test.txt testpath/
mv: overwrite 'testpath//test.txt' (Y/n):n
OHOS:/$ ls
bin  etc  proc    storage  test.txt  userdata  vendor
dev  lib  sdcard  system   testpath  usr

Example 2: Move files.

OHOS:/$ ls
bin  etc  proc    storage  test.txt   testA.txt  testpath  usr
dev  lib  sdcard  system   test3.txt  test_.txt  userdata  vendor
OHOS:/$ mv test?.txt testpath/
OHOS:/$ ls
bin  etc  proc    storage  test.txt  userdata  vendor
dev  lib  sdcard  system   testpath  usr
OHOS:/$ ls testpath/
test.txt  test3.txt  testA.txt  test_.txt