Beginners Guide for Mkdir Command on Linux

In UNIX/Linux, the mkdir command is used to create single or multiple directories (also referred to as folders in some operating systems) in the current working directory.

If the specified directory is already present in the current working directory, then the “File exists” error will be thrown unless the “-p” flag is not assigned.

Apart from that, you can also specify the permission in character or numeric while creating the directory, but to perform all this action, you should have proper permissions.

In this article, you will learn all about the mkdir command with practical examples.

Tutorial Details

Syntax of the Mkdir Command

The mkdir command takes two arguments: one is the option, and the other is the directory name.

$ mkdir [OPTION] [DIRECTORY]

The following is the list of known options:

• Beginners Guide for ls Command in Linux

Creating a New Directory

The following command, without any flag, will create a single directory with the specified name in your current working directory.

$ mkdir mydir

Output:

Creating Multiple Directories

Instead of one, specify multiple directories separated by a space to create them in your current working directory.

$ mkdir mydir1 mydir2 mydir3

Output:

Creating Multiple Directories Using Special Characters

Unlike giving a space, you can specify multiple directories within the “{}” curly bracket, separated with a “,” comma, to create them in your current working directory.

$ mkdir {mydir1,mydir2,mydir3}

Output:

Creating a New Directory in the Desired Location

Define the absolute or relative path to create a new directory in your desired location (restricted locations require root or sudo privileges).

$ mkdir ~/Documents/newdir

The above command will create a new directory with the name “newdir” in the “~/Documents” directory.

Creating a New Directory in Two Different Desired Locations

Same as previous command, specify the complete path of two desired locations with the new directory name separated with a space.

$ mkdir ~/Documents/newdir ~/Downloads/newdir

Output:

As you can see, the “newdir” directory is created inside both the “~/Documents” and “~/Downloads” directories.

Creating Multiple Directories Using Special Characters at Your Desired Location

Again, specify the complete path with multiple directories’ names inside the “{}” curly bracket with a “,” comma as a separator.

$ mkdir ~/Documents/{mydir1,mydir2,mydir3}

Output:

Ignoring the Error if the Specified Directory is Already Present

If you are creating a new directory and a directory with the same name already exists, then you will get the “File exists” error, as shown.

$ mkdir newdir
$ mkdir newdir

Output:

In this scenario, you can use the “-p” flag; it will create a new directory only if the directory is not present in your current working directory; otherwise, it will exit the command without throwing any errors.

$ mkdir -p newdir
$ mkdir -p newdir

Output:

Creating a Parent Directory While Creating a New Directory

When you create a new directory inside another directory, if the parent directory does not exist, you will get the “No such file or directory” error.

$ mkdir dir1/dir2/dir3

Output:

As you can see above, the “dir1” directory, including the “dir2” directory, is not present, which is why you got an error.

To avoid this error, simply use the “-p” flag to create a new directory that includes all parent directories.

$ mkdir -p dir1/dir2/dir3

Output:

Creating a Sub-Directory Inside the Newly Created Multiple Directories

The following command will create a new sub-directory with the name “data” inside all three directories “mydir1“, “mydir2“, “mydir3“, as shown.

$ mkdir -p ~/Documents/{mydir1,mydir2,mydir3}/data

Output:

Printing the Directory Name While They Are Created

Use the “-v” flag to print each directory name while it is being created in the output.

$ mkdir -v -p ~/Documents/{mydir1,mydir2,mydir3}/data

Output:

Setting Permissions While Creating a New Directory

Use the “-m” flag to set the file mode (or permission) while they are created, as shown.

$ mkdir -m g=rwx ~/Documents/newdir

The above command will grant the directory owner and group of users complete permission.

Instead of attributes, you can also specify the permissions in numeric values.

$ mkdir -m 777 ~/Documents/newdir

Output:

This way, you can easily manage to give separate permissions for the owner, a group of users, and others.

And that was all you should know about this command.

If you have any question or query regarding this topic, feel free to ask it in the comment section.