Moving multiple source Files to a New Path Using PowerShell

 Moving Files to a New Path Using PowerShell

When you need to move a large number of files from different locations into a single directory, managing them manually can be time-consuming. PowerShell makes this task simple with just a few lines of code.

In this example, we store a list of file paths inside a text file (pathlist.txt). PowerShell reads each path and moves the file to a destination folder—while also checking whether the file exists before attempting the move.

PowerShell Script

# Read file paths from text file
$FilePathList = Get-Content ".\pathlist.txt"

foreach ($file in $FilePathList) {

    if (Test-Path -Path $file) {

        Move-Item -Path $file -Destination "C:\destination\" `
            -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue -Force
    }
    else {
        Write-Host "$file does not exist ***" -BackgroundColor Red
    }
}

How it Works

• Get-Content loads each file path from pathlist.txt.

• Test-Path confirms whether the file actually exists.

• Move-Item transfers the file to the destination folder.

• Errors are suppressed using -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue.

• Non-existent files are highlighted with a red warning message.

This simple approach helps automate bulk file moves and ensures you’re notified if any paths in your list are invalid.