man > cp(1)

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📖 NAME

cp — copy files and directories

🚀 Quick Reference

Use Case	Command	Description
📄 Copy a file	cp source dest	Copy source to dest (overwrites if exists)
📁 Copy a directory recursively	cp -r source_dir dest_dir	Copy entire directory tree
🛡️ Preserve attributes (timestamps, ownership)	cp -p source dest	Preserve mode, ownership, timestamps
🔗 Make a symbolic link instead of copy	cp -s source link	Create symbolic link (not a copy)
💬 Interactive mode (prompt before overwrite)	cp -i source dest	Ask before overwriting existing files
📢 Verbose output	cp -v source dest	Show what is being copied
🔄 Update only (newer source)	cp -u source dest	Copy only if source is newer or dest missing
🛑 Do not overwrite existing files	cp -n source dest	No clobber (overrides -i)
📦 Backup existing destination	cp --backup source dest	Auto-backup with suffix (default ~)
🔗 Hard link instead of copy	cp -l source dest	Create hard link to the same inode
📎 Copy contents of special files (recursive)	cp --copy-contents -r source dest	When copying directories, include device/special files
📂 Copy with full source path under directory	cp --parents source/sub dest/	Preserve relative path structure
🔄 Reflink (CoW copy)	cp --reflink=auto source dest	Copy-on-write if supported, else fallback

📋 SYNOPSIS

cp [OPTION]... [-T] SOURCE DEST
cp [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
cp [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY SOURCE...

📝 DESCRIPTION

Copy SOURCE to DEST, or multiple SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

• -a, --archive — same as -dR --preserve=all
• --attributes-only — don't copy the file data, just the attributes
• --backup[=CONTROL] — make a backup of each existing destination file
• -b — like --backup but does not accept an argument
• --copy-contents — copy contents of special files when recursive
• -d — same as --no-dereference --preserve=links
• -f, --force — if an existing destination file cannot be opened, remove it and try again (this option is ignored when the -n option is also used)
• -i, --interactive — prompt before overwrite (overrides a previous -n option)
• -H — follow command-line symbolic links in SOURCE
• -l, --link — hard link files instead of copying
• -L, --dereference — always follow symbolic links in SOURCE
• -n, --no-clobber — do not overwrite an existing file (overrides a previous -i option)
• -P, --no-dereference — never follow symbolic links in SOURCE
• -p — same as --preserve=mode,ownership,timestamps
• --preserve[=ATTR_LIST] — preserve the specified attributes (default: mode,ownership,timestamps), if possible additional attributes: context, links, xattr, all
• --no-preserve=ATTR_LIST — don't preserve the specified attributes
• --parents — use full source file name under DIRECTORY
• -R, -r, --recursive — copy directories recursively
• --reflink[=WHEN] — control clone/CoW copies. See below
• --remove-destination — remove each existing destination file before attempting to open it (contrast with --force)
• --sparse=WHEN — control creation of sparse files. See below
• --strip-trailing-slashes — remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCE argument
• -s, --symbolic-link — make symbolic links instead of copying
• -S, --suffix=SUFFIX — override the usual backup suffix
• -t, --target-directory=DIRECTORY — copy all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY
• -T, --no-target-directory — treat DEST as a normal file
• -u, --update — copy only when the SOURCE file is newer than the destination file or when the destination file is missing
• -v, --verbose — explain what is being done
• -x, --one-file-system — stay on this file system
• -Z — set SELinux security context of destination file to default type
• --context[=CTX] — like -Z, or if CTX is specified then set the SELinux or SMACK security context to CTX
• --help — display this help and exit
• --version — output version information and exit

📄 Sparse Files

By default, sparse SOURCE files are detected by a crude heuristic and the corresponding DEST file is made sparse as well. That is the behavior selected by --sparse=auto. Specify --sparse=always to create a sparse DEST file whenever the SOURCE file contains a long enough sequence of zero bytes. Use --sparse=never to inhibit creation of sparse files.

🔄 Reflink (CoW)

When --reflink[=always] is specified, perform a lightweight copy, where the data blocks are copied only when modified. If this is not possible the copy fails, or if --reflink=auto is specified, fall back to a standard copy. Use --reflink=never to ensure a standard copy is performed.

💾 Backup Suffix and Version Control

The backup suffix is ~, unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX. The version control method may be selected via the --backup option or through the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable. Here are the values:

• none, off — never make backups (even if --backup is given)
• numbered, t — make numbered backups
• existing, nil — numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
• simple, never — always make simple backups

As a special case, cp makes a backup of SOURCE when the force and backup options are given and SOURCE and DEST are the same name for an existing, regular file.

👤 AUTHOR

Written by Torbjorn Granlund, David MacKenzie, and Jim Meyering.

🐛 REPORTING BUGS

GNU coreutils online help: https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/
Report any translation bugs to https://translationproject.org/team/

©️ COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2020 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html.
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

🔗 SEE ALSO

Full documentation https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cp
or available locally via: info '(coreutils) cp invocation'

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📖 NAME 🚀 Quick Reference 📋 SYNOPSIS 📝 DESCRIPTION 👤 AUTHOR 🐛 REPORTING BUGS ©️ COPYRIGHT 🔗 SEE ALSO