Ubuntu Directory Command Reference
This page lists core Ubuntu/Linux commands related to directories: navigation, creation, removal, inspection, searching, and permissions. All examples assume a Bash shell.
1. Directory navigation
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
pwd | pwd | Print current working directory. | pwd |
cd | cd [dir] | Change current directory. | cd /var/log |
cd ~ | cd ~ | Go to your home directory. | cd ~ |
cd - | cd - | Switch to previous directory. | cd - |
cd .. | cd .. | Go one level up (parent directory). | cd .. |
cd ../.. | cd ../.. | Go up two levels. | cd ../.. |
2. Listing directory contents
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
ls | ls [dir] | List directory contents (files and directories). | ls /etc |
ls -l | ls -l | Long listing (permissions, owner, size, date). | ls -l |
ls -a | ls -a | Show all, including hidden (.‑prefixed) entries. | ls -a |
ls -la | ls -la [dir] | Long listing + hidden files. | ls -la /var/log |
ls -R | ls -R | Recursive listing of subdirectories. | ls -R /etc |
ls -d | ls -d */ | List directories themselves, not their contents. | ls -d */ |
Tree-style view
tree is not installed by default on Ubuntu, but is very useful.
# install
sudo apt update
sudo apt install tree
# usage
tree
tree -L 2
tree /etc3. Creating and removing directories
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
mkdir | mkdir dir | Create a new directory. | mkdir projects |
mkdir -p | mkdir -p path/to/dir | Create parent directories as needed (no error if existing). | mkdir -p /srv/data/backups/2025 |
rmdir | rmdir dir | Remove an empty directory. | rmdir old_empty_dir |
rm -r | rm -r dir | Recursively remove directory and its contents. | rm -r /tmp/testdir |
rm -rf | rm -rf dir | Force recursive remove (no prompts). Dangerous. | rm -rf /tmp/build-output |
Safety tip: avoid running rm -rf with wildcards or as root unless you are 100% sure.
4. Copying, moving, and renaming directories
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
cp -r | cp -r src dst | Copy a directory recursively. | cp -r /var/www /backup/www |
cp -a | cp -a src dst | Copy directory, preserving permissions, ownership, timestamps. | cp -a /etc /backup/etc |
mv | mv src dst | Move or rename directories. | mv logs old_logs |
rsync | rsync -a src/ dst/ | Advanced sync/copy; preserves metadata, supports remote. | rsync -a /srv/data/ /backup/data/ |
# rename a directory
mv oldname newname
# move directory to another path
mv /opt/app /srv/app5. Inspecting directory size and usage
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
du | du dir | Show disk usage of a directory (in blocks by default). | du /var/log |
du -h | du -h dir | Human-readable sizes (K, M, G). | du -h /home |
du -sh | du -sh dir | Summary size of a directory (single line). | du -sh /var/lib/docker |
du -sh * | du -sh * | Size of each item in current directory. | cd /var; du -sh * |
df | df | Show filesystem disk usage. | df -h |
# biggest directories under current path (top 10)
du -sh * | sort -h | tail -n 106. Finding directories
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
find | find path -type d | Find directories under a path. | find /etc -type d |
find -name | find path -type d -name "pattern" | Find directories by name (glob pattern). | find / -type d -name "nginx" |
find -maxdepth | find path -maxdepth N -type d | Limit search depth. | find . -maxdepth 2 -type d |
locate | locate dirname | Search filenames in a pre-built index (not always installed). | locate nginx | grep /etc |
# find directories named "logs" under /var
find /var -type d -name "logs"7. Directory permissions and ownership
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
ls -ld | ls -ld dir | Show permissions and ownership of a directory itself. | ls -ld /var/www |
chmod | chmod mode dir | Change directory permissions (mode like 755 or symbolic). | chmod 750 private_dir |
chmod -R | chmod -R mode dir | Recursively change permissions on directory and contents. | chmod -R 755 /var/www |
chown | chown user:group dir | Change owner and group of a directory. | sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/www |
chown -R | chown -R user:group dir | Recursively change ownership. | sudo chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /srv/data |
# give user full access, others read+execute
chmod 755 /srv/media
# make directory owned by a service user
sudo chown -R immich:immich /srv/immich8. Directory links (shortcuts)
| Command | Usage | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
ln -s | ln -s target linkname | Create a symbolic link (symlink) to a directory. | ln -s /srv/data ~/data |
readlink | readlink -f path | Resolve a symlink to its real path. | readlink -f ~/data |
# symlink a long path to something short
ln -s /var/lib/docker/volumes/my_volume/_data ~/mydata
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