How to Create a New Directory in Mac Terminal

Create a New Directory in Mac Terminal

The Terminal provides several commands for managing directories, but the most common one for creating a new directory is mkdir.

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to create a new directory, along with some advanced options for creating multiple directories at once and setting permissions.

Basic Command for Creating a Directory

The most straightforward way to create a new directory is by using the mkdir command. The syntax for this command is simple:

mkdir new_directory_name

In this example, new_directory_name is the name you want to give the new folder. For example, if you want to create a directory called Projects, you would use:

mkdir Projects

This command will create a new directory named Projects in your current working directory. You can verify that the directory was created by listing the contents of the directory using the ls command:

ls

If the directory was created successfully, you’ll see Projects listed among your files and folders.

Creating a Directory in a Specific Location

If you want to create a directory in a location other than your current directory, you can provide the full path to the directory. For example, to create a directory called Work inside the Documents folder, you would use:

mkdir /Users/yourusername/Documents/Work

Make sure to replace yourusername with your actual username. This command will create the Work directory inside the Documents folder, regardless of your current working directory.

Creating Multiple Directories at Once

If you need to create multiple directories at once, you can do so by specifying the directory names in a single mkdir command, separated by spaces. For example:

mkdir Project1 Project2 Project3

This command will create three directories—Project1, Project2, and Project3—all within the current directory.

Creating Nested Directories

Sometimes you might want to create a directory along with several subdirectories in one command. The -p option allows you to create parent directories and subdirectories at the same time. For example:

mkdir -p Projects/2024/January

This command creates a Projects directory with a subdirectory named 2024, which in turn contains a subdirectory named January. The -p option ensures that all necessary parent directories are created if they don’t already exist.

Setting Permissions While Creating a Directory

You can also set permissions for a directory as you create it by using the -m option followed by the desired permission value. For example, to create a directory with read, write, and execute permissions for the owner, and read and execute permissions for others, you can use:

mkdir -m 755 new_directory

This command creates a directory called new_directory with the specified permission settings. The permission value 755 means:

1. The owner has read, write, and execute permissions.
2. Group members and others have read and execute permissions, but not write permissions.