cp Command (with examples)

Using the cp command to copy files and directories.

The cp command is used to copy files and directories in Linux. It allows you to create copies of files and directories, either in the same location or in a different destination. In this article, we will explore various use cases of the cp command with code examples.

1: Copy a file to another location

The cp command can be used to copy a file to another location. This can be useful in scenarios where you want to create a backup or make a duplicate of a file.

Code:

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

Explanation:

• path/to/source_file.ext is the path to the file you want to copy.
• path/to/target_file.ext is the path where you want to copy the file.

Example: Suppose you have a file named document.txt in the directory /home/user/documents. You want to create a copy of this file in the directory /backup.

cp /home/user/documents/document.txt /backup/document.txt

Output: A copy of the file document.txt will be created in the directory /backup.

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

Sometimes, you may want to copy a file into another directory while keeping the same filename. This can be useful when organizing files or moving them to a different directory without changing their names.

Code:

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

Explanation:

• path/to/source_file.ext is the path to the file you want to copy.
• path/to/target_parent_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the file. The copied file will have the same name as the source file.

Example: Suppose you have a file named image.jpg in the directory /home/user/pictures. You want to copy this file to the directory /backup/pictures.

cp /home/user/pictures/image.jpg /backup/pictures

Output: A copy of the file image.jpg will be created in the directory /backup/pictures.

3: Recursively copy a directory’s contents to another location

The cp command can also be used to copy the contents of a directory to another location. This includes all files and subdirectories within the source directory. If the destination directory already exists, the source directory is copied inside it.

Code:

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

Explanation:

• -r is an option that stands for “recursive”. It tells the cp command to copy the directory and its contents recursively.
• path/to/source_directory is the path to the directory you want to copy.
• path/to/target_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the source directory and its contents.

Example: Suppose you have a directory named photos in the directory /home/user. You want to create a backup of this directory in the directory /backup.

cp -r /home/user/photos /backup

Output: A copy of the directory photos, along with all its contents, will be created in the directory /backup.

4: Copy a directory recursively, in verbose mode

When copying a directory with a large number of files, it can be useful to see the files as they are being copied. The -v option can be used to enable verbose mode, which provides more information during the copy process.

Code:

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

Explanation:

• -v is an option that stands for “verbose”. It tells the cp command to operate in verbose mode, showing the files as they are copied.
• path/to/source_directory is the path to the directory you want to copy.
• path/to/target_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the source directory and its contents.

Example: Suppose you have a directory named files in the directory /home/user. You want to create a backup of this directory in the directory /backup, while seeing the files as they are being copied.

cp -vr /home/user/files /backup

Output: The cp command will display the names of the files as they are being copied, providing an overview of the copy process.

5: Copy multiple files at once to a directory

The cp command allows you to copy multiple files at once to a directory. This can be useful when you have a list of files that you want to copy to a specific location.

Code:

cp -t path/to/destination_directory path/to/file1 path/to/file2 ...

Explanation:

• -t is an option that stands for “target directory”. It tells the cp command that the destination directory is specified explicitly.
• path/to/destination_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the files.
• path/to/file1, path/to/file2, and so on, are the paths to the files you want to copy.

Example: Suppose you have three files named file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt in the directory /home/user/documents. You want to copy these files to the directory /backup.

cp -t /backup /home/user/documents/file1.txt /home/user/documents/file2.txt /home/user/documents/file3.txt

Output: The three files file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt will be copied to the directory /backup.

6: Copy text files to another location, in interactive mode

To prevent accidental overwriting of files, you can use the -i option to enable interactive mode. This prompts the user for confirmation before overwriting any existing files in the target directory.

Code:

cp -i *.txt path/to/target_directory

Explanation:

• -i is an option that stands for “interactive”. It tells the cp command to operate in interactive mode, prompting the user for confirmation before overwriting files.
• *.txt is a wildcard pattern that specifies all files with the .txt extension.
• path/to/target_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the text files.

Example: Suppose you have multiple text files with the .txt extension in the directory /home/user/documents. You want to copy these files to the directory /backup, but you want to be prompted for confirmation before overwriting any existing files.

cp -i /home/user/documents/*.txt /backup

Output: The cp command will prompt you for confirmation before overwriting any existing files in the directory /backup.

7: Follow symbolic links before copying

By default, the cp command does not follow symbolic links when copying files. However, you can use the -L option to follow symbolic links and copy the linked files instead.

Code:

cp -L link path/to/target_directory

Explanation:

• -L is an option that stands for “dereference symbolic links”. It tells the cp command to follow symbolic links and copy the linked files instead of the links themselves.
• link is the path to the symbolic link you want to copy.
• path/to/target_directory is the path to the directory where you want to copy the linked files.

Example: Suppose you have a symbolic link named mylink that points to a file myfile.txt in the directory /home/user/documents. You want to copy the content of the linked file to the directory /backup.

cp -L /home/user/documents/mylink /backup

Output: The content of the linked file myfile.txt will be copied to the directory /backup.

8: Use the full path of source files, creating missing intermediate directories

The cp command allows you to specify the full path of source files, creating any missing intermediate directories in the target location. This ensures that the file is copied to the desired location, even if the intermediate directories do not exist.

Code:

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

Explanation:

• --parents is an option that tells the cp command to create any missing intermediate directories in the target location.
• source/path/to/file is the full path of the file you want to copy.
• path/to/target_file is the path where you want to copy the file.

Example: Suppose you have a file document.txt in the directory /home/user/documents/source. You want to copy this file to the directory /backup/target, creating any missing intermediate directories.

cp --parents /home/user/documents/source/document.txt /backup/target

Output: The file document.txt will be copied to the directory /backup/target, and any missing intermediate directories (/backup and /backup/target) will be created if necessary.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored various use cases of the cp command. We learned how to copy files to different locations, recursively copy directories, copy multiple files at once, use interactive mode, follow symbolic links, and create missing intermediate directories. The cp command is a versatile tool that allows you to efficiently manage file and directory copies in Linux.