How To Use Mkdir Command on Linux

In this tutorial, we will show you how to use the mkdir command on Linux. For those of you who didn’t know, mkdir the command stands for make directory allows the user to create an empty directory on Linux operating system. This command can also create multiple folders at once as well as set permissions for folders. It is important to note that the user executing this command must have enough permissions to create a directory in the parent directory, or he/she may receive a ‘permission denied error.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the use of mkdir (Make Directory Command) on Linux. You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu or any other Debian-based or RHEL-based distribution.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo useror access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Mkdir Command on Linux

Step 1. First, make sure that all your system packages are up-to-date by running the following apt commands in the terminal.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2. Linux mkdir Command Syntax.

The syntax for the mkdir a command is as follows:

mkdir [OPTION] [DIRECTORY]

For example, create directories using mkdir:

mkdir idroot

For example, creates a directory structure with the missing parent directories (if any) using mkdir:

mkdir -p /home/idroot/film/genre/

For example, create multiple directories using mkdir:

mkdir dir1 dir2 dir3 dir 4

For example, Set Permissions when creating a directory:

mkdir -m 700 newdir

The below command will display all the available options and provide other assistance related to the mkdir command:

mkdir --help

Congratulations! You have successfully learned the mkdir command. Thanks for using this tutorial for explains how to create directories with the mkdir command. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Ubuntu website.