Missing File After MV command

Question

I typed a command to refactor my file from the current folder I was in to another folder.

What I wanted was: mv /var/backup /var/www/backup

However, I typed: mv /var/backup /var/www/

Now I can't seem to find my file anywhere! Is there a way I can recover it?

Have you looked in /var/www? It should be there as long as the /var/www directory existed. If it did not, your file has been renamed to /var/www. — terdon
– terdon ♦, Commented May 11, 2014 at 15:28

Gilles 'SO- stop being evil' · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-12 00:55:45Z

1

If some error happened, mv prints an error message and returns a non-zero status.

If mv didn't print anything then the move happened as you wrote it:

If /var/www did not exist, then you renamed /var/backup to /var/www.
If /var/www was an existing directory, then you moved /var/backup to /var/www/backup.

If neither of these happened, then either you typed a different command or you (or someone else) did something else to those files afterwards.

answered May 12, 2014 at 0:55

865k205 gold badges1.8k silver badges2.3k bronze badges

1 Answer 1