How to copy files in Linux

Copying files and directories is an essential task in Linux.

The cp command

The cp command is used to copy files and directories from one location to another.

Basic syntax:

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Usage: cp [OPTION]... [-T] SOURCE DEST
  or:  cp [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
  or:  cp [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY SOURCE...
Copy SOURCE to DEST, or multiple SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.

The SOURCE can be one or many files / directories, and the DEST can be a single file or directory.

Copying multiple files to a directory

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cp file1 file2 file3 dir1

Copying matching files to a directory

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cp *.txt dir1

Copying a directory to another directory

Using the -r or -R or --recursive option, cp will recursively copy a directory - including its files and subdirectories.

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cp -r dir1 ~/Documents

Copying files without clobbering

Using the -i or --interactive option, cp will iteratively request user input for files with naming conflicts.

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> cp -i file1 dir1
cp: overwrite 'dir1/file1'?

Include verbosity when copying files

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> cp -v file1 dir1
'file1' -> 'dir1/file1'