Use mkdir NAME to create a directory in Linux. Add -p to create missing parent directories and accept directories that already exist; use -m MODE to set permissions on a directory named directly in the command. If creation fails, check the path, access permissions, and command’s exit status.
How do you create a directory in Linux?
Pass the name of the directory you want to create:
mkdir reportsGNU mkdir accepts one or more names and creates the directories in the order given. For example, mkdir reports 2026 drafts creates three directories in the current working directory. Without -p, an existing destination produces an error.
How do you create a nested directory path?
Use -p when the path includes parent directories that may not exist:
mkdir -p projects/site/assetsGNU mkdir -p creates missing parent components along the path. It also treats an existing directory as success, making it useful in setup commands that may be run more than once. It does not change the permissions of directories that already exist.
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To see which directories GNU mkdir creates, add -v for verbose output:
mkdir -pv projects/site/assetsHow do you set directory permissions with mkdir?
Use -m MODE to specify the mode for a directory given directly as a command-line target:
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mkdir -m 750 privateThe mode may use octal notation, as in 750, or chmod-style symbolic notation. Choose permissions for the intended users and environment rather than assuming one mode fits every directory. Check the resulting permissions when they matter: system permission mechanisms, including the umask and any default ACL, can affect the created mode.
Setting permissions on parents created with -p
With GNU mkdir, -m does not set the modes of parent directories created by -p. Set the umask before the command if you need to control those new parents. For example, GNU documents:
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(umask u=rwx,go=rx; mkdir -p P/Q)The umask in this example includes owner write and search permissions so the operation can create the nested path. Confirm the resulting modes in your environment if they are important.
Group-shared directories
On most systems, a directory with the set-group-ID bit causes new files inside it to inherit its group, and new subdirectories to inherit the bit. Exact behavior can depend on the system and filesystem, so do not rely on identical inheritance everywhere.
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What should you use: mkdir, mkdir -p, or mkdir -m?
| Need | Command pattern | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Create a new directory and report an error if it already exists | mkdir DIR |
Creates the target; an existing name is an error. |
| Ensure a nested path exists | mkdir -p PATH |
Creates missing parents and accepts existing directories without changing their modes. |
| Choose the mode of a target directory | mkdir -m MODE DIR |
Sets the mode for the directory named directly; it does not set parents created with -p. |
These are GNU Coreutils behaviors. Implementations can differ; for portable scripts, consult the target system’s local man mkdir.
Why does mkdir say “File exists”?
Without -p, mkdir reports an error if the requested path already exists. If your goal is to ensure a directory is present, use mkdir -p PATH. That option accepts an existing directory, but it cannot make a conflicting file or other non-directory path usable as a directory. Linux reports an existence error when the path already exists, including when the existing path is a symbolic link.
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Why does mkdir say “Permission denied”?
Creating a directory requires appropriate access to the path. Check write permission on the directory that will contain the new directory, and search permission (usually represented by x) on each directory component leading to it. A missing permission on any required component can prevent creation.
What other mkdir errors can occur?
- Quota exceeded: Linux can report
EDQUOTwhen a user’s block or inode quota is exhausted. - Invalid path component: Linux can report
EINVALfor an invalid final component; prohibited characters are one documented example. - Conflicting existing path: An existing file or symbolic link is not an existing directory that
-pcan simply accept.
How should scripts check whether mkdir succeeded?
GNU mkdir returns zero on success and nonzero on failure. Use the exit status rather than assuming that a directory was created. A simple shell pattern is:
if mkdir -p projects/site/assets; then
printf '%sn' "Directory path is ready"
else
printf '%sn' "Could not create directory path" >&2
exit 1
fiFor scripts that must run on different Unix-like systems, check each target’s man mkdir because GNU-specific options or details may not be portable. The GNU Coreutils mkdir documentation describes GNU behavior; the Linux mkdir(2) reference documents system-call permissions, modes, and errors, while mkdir(1) provides a command synopsis.
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