mkfile MacOS command

The mkfile command in MacOS allows users to create empty files with specific sizes easily. Used in the Terminal, this command can be handy for various tasks such as testing disk space, creating placeholder files, and more. By specifying the file size in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes, users can generate files quickly and efficiently. This command provides a straightforward way to create files without any content, making it a useful tool for managing file systems and testing purposes.

mkfile Syntax:

mkfile [-nv] size[b|k|m|g] filename ...

Options:

Option	Description
-n	Do a dry run without creating the file.
-v	Verbose mode. Displays progress information.

Parameters:

Parameter	Description
size	Size of the file to be created.
b	Size in bytes.
k	Size in kilobytes.
m	Size in megabytes.
g	Size in gigabytes.
filename	Name of the file to be created.

mkfile bash Examples:

Create a 1GB File

mkfile 1g file1

Creates a file named “file1” with a size of 1GB.

Create Multiple Files of Different Sizes

mkfile 100m file2 200m file3 500m file4

Creates three files named “file2”, “file3”, and “file4” with sizes of 100MB, 200MB, and 500MB, respectively.

Create a File with a Specified Block Size

mkfile -n 1024k file5

Creates a file named “file5” with a size of 1MB using a block size of 1024KB.

Create a Sparse File

mkfile -n 1g file6

Creates a sparse file named “file6” with an allocated size of 1GB but does not actually consume that much disk space.

Create a File with a Specified Number of Blocks

mkfile -s 10k file7

Creates a file named “file7” with a size of 10KB by specifying the number of blocks instead of a total size.

Create a File Using Random Data

mkfile -Bpi 100m file8

Creates a file named “file8” with a size of 100MB filled with random data using the HFS+ Compression API.

How do I use mkfile in MacOS?

To use the mkfile command in MacOS, execute the following command:

mkfile 1g example_file.txt

What is the purpose of mkfile in MacOS?

The mkfile command is used to create one or more files of a specified size.

How can I specify the size of the file created with mkfile in MacOS?

To specify the size of the file to be created, you can use options like ‘b’ for bytes, ‘k’ for kilobytes, ‘m’ for megabytes, ‘g’ for gigabytes, and ‘t’ for terabytes.

Can I create multiple files using mkfile in MacOS?

Yes, you can create multiple files at once by providing multiple file names after specifying the size.

How do I create a file with random data using mkfile in MacOS?

To create a file with random data, you can use the -n option with the desired size.

mkfile -n 100m random_data.dat

Is it possible to create a sparse file with mkfile in MacOS?

Yes, you can create a sparse file using the -s option to specify a sparse file size.

mkfile -s 1g sparse_file.img

How can I display the help information for mkfile in MacOS?

To display the help information and available options for the mkfile command, use the -h or --help option.

mkfile --help

Can I use mkfile to create a file with a specific file system block size in MacOS?

Yes, you can use the -b option followed by the block size in bytes to create a file with a specific block size.

mkfile -b 4096 1m_file.txt

Applications of the mkfile command

Creating empty files
Creating files with specific size
Testing disk I/O performance
Creating test files for disk benchmarks
Generating dummy data for testing purposes