mkdir

In early versions of Unix (4.1BSD and early versions of System V), this command had to be setuid root as the kernel did not have an mkdir syscall. Instead, it made the directory with mknod and linked in the . and .. directory entries manually. The command is available in MS-DOS versions 2 and later.{{Cite book|author-last=Wolverton|author-first=Van|title=Running MS-DOS Version 6.22 (20th Anniversary Edition), 6th Revised edition|date=2003|publisher=Microsoft Press|isbn=0-7356-1812-7}} Digital Research DR DOS 6.0{{Cite web |url=https://www.4corn.co.uk/archive/docs/DR%20DOS%206.0%20User%20Guide-opt.pdf |title=DR DOS 6.0 User Guide Optimisation and Configuration Tips |access-date=2019-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190930135943/http://www.4corn.co.uk/archive/docs/DR%20DOS%206.0%20User%20Guide-opt.pdf |archive-date=2019-09-30 |url-status=dead }} and Datalight ROM-DOS{{Cite web|url=https://www.datalight.com/assets/files/ROM-DOS_Users_Guide.pdf|title=Datalight ROM-DOS User's Guide|website=www.datalight.com}} also include an implementation of the {{code|md}} and {{code|mkdir}} commands.

The version of mkdir bundled in GNU coreutils was written by David MacKenzie.{{cite web|url=https://linux.die.net/man/1/mkdir|title=mkdir(1): make directories - Linux man page|website=linux.die.net}}

It is also available in the open source MS-DOS emulator DOSBox and in KolibriOS.{{cite web|url=http://wiki.kolibrios.org/wiki/Shell|title=Shell - KolibriOS wiki|website=wiki.kolibrios.org}}

File:ReactOS-0.4.13 mkdir command 667x434.png mkdir command]]

Normal usage is as straightforward as follows:

mkdir name_of_directory

where name_of_directory is the name of the directory one wants to create. When typed as above (i.e. normal usage), the new directory would be created within the current directory. On Unix and Windows (with Command extensions enabled,{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/mkdir.mspx?mfr=true|title=Microsoft Windows XP - Mkdir|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722020802/http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/mkdir.mspx?mfr=true|archive-date=July 22, 2016|access-date=25 October 2012}} the default{{cite web|title=Microsoft Windows XP - Cmd|url=http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/cmd.mspx?mfr=true|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=25 October 2012}}), multiple directories can be specified, and mkdir will try to create all of them.

On Unix-like operating systems, mkdir takes options. The options are:

• -p (--parents): parents or path, will also create all directories leading up to the given directory that do not exist already. For example, mkdir -p a/b will create directory a if it doesn't exist, then will create directory b inside directory a. If the given directory already exists, ignore the error.
• -m (--mode): mode, specify the octal permissions of directories created by mkdir .

-p is most often used when using mkdir to build up complex directory hierarchies, in case a necessary directory is missing or already there. -m is commonly used to lock down temporary directories used by shell scripts.

An example of -p in action is:

mkdir -p /tmp/a/b/c

If /tmp/a exists but /tmp/a/b does not, mkdir will create /tmp/a/b before creating /tmp/a/b/c.

And an even more powerful command, creating a full tree at once (this however is a Shell extension, nothing mkdir does itself):

mkdir -p tmpdir/{trunk/sources/{includes,docs},branches,tags}

If one is using variables with mkdir in a bash script, POSIX `special' built-in command 'eval' would serve its purpose.

DOMAIN_NAME=includes,docs

eval "mkdir -p tmpdir/{trunk/sources/{${DOMAIN_NAME}},branches,tags}"

This will create:

tmpdir

________|______

| | |

branches tags trunk

|

sources

____|_____

| |

includes docs

• Filesystem Hierarchy Standard
• GNU Core Utilities
• Find – The find command coupled with mkdir can be used to only recreate a directory structure (without files).
• List of Unix commands
• List of DOS commands

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|author-last=Cooper|author-first=Jim|title=Special Edition Using MS-DOS 6.22, Third Edition|date=2001|publisher=Que Publishing|isbn=978-0789725738}}
• {{Cite book|author1=Kathy Ivens|author2=Brian Proffit|year=1993|title=OS/2 Inside & Out|publisher=Osborne McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0078818714}}
• {{Cite book|first=Æleen|last=Frisch|year=2001|title=Windows 2000 Commands Pocket Reference|publisher=O'Reilly|isbn=978-0-596-00148-3}}
• {{Cite book|first=Daniel J.|last=Barrett|year=2012|title=Macintosh Terminal Pocket Guide: Take Command of Your Mac|publisher=O'Reilly|isbn=978-1449328986}}

{{Wikibooks|Guide to Windows Commands}}

{{Wikibooks|Guide to Unix|Commands}}

• [https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490930.aspx Microsoft TechNet Mkdir article]
• {{man|cu|mkdir|SUS|make directories}}
• {{man|1|mkdir|Plan 9}}
• {{man|1|mkdir|Inferno}}

{{Unix commands}}

{{Plan 9 commands}}

{{Core Utilities commands}}

{{Windows commands}}

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