mkdir stands for “make directory.” It’s a command used in Unix-like operating systems (including Linux and macOS) and also in Windows command-line environments. The purpose of the mkdir command is to create directories (folders) within the file system.

Creating a directory

When you run mkdir followed by the name of the directory you want to create, it will create that directory in the current working directory. The new directory will be created as a subdirectory of the directory you are currently working in.

Example

mkdir src

If you want to create a directory in a specific location other than the current working directory, you can provide the desired path before the directory name.

Example

mkdir ../src

Example

mkdir /home/matej/Documents/tmp/src

Creating multiple directories

You can also create a directory structure with the specified directories in a single command. In the following examples we will use three ways to create three directories named src, src/js, and src/css in one command.

Example

mkdir {src,src/js,src/css}

Example

mkdir src src/{js,css}

Example

mkdir src src/js src/css

All commands will create three directories named src, src/js, and src/css in a single command.

src
├── js
└── css

You can achieve the same result with a single command using the -p flag.

Example

mkdir -p src/js src/css

When you use the -p flag, mkdir will create all the necessary parent directories along with the specified directory.

Example

mkdir -p project/src/{js,css,assets}

Output

project
└── src
    ├── js
    ├── css
    └── assets

Creating and Navigating

You can also create a directory and navigate into it using a single command.

Example

mkdir new-project && cd new-project

You’ve created a directory named “new-project” and navigated into it. Now you’re ready to start working within your new project directory.

Example

mkdir -p project/src/{js,css,assets} && cd project/src