Moving and removing (mv, cp, rm)

$ mv — move (or rename)

mv takes two arguments: where the file is, and where it should go. If the destination is a folder, the file moves there. If it's a new name in the same folder, the file is renamed.

• mv notes.txt projects/ — move into the projects folder
• mv notes.txt diary.txt — rename to diary.txt

› try: mv notes.txt diary.txt

$ cp — copy

cp is the same shape as mv, but it copies instead of moving. For folders, you need -r (recursive) so it copies everything inside too.

• cp diary.txt diary.bak — copy a single file
• cp -r projects backup — copy a folder and its contents

› try: cp notes.txt notes.bak

$ rm — remove, with care

rm deletes a file. There's no trash, no undo, no "are you sure?" — just silence. This is the most common command people regret typing.

For folders, you need -r (recursive). The classic horror story is rm -rf /, which would attempt to delete everything. Don't be that person.

• rm hello.txt — delete one file
• rm -r notebook — delete a folder and everything in it

› try: rm notes.txt

Two small habits to keep:

• Type the path you mean to delete, look at it, then press Enter.
• If you're nervous, run ls first to confirm you have the right name.

$ a quiet kind of power

These three — mv, cp, rm — let you reshape your filesystem with the same effort it takes to type three letters. That's the thing about the terminal: small inputs, large effects. Worth respecting.