tldr/pages/linux/cp.md

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cp

Copy files and directories. More information: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cp.

  • Copy a file to another location:

cp {{path/to/source_file.ext}} {{path/to/target_file.ext}}

  • Copy a file into another directory, keeping the filename:

cp {{path/to/source_file.ext}} {{path/to/target_parent_directory}}

  • Recursively copy a directory's contents to another location (if the destination exists, the directory is copied inside it):

cp -r {{path/to/source_directory}} {{path/to/target_directory}}

  • Copy a directory recursively, in verbose mode (shows files as they are copied):

cp -vr {{path/to/source_directory}} {{path/to/target_directory}}

  • Copy text files to another location, in interactive mode (prompts user before overwriting):

cp -i {{*.txt}} {{path/to/target_directory}}

  • Follow symbolic links before copying:

cp -L {{link}} {{path/to/target_directory}}

  • Use the full path of source files, creating any missing intermediate directories when copying:

cp --parents {{source/path/to/file}} {{path/to/target_file}}