File and Directory Management

Creating a File

touch creates an empty file.
If the file already exists, it updates its modification timestamp.

touch file.txt

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Creating a Directory

mkdir project
mkdir -p folder1/folder2/folder3

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Deleting a File or Directory

• rm file.txt → delete a file
• rm -r folder → delete a directory and its contents
• rm -rf folder → force delete without confirmation ⚠️

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Copying a File or Directory

cp file.txt copy.txt
cp -r folder1 folder2

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Moving or Renaming a File

mv file.txt newname.txt
mv file.txt Documents/

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Command Summary

Command	Description	Example
touch	Create an empty file	touch file.txt
mkdir	Create a directory	mkdir project
mkdir -p	Create nested directories	mkdir -p a/b/c
rm	Delete a file	rm file.txt
rm -r	Delete a directory	rm -r project
cp	Copy a file	cp file.txt copy.txt
cp -r	Copy a directory	cp -r folder1 folder2
mv	Move or rename a file	mv file.txt newname.txt

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Best Practices

• Verify your location with pwd before running rm -r.
• Use rm -i to prompt for confirmation.
• Prefer mkdir -p to avoid errors.
• Check results with ls.