What is the Command to Move a Directory in Windows?

To move a directory in Windows, the primary command-line tool used in the Command Prompt (CMD) is the move command, while in PowerShell, it is the Move-Item cmdlet. These commands effectively relocate a directory from its current location to a new one, or can also be used to rename a directory.

Moving Directories in Windows Command Prompt (CMD)

The move command in the Windows Command Prompt allows you to transfer one or more files or directories from one location to another. It also supports renaming directories during the move process. When you move a directory to a new location, its base name (the directory's name itself) remains the same unless you explicitly specify a new name as the destination.

Syntax

The basic syntax for moving a directory in CMD is:

move [source_path] [destination_path]

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`[source_path]`	The full path to the directory you want to move. This can include wildcards.
`[destination_path]`	The full path to the new location where the directory will be moved. This can also be a new name for the directory.

Examples

Moving a directory to a new location:
```
move C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\OldFolder C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\NewLocation
```
This command moves OldFolder from Documents to Desktop\NewLocation. The OldFolder directory will appear as C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\NewLocation\OldFolder.
Moving and renaming a directory simultaneously:
```
move C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\OldFolder C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\RenamedFolder
```
This command moves OldFolder to the Desktop and renames it to RenamedFolder. The original OldFolder will no longer exist at the source.
Moving a directory using relative paths:
If your current directory is C:\Users\YourUser\Documents:
```
move OldFolder ..\Desktop\NewLocation
```
This moves OldFolder to C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop\NewLocation. The .. refers to the parent directory.

For more detailed information on the move command, refer to the Microsoft Learn documentation.

Moving Directories in Windows PowerShell

PowerShell offers a more robust and object-oriented approach to moving items with the Move-Item cmdlet. This cmdlet is versatile, handling files, directories, registry keys, and other objects. Similar to the CMD move command, Move-Item can relocate a directory or rename it during the move. When a directory is moved, its original base name is preserved unless a different name is specified in the destination path. All existing links to files within the moved directory generally remain intact, provided the move occurs within the same file system.

Syntax

The basic syntax for moving a directory in PowerShell is:

Move-Item -Path [source_path] -Destination [destination_path]

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`-Path`	Specifies the path(s) to the item(s) to be moved. Wildcards are permitted.
`-Destination`	Specifies the path to the new location. This can be a directory where the item will be moved, or a new name if you're renaming an item during the move.
`-Force`	Overrides read-only attributes or prompts for confirmation in cases where it might not otherwise.
`-WhatIf`	Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.
`-Confirm`	Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Examples

Moving a directory to another directory:
```
Move-Item -Path "C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\ProjectX" -Destination "C:\Users\YourUser\Archive"
```
This command moves the ProjectX directory and its contents into the Archive directory. The full path to the moved directory will be C:\Users\YourUser\Archive\ProjectX.
Moving and renaming a directory with PowerShell:
```
Move-Item -Path "C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\OldFolderName" -Destination "C:\Users\YourUser\Documents\NewFolderName"
```
This renames OldFolderName to NewFolderName within the same parent directory (Documents).
Moving a directory to a new location and renaming it:
```
Move-Item -Path "C:\Source\DirToMove" -Destination "C:\Destination\RenamedDir"
```
This moves DirToMove from C:\Source to C:\Destination, renaming it to RenamedDir.
Moving a directory with confirmation:
```
Move-Item -Path "C:\SensitiveData" -Destination "D:\BackupLocation" -Confirm
```
This will prompt you for confirmation before moving the SensitiveData directory.

For further details on Move-Item, consult the official Microsoft Learn documentation for Move-Item.

Key Considerations When Moving Directories

Permissions: Ensure you have appropriate read, write, and modify permissions for both the source and destination locations.
Contents: Moving a directory moves all its subdirectories and files within it.
Cross-Drive Moves: While the move command and Move-Item cmdlet generally handle cross-drive operations smoothly, be aware that moving items across different file systems (e.g., from an NTFS drive to a FAT32 drive) might sometimes affect file permissions or certain metadata, or could potentially break specific symbolic links if they point to locations on the original file system that are no longer valid.
Renaming vs. Moving: Both move and Move-Item can perform a rename operation. If the destination path you provide is within the same parent directory as the source and has a different name, the command will effectively rename the directory. If the destination path is a different directory, it will move the directory (and optionally rename it if the destination path includes a new name for the directory itself).