diff --git a/packages/create-app/src/createApp.ts b/packages/create-app/src/createApp.ts
index 8f054319e0..d833f0c4d8 100644
--- a/packages/create-app/src/createApp.ts
+++ b/packages/create-app/src/createApp.ts
@@ -20,11 +20,10 @@ import chalk from 'chalk';
 import { Command } from 'commander';
 import inquirer, { Answers, Question } from 'inquirer';
 import { exec as execCb } from 'child_process';
-import { resolve as resolvePath, relative as relativePath } from 'path';
+import { resolve as resolvePath } from 'path';
 import { findPaths } from '@backstage/cli-common';
 import os from 'os';
 import { Task, templatingTask } from './lib/tasks';
-import recursive from 'recursive-readdir';
 
 const exec = promisify(execCb);
 
@@ -69,12 +68,6 @@ async function createTemporaryAppFolder(tempDir: string) {
   });
 }
 
-async function cleanUp(tempDir: string) {
-  await Task.forItem('remove', 'temporary directory', async () => {
-    await fs.remove(tempDir);
-  });
-}
-
 async function buildApp(appDir: string) {
   const runCmd = async (cmd: string) => {
     await Task.forItem('executing', cmd, async () => {
@@ -94,28 +87,17 @@ async function buildApp(appDir: string) {
 
 async function moveApp(tempDir: string, destination: string, id: string) {
   await Task.forItem('moving', id, async () => {
-    // Get the temporary files relative path in relation to the `tempDir` so
-    // that it can be used in resolving destination file path
-    const relativeTempFiles = await recursive(tempDir)
-      .then(files => {
-        return files.map(file => {
-          return relativePath(tempDir, file);
-        });
-      })
+    await fs
+      .move(tempDir, destination)
       .catch(error => {
-        throw new Error(`Failed to read temporary directory, ${error}`);
-      });
-
-    for (const relativeTempFile of relativeTempFiles) {
-      const tempFile = resolvePath(tempDir, relativeTempFile);
-      const destFile = resolvePath(destination, relativeTempFile);
-
-      await fs.copy(tempFile, destFile).catch(error => {
         throw new Error(
-          `Failed to move file from ${tempFile} to ${destFile}, ${error}`,
+          `Failed to move app from ${tempDir} to ${destination}: ${error.message}`,
         );
+      })
+      .finally(() => {
+        // remove temporary files on both success and failure
+        fs.removeSync(tempDir);
       });
-    }
   });
 }
 
@@ -164,27 +146,30 @@ export default async (cmd: Command): Promise<void> => {
   Task.log('Creating the app...');
 
   try {
-    Task.section('Checking if the directory is available');
     if (cmd.path) {
+      // Template directly to specified path
+
+      Task.section('Checking that supplied path exists');
       await checkPathExistsAndIsDirectory(appDir);
+
+      Task.section('Preparing files');
+      await templatingTask(templateDir, cmd.path, answers);
     } else {
-      // Directory must not already exist when using consructed path from
-      // `answers.name`
+      // Template to temporary location, and then move files
+
+      Task.section('Checking if the directory is available');
       await checkAppPathDoesntExist(paths.targetDir, answers.name);
+
+      Task.section('Creating a temporary app directory');
+      await createTemporaryAppFolder(tempDir);
+
+      Task.section('Preparing files');
+      await templatingTask(templateDir, tempDir, answers);
+
+      Task.section('Moving to final location');
+      await moveApp(tempDir, appDir, answers.name);
     }
 
-    Task.section('Creating a temporary app directory');
-    await createTemporaryAppFolder(tempDir);
-
-    Task.section('Preparing files');
-    await templatingTask(templateDir, tempDir, answers);
-
-    Task.section('Moving to final location');
-    await moveApp(tempDir, appDir, answers.name);
-
-    Task.section('Cleanup');
-    await cleanUp(tempDir);
-
     if (!cmd.skipInstall) {
       Task.section('Building the app');
       await buildApp(appDir);
@@ -207,10 +192,7 @@ export default async (cmd: Command): Promise<void> => {
     Task.error(error.message);
 
     Task.log('It seems that something went wrong when creating the app 🤔');
-    Task.log('We are going to clean up, and then you can try again.');
 
-    Task.section('Cleanup');
-    await cleanUp(tempDir);
     Task.error('🔥  Failed to create app!');
     Task.exit(1);
   }