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How to Rename a Folder in Linux

Renaming a folder in Linux is possible with Graphical User Interface (GUI) file managers as well as with powerful command-line utilities such as mv, rename, find, and rsync. Be it a novice utilizing Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, or Kali Linux or an expert dealing with bulk renaming in the terminal, Linux has more than one way of renaming directories with ease.

In this article, we provides information on how to rename a folder in Linux through GUI, command-line procedures such as mv, rename, and rsync, and how to work with permissions with the use of sudo for root folders. Batch renaming methods, renaming folders that have spaces, and renaming folders within Git repositories through git mv are also explained.

If you prefer more visual approach to Rename a Folder in linux than most Linux distributions come with file managers. Here’s how to do it using file manager

At first open your file manager application. This could be Nautilus (GNOME Files), Dolphin (KDE), Thunar (XFCE), or any other file manager depending on your Linux distribution.

After that navigate to the directory that contains the folder you want to rename.

• Than Right-click on the folder or Directory you want to rename.
• Select the Rename from the context menu and add the new name in it.

You should see the folder name updated in the file manager

There are various commands to rename a folder or the directory in Linux, such as the commonly used mv, the advanced rename command for batch renaming, and mv with sudo for folders requiring elevated permissions.

mv (move) command : It is the simplest way to rename directories in Linux. It also allows to move files and directories within the file system

Follow these steps to rename a folder using the command line:

Step 1 : Before rename a folder in linux firstly we need to navigate to the directory that contains the folder you want to rename. Use the ` cd `(change directory) command to do this

cd ~/Documents      # It changes your directory in linux distribution

Step 2 : After navigating we need to rename a folder using the mv Command. Use the following syntax to rename a folder:

mv old_folder_name new_folder_name

Example:

Here:

• old_folder_name: The current name of the folder you want to rename.
• new_folder_name: The new name of the folder.

a)Rename a Folder in a Different Directory

Provide the the full or relative path to the folder.

Syntax:

mv /home/user/Documents/project_old /home/user/Documents/project_new

b)Rename a Folder with Spaces in its Name

You need to use quotes or escape spaces with a backslash (\), if the folder name contains spaces or special characters, :

Using quotes:

Syntax:

mv "my folder" "new folder"

Using backslashes:

mv my\ folder new\ folder

To confirm the folder has been renamed, list the directory contents:

ls                    # This will display the updated folder name.

`rename` command: It is used to rename multiple folders at once using the regular expressions. This method is particularly useful for batch renaming.

Syntax:

rename 's/old_pattern/new_pattern/' folder_name

For example: If you want to rename all folders or directories that start with "old_" to "new_", use:

rename 's/^old_/new_/' old_*

• This command searches for all folder names starting with "old_" and renames them by replacing "old_" with "new_".
• The ^ symbol ensures that match occurs at the beginning of the folder name.

If rename is not installed in your linux system than, you can install it based on your Linux distribution:

sudo apt install rename       #For Debian/Ubuntusudo yum install rename    # For CentOS/RHEL

• It is ideal for renaming multiple folders in once.
• Allows the use of regular expressions for more flexible renaming.
• It saves the time compared because by ` mv ` command we renaming each folder individually.

If we use the sudo command with mv than we allow the root level modification so that we can't face the permission errors

Syntax:

sudo mv old_folder_name new_folder_name

Example:

if we rename a system directory (e.g., renaming /var/www/old_site to /var/www/new_site), use:

sudo mv /var/www/old_site /var/www/new_site

rsync: If we do the renaming process and if some especial complex scenarios comes like symbolic links or folder contents than we can use the `rsync` to copy the folder to a new name and then delete the old one.

Syntax:

rsync -a old_folder_name/ new_folder_name/              # Copies the contents of old_folder_name to new_folder_namerm -r old_folder_name                                                            # Deletes the original old_folder_name

Note: The `rsync -a` command copies the folder and its contents to the new folder . Once confirmed, you can delete the old folder with `rm -r`.

• When they do renaming it ensures data integrity as well
• It preserves the file permissions, ownerships, and symbolic links also.
• It is ideal for renaming large folders without disrupting active processes.

If you need to rename directories recursively (i.e., rename folders inside subdirectories), you can combine the find and rename commands. This method is particularly useful for batch renaming folders in deeply nested structures, making it a powerful technique for Linux directory management.

