cp
Copy files or directories.
Syntax
$cp [OPTIONS] SOURCE DEST
Optionen
-r, --recursive
Copy directories recursively
-i, --interactive
Ask before overwriting
-v, --verbose
Show copied files
-p, --preserve
Preserve permissions and timestamps
-a, --archive
Like -p plus recursive and preserve links
-f, --force
Overwrite without prompt
-u, --update
Copy only newer files
Examples
Examples
$cp file.txt file_copy.txt
Examples
$cp -r folder/ new_folder/
Examples
$cp -i important_file.txt backup.txt
Examples
$cp -v *.txt /backup/
Examples
$cp -p file.txt copy.txt
Shortcuts
cp -r * /backup/ (copies everything recursively)
cp -a /etc /etc.backup (archives everything)
Typical use cases
cp file.txt file.bak
cp -r folder/ target/
mv old.txt new.txt
Note
Use -r for directories and -i to confirm overwrites.
Export