Manpages - cp.1

NAME

cp - copy files and directories

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/
–debug: explain how a file is copied. Implies -v
-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: (deprecated) silently skip existing files. See also –update
-P, –no-dereference: never follow symbolic links in SOURCE
-p: same as *–preserve*=/mode/,ownership,timestamps
–preserve[=/ATTR_LIST/]: preserve the specified attributes
*–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
–update[=/UPDATE/]: control which existing files are updated; UPDATE={all,none,none-fail,older(default)}.
-u: equivalent to –update[=/older/]. See below
-v, –verbose: explain what is being done
–keep-directory-symlink: follow existing symlinks to directories
-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

ATTR_LIST is a comma-separated list of attributes. Attributes are 'mode' for permissions (including any ACL and xattr permissions), 'ownership' for user and group, 'timestamps' for file timestamps, 'links' for hard links, 'context' for security context, 'xattr' for extended attributes, and 'all' for all attributes.

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.

UPDATE controls which existing files in the destination are replaced. 'all' is the default operation when an –update option is not specified, and results in all existing files in the destination being replaced. 'none' is like the –no-clobber option, in that no files in the destination are replaced, and skipped files do not induce a failure. 'none-fail' also ensures no files are replaced in the destination, but any skipped files are diagnosed and induce a failure. 'older' is the default operation when –update is specified, and results in files being replaced if they're older than the corresponding source file.

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.

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/>