mkdir -p: Create Directory & Parent Directories

Use mkdir -p /path/to/nested/directory on Unix-like systems to create a directory and any missing parent directories. Equivalent methods: in Python use os.makedirs(path, exist_ok=True) or pathlib.Path(path).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True); on Windows/PowerShell use New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path (or the mkdir alias). Many runtimes and languages (Node.js, Java, Dockerfiles) provide similar “create parents” flags.

Contents

• Linux / macOS — mkdir -p
• Python — os.makedirs & pathlib (mkdir -p equivalent)
• PowerShell & Windows — New-Item / mkdir (powershell new-item directory)
• Other environments and practical tips
• Sources
• Conclusion

Linux / macOS — mkdir -p

On Unix-like systems the canonical command is:

mkdir -p /path/to/nested/directory

The -p option tells mkdir to create parent directories as needed and not to fail if the target already exists. Short and reliable. If a directory in the path already exists, mkdir -p does nothing for that segment and continues. See the POSIX/manual notes for details and examples: the mkdir manual and practical write-ups like this freeCodeCamp guide explain the behavior and common flags.

Notes:

• Permissions matter: if you don’t have write permission on a parent directory the command will fail.
• Use quoting for paths with spaces: mkdir -p "$HOME/my dir/subdir".

Python — os.makedirs & pathlib (mkdir -p equivalent)

Python provides direct equivalents that create intermediate directories.

os.makedirs (recommended, simple):

import os

os.makedirs('/path/to/nested/directory', exist_ok=True)

• exist_ok=True (Python 3.2+) prevents an exception if the directory already exists.

pathlib (modern, object-oriented):

from pathlib import Path

Path('/path/to/nested/directory').mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)

• parents=True is equivalent to -p and exist_ok=True suppresses errors if the directory already exists.

For older Python versions (pre-3.2) use the try/except pattern to handle races safely:

import os, errno

try:
 os.makedirs('/path/to/nested/directory')
except OSError as e:
 if e.errno != errno.EEXIST or not os.path.isdir('/path/to/nested/directory'):
 raise

These patterns are discussed in community Q&A and tutorials — see this StackOverflow thread on mkdir -p behavior in Python and general how-tos at TutorialsPoint and GeeksforGeeks.

Why prefer exist_ok=True/parents=True? They avoid a check-then-create race where another process creates the directory between your existence check and the creation call.

PowerShell & Windows — New-Item / mkdir (powershell new-item directory)

PowerShell exposes New-Item (and an alias mkdir) to create directories:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:\path\to\nested\directory"
# or using the mkdir alias:
mkdir "C:\path\to\nested\directory"

PowerShell will create the specified directory path; use -Force to suppress errors in some edge cases or to overwrite read-only attributes where applicable:

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "C:\path\to\nested\directory" -Force

Refer to the official docs for syntax and examples: New-Item (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management) and a concise reference at SS64.

Note: In classic cmd.exe, mkdir / md will also create nested directories when given a multi-segment path (for example md C:\a\b\c).

Other environments and practical tips

• Node.js (since v10.12.0): use the recursive option.

const fs = require('fs');
fs.mkdirSync('/path/to/nested/dir', { recursive: true });
// async version:
fs.mkdir('/path/to/nested/dir', { recursive: true }, err => { /* ... */ });

Before recursive existed many projects used the mkdirp package.

• Java (NIO):

import java.nio.file.*;

Files.createDirectories(Paths.get("/path/to/nested/directory"));

createDirectories creates all nonexistent parents.

• Dockerfile / shell in containers:

RUN mkdir -p /app/logs

or run the same mkdir -p inside container shells.

Practical tips:

• Prefer the language/native API that creates parents atomically (e.g., exist_ok=True, recursive:true, createDirectories) rather than checking + creating, to avoid race conditions.
• Watch permissions and umask on Unix; a process without write permission on a parent will get an error.
• Normalize paths (use Path APIs) to avoid differences in separators and trailing slashes.
• If you need special ownership or modes, create parents then set the attributes explicitly where the API doesn’t accept mode arguments.

Sources

• How do I create intermediate directories with mkdir -p in Python?
• mkdir manual page (linuxcommand.org)
• mkdir Command in Linux – How to Create a New Directory/Folder (freeCodeCamp)
• New-Item (Microsoft.PowerShell.Management) - PowerShell
• How do I create a directory if it doesn’t exist using Python? (TutorialsPoint)
• How to create a directory in Python? (GeeksforGeeks)
• mkdir - Shell Scripting Tutorial (shellscript.sh)
• New-Item - PowerShell (SS64)

Conclusion

For straightforward, reliable creation of a directory plus any missing parents use the native “create-parents” option for your environment: mkdir -p on Unix, os.makedirs(..., exist_ok=True) or Path(...).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) in Python, New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path (or mkdir) in PowerShell, and similar flags in Node.js or Java. Pick the API that handles existence and races for you (exist_ok/recursive/createDirectories) and you’ll get the same behavior as mkdir -p.