cp

cp is used to copy files or directories.

$ cp source destination
$ cp file1.txt file2.txt
$ cp -b file1.txt file2.txt
$ cp -v file1.txt file2.txt
$ cp * ~/Desktop

Useful Options / Examples

cp

$ cp file1.txt file2.txt

Break it down

• This is the simplest use of cp. It copies the contents of file1.txt and puts it into file2.txt. If file2.txt does not exist, it creates it and puts the contents of file1.txt into it. If file2.txt does exist, it overwrites it.

cp -b

$ cp -b file1.txt file2.txt

Break it down

• This flag makes a backup of the destination (if it exists) before overwriting it. The backup file will be called file2.txt~. If the destination does not exist, the flag doesn’t do anything.

cp -r

$ cp -r eecs280-w15 eecs280-w15-copy

Break it down

• The -r option will copy directories recursively. That means that if you want to make a copy of a folder, including its sub-folders, you must include the -r flag. In the example above, the command will copy over all of the contents of eecs280-w15 into another folder called eecs280-w15-copy.

cp -u

$ cp -u file1.txt file2.txt

Break it down

• This option ensures that the copy only occurs when the source file is newer than the destination file or when the destination file is missing. If file2.txt is updated after file1.txt, the file1.txt will not be copied over to file2.txt. If file2.txt does not exist, it is created and will contain the contents of file1.txt.

cp -v

$ cp -v file1.txt file2.txt
'file1.txt' -> 'file2.txt'

Break it down

• This option explains what is being done during the copy process. It can be combined with other flags (like -u) so that it can be determined whether the copy occurred or not. If the copy did not occur, there will be no output.

cp file1.txt ~/Desktop/HW4

$ cp file1.txt ~/Desktop/HW4

Break it down

• This usage of cp is very useful. Instead of copying directly to another file, a directory can be specified. file1.txt will be copied over to a newly created file in the specified directory.

cp * ~/Desktop/HW4

$ cp * ~/Desktop/HW4

Break it down

• This usage of cp is similar to the example above. This time, all the files of the current folder will be copied to the specified directory. It is particularly useful if you wish to copy all files in one directory into another.