cp.md

cp

copy a file cp original.txt copy.txt

copy a directory cp -R directory directory_copy

prompt if will overwrite existing file cp -i foo.txt directoryWithFoo/

Basic Usage

Copy a file: cp <original_file> <copied_file>

Copy a directory using the recursive (-R) flag: cp -R <original_directory> <copied_directory>

Directories

Behavior differs if the argument that is the directory being copied ends with a /. If it does end with a / the contents are copied as opposed to the directory itself. For example, cp -R foo/ bar will take the contents of the foo directory and copy them into bar, while cp -R foo bar will copy foo itself and put it into bar.

cp

Copy files and directories.

• Copy a file to another location:

  cp path/to/file.ext path/to/copy.ext

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

  cp path/to/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/directory path/to/copy

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

  cp -vr path/to/directory path/to/copy

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

  cp -i *.txt path/to/target_directory

• Dereference symbolic links before copying:

  cp -L link path/to/copy

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

  cp --parents source/path/to/file path/to/copy

To copy a file:

cp ~/Desktop/foo.txt ~/Downloads/foo.txt

To copy a directory:

cp -r ~/Desktop/cruise_pics/ ~/Pictures/

To create a copy but ask to overwrite if the destination file already exists:

cp -i ~/Desktop/foo.txt ~/Documents/foo.txt

To create a backup file with date:

cp foo.txt{,."$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"}