[Bash Tips] How to cp or mv and cd in one command

The other day we learned how to cd and ls in one command. Today we will see yet another cool Bash tip - cp or mv and cd in one command. Meaning - we are going to copy or move files/directories from one location to another and cd into the destination directory instantly. Of course we can do this with an one-liner command. For example, it is possible to copy or move files/directories to another directory and cd into the destination directory using command:

cp source destination && cd destination

Or,

mv source destination && cd destination

However, we are not going to do it now. We use a simple bash function to combine cp or mv command and cd command and run it as a single command. This trick should work on all Unix-like systems that supports BASH.

How to cp or mv and cd in one command

Open your ~/.bashrc file in your favorite editor:

$ nano ~/.bashrc

Add the following lines at the end:

#cp and cd in one command
cpcd (){
  if [ -d "$2" ];then
    cp $1 $2 && cd $2
  else
    cp $1 $2
  fi
}

#mv and cd in one command
mvcd (){
  if [ -d "$2" ];then
    mv $1 $2 && cd $2
  else
    mv $1 $2
  fi
}

Save and close the file. Run the following command to take effect the changes.

$ source ~/.bashrc

Now copy or move files/directories from one location to another and you will automatically be landed in the destination location.

Let us make some sample directories and files.

$ mkdir dir1 dir2

$ touch file1 file2

Now copy the file1 to dir1 using command:

$ cpcd file1 dir1

$ pwd
/home/sk/dir1

As you see, the above command copies the file1 to dir1 and then automatically cd into the dir1 location.

Next move file2 to dir2 using command:

$ cd

$ mvcd file2 dir2

$ pwd
/home/sk/dir2

This command copies file2 to dir2 and it automatically cd into the dir2 location.

Sample output:

Hope this helps.