How to Check if Directory Exists in Bash

Quick Answer: Check if Directory Exists in Bash

To check if a directory exists in Bash, use the -d operator: if [ -d "$dir" ]; then. This works with both absolute and relative paths. Combine it with -p in mkdir to create directories safely if they don’t exist.

Quick Comparison: Directory Testing Methods

Operator	Purpose	Usage	Best For
-d	Directory exists	[ -d "$dir" ]	Simple existence check
-d && -r	Directory + readable	[ -d "$dir" -a -r "$dir" ]	Access verification
**-d		mkdir**	Create if missing
! -d	Directory missing	[ ! -d "$dir" ]	Negation tests
-x	Directory executable	[ -x "$dir" ]	Permission checks

Bottom line: Use -d to check existence, combine with mkdir -p to auto-create.

---

Check if directories exist in Bash.

Basic Test

dir="/home/user"

if [ -d "$dir" ]; then
  echo "Directory exists"
fi

Check and Create If Missing

backup_dir="/home/backups"

if [ ! -d "$backup_dir" ]; then
  mkdir -p "$backup_dir"
  echo "Created directory: $backup_dir"
fi

Check Multiple Directories

for dir in /tmp /var /home; do
  if [ -d "$dir" ]; then
    echo "Directory exists: $dir"
  fi
done

Verify Directory Permissions

dir="/var/log"

if [ -d "$dir" ] && [ -r "$dir" ]; then
  echo "Directory is readable"
fi

if [ -d "$dir" ] && [ -w "$dir" ]; then
  echo "Directory is writable"
fi

if [ -d "$dir" ] && [ -x "$dir" ]; then
  echo "Directory is executable"
fi

Practical Example: Backup Script

#!/bin/bash

backup_dir="/home/backups"
source_dir="/home/user"

# Create backup directory if needed
[ ! -d "$backup_dir" ] && mkdir -p "$backup_dir"

# Check if source exists
if [ ! -d "$source_dir" ]; then
  echo "ERROR: Source directory not found"
  exit 1
fi

# Perform backup
tar -czf "$backup_dir/backup.tar.gz" "$source_dir"
echo "Backup complete"

Check if Directory is Empty

dir="/some/directory"

if [ -d "$dir" ] && [ -z "$(ls -A "$dir")" ]; then
  echo "Directory is empty"
fi

Find Readable Directories

for dir in /etc /var /home /root; do
  if [ -d "$dir" ] && [ -r "$dir" ]; then
    echo "Can read: $dir"
  fi
done

Key Test Operators

Operator	Test
-d	Directory exists
-r	Directory is readable
-w	Directory is writable
-x	Directory is accessible

Always use quotes: [ -d "$dir" ]