Instead of copying a file, we may want to move it to a different directory without leaving the original. With rename() we can do that.

This function can also be used to change a file’s name. It works on directories too.

As with copy(), if we’re moving the file or directory, the directory we’re moving it into must already exist. See mkdir().

$res = rename( 'temp/test.txt', 'temp/this.txt' );
if( false === $res ) {
  echo 'Rename failed!';
}
 
// Moving the "temp" directory into the "other" directory which does exist
// And renaming "temp" to "temp2"
$res = rename( 'temp', 'other/temp2' );