How to Rename a file:
To rename a file in Linux, you can use the mv command, which stands for “move.” The mv command is also used for renaming files. Here’s the basic syntax:
mv old_filename new_filename
For example, if you have a file named file.txt and you want to rename it to newfile.txt, you would use:
mv file.txt newfile.txt
If the new filename is in a different directory, you can specify the full path:
mv /path/to/old_filename /path/to/new_filename
Keep in mind that the mv command not only renames files but can also be used to move files between directories. If the new filename and the old filename are in the same directory, it’s effectively a rename operation.
Always be careful when using the mv command to avoid accidental overwrites. Double-check your command before executing it, especially when working with important files.
More Information:
NAME
mv – move (rename) files
SYNOPSIS
mv [OPTION]… [-T] SOURCE DEST
mv [OPTION]… SOURCE… DIRECTORY
mv [OPTION]… -t DIRECTORY SOURCE…
DESCRIPTION
Rename SOURCE to DEST, or move SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options
too.
–backup[=CONTROL] make a backup of each existing destination file
-b like –backup but does not accept an argument
-f, –force
do not prompt before overwriting
-i, –interactive
prompt before overwrite
-n, –no-clobber
do not overwrite an existing file
If you specify more than one of -i, -f, -n, only the final one takes
effect.
–strip-trailing-slashes
remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCE argument
-S, –suffix=SUFFIX
override the usual backup suffix
-t, –target-directory=DIRECTORY
move all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY
-T, –no-target-directory
treat DEST as a normal file
-u, –update
move only when the SOURCE file is newer than the destination
file or when the destination file is missing
-v, –verbose
explain what is being done
-Z, –context
set SELinux security context of destination file to default type
–help display this help and exit
–version
output version information and exit
The backup suffix is ‘~’, unless set with –suffix or SIM‐
PLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX. The version control method may be selected via the
–backup option or through the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable.
Here are the values:
none, off
never make backups (even if –backup is given)
numbered, t
make numbered backups
existing, nil
numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
simple, never
always make simple backups