Syntax:

find /path/to/parent_directory -type d -name "old_pattern" -exec rename 's/old_pattern/new_pattern/'{} \;

Example:

If you want to rename all directories named "old_folder" to "new_folder" inside a parent directory and its subdirectories, run:

This will search for all directories (-type d) named old_folder and rename them to new_folder recursively.

NOTE : Ensure the rename command is installed on your system. You can install it using:

sudo apt install rename

You can use wildcards with the mv command to rename multiple folders at once. This method is particularly useful when you need to update folder names with a common prefix or suffix.

For example, if you want to rename project1, project2, and project3 to 2025_project1, 2025_project2, and 2025_project3, use the following command in your terminal:

Syntax:

for dir in project*; do  
 mv "$dir" "2025_$dir"  
done  

• Quickly rename multiple directories without manual input.
• Saves time when working with structured folder naming.
• Works seamlessly with automation scripts for Linux file management.

The`rename`command can also be used with Perl expressions for more complex renaming tasks. This is particularly useful for advanced users who want to perform sophisticated renaming operations. This is particularly useful for bulk renaming tasks, such as changing letter cases, replacing patterns, or modifying multiple directory names efficiently.

To rename folders by changing their case, you can use:

NOTE : Ensure the rename command is installed on your system. You can install it using:

sudo apt install rename

Syntax:

rename 'y/a-z/A-Z/' old_folder*

Example:

This command will convert the names of all folders starting with old_folder from lowercase to uppercase.

For more complex renaming scenarios, you can use `xargs` to process multiple folders.

Using `find` with `xargs`allows you to efficiently perform operations on multiple files or directories that match specific criteria. For example, to rename directories starting with old_folder to new_folder, you can use:

Syntax :

find . -type d -name "old_folder*" | xargs -I {} mv {} new_folder{}

Example : If you have multiple directories named old_folder1, old_folder2, and old_folder3, and you want to rename them to new_folder1, new_folder2, and new_folder3, the above command automates the process efficiently

The `git mv ` command is used to rename files or directories within a Git repository while preserving version history. When you rename a directory using `git mv `, Git automatically stages the change for the next commit.

For example, to rename a directory from old_folder to new_folder, you would use:

Syntax :

git mv old_folder new_folder

This makes it simpler to handle changes over time by guaranteeing that the rename is recorded in the repository.

• Ensures Git history is preserved after renaming.
• Prevents confusion when staging changes in version-controlled projects.
• Automatically stages the rename operation for the next commit

In Linux, renaming directories with spaces in their names is difficult as spaces serve as command separators. If not done properly, one may face errors or unusual results. Below is a detailed process on how to rename directories with spaces within them by using the mv command alongside possible solutions for permission problems:

When dealing with folders that have spaces within their names, you can either:

1. Put the folder name within double quotes (") or single quotes ('),
2. Escape the spaces with a backslash (\).

For example:

Using quotes:

mv "Old Folder Name" "New Folder Name"

Escaping spaces:

mv Old\ Folder\ Name New\ Folder\ Name

Next, you may type ls command in order to confirm the exact name of the folder you want to rename. Bear in mind that if the name consists of special characters or spaces, you have to type it exactly as it appeared on the output of ls.

Example:

ls -l                 # This helps avoid typos and ensures you're renaming the right folder.

After this, you can rename the folder by writing the below command:

mv "Old Folder Name" "New Folder Name"

In the case where ‘Permission Denied’ error pops up, try the below command with sudo so the command is run with higher privileges:

sudo mv "Old Folder Name" "New Folder Name"

These steps ensure that folders with spaces in their names are renamed accurately without errors.

• How to Rename File in Linux | rename Command
• How to Rename Files and Folders Using CMD?
• How to Create Directory in Linux 
• How to Manage Directories in Linux ( 7 Easy Steps)
• File Management in Linux

There are several methods to rename a folder in Linux and it is a crucial task that has to be understood. Every Linux user needs to enhance their skills by learning how to use the GUI components or command line tools like mv, rename, find, rsync, or git. It is possible to perform folder renaming tasks using either the command line or GUI and both methods have their own advantages.

Basic renaming can be accomplished with mv command, which is perhaps the most popular method. When batch renaming folders that contain spaces, root folders, or other folders within folders, tools such as rename, find, xargs, and rsync are much better suited for the task than mv.

These techniques allow users to rename directories swiftly and improve the organization of the file system, streamline version control on Git repositories, and so much more. One can easily carry out smooth Linux directory management on different distributions of Linux such as Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Arch Linux, etc., by knowing these techniques.

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