Course/Working with Files & Directories/Creating Directories

Creating Directories

Use mkdir and mkdir -p to create single or deeply nested directory structures.

mkdir (make directory) creates a new folder. By itself, it can only create one level at a time — the parent directory must already exist. If you try mkdir a/b/c and a/b doesn't exist yet, you'll get an error.

mkdir photos                     # create a single directory
mkdir -p projects/webapp/src     # create the entire path at once

The -p flag (for "parents") is the solution. It creates every directory in the path that doesn't exist yet, and silently succeeds if they already do. This is the flag you'll use most of the time — it's safer and more convenient.

This is especially useful when setting up project structures. Instead of creating each folder one at a time, you can build the entire tree in a single command. Many developers keep a set of mkdir -p commands in their project setup scripts.

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Get in the habit of always using mkdir -p. It never hurts when the path already exists, and it saves you from errors when it doesn't. Think of the -p as a safety net.

WIN

In Command Prompt, mkdir a\b\c already creates the full path by default — no flag needed. PowerShell's New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path a/b/c also creates parent directories. In WSL, use mkdir -p as shown.

Create the nested directory structure projects/webapp/src/components. You'll need to create multiple levels at once.

Practice