CP(1) General Commands Manual CP(1)
NAME
cp – copy files
SYNOPSIS
cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-f | -i | -n] [-aclNpSsvXx]
source_file target_file
cp [-R [-H | -L | -P]] [-f | -i | -n] [-aclNpSsvXx]
source_file ... target_directory
cp [-f | -i | -n] [-aclNPpSsvXx] source_file target_file
cp [-f | -i | -n] [-aclNPpSsvXx] source_file ... target_directory
DESCRIPTION
In the first synopsis form, the cp utility copies the contents of the
source_file to the target_file. In the second synopsis form, the
contents of each named source_file is copied to the destination
target_directory. The names of the files themselves are not changed. If
cp detects an attempt to copy a file to itself, the copy will fail.
The following options are available:
-H If the -R option is specified, symbolic links on the command line
are followed. (Symbolic links encountered in the tree traversal
are not followed.)
-L If the -R option is specified, all symbolic links are followed.
-P No symbolic links are followed. This is the default if the -R
option is specified.
-R If source_file designates a directory, cp copies the directory and
the entire subtree connected at that point. If the source_file
ends in a /, the contents of the directory are copied rather than
the directory itself. This option also causes symbolic links to be
copied, rather than indirected through, and for cp to create
special files rather than copying them as normal files. Created
directories have the same mode as the corresponding source
directory, unmodified by the process' umask.
In -R mode, cp will continue copying even if errors are detected.
Note that cp copies hard linked files as separate files. If you
need to preserve hard links, consider using tar(1), cpio(1), or
pax(1) instead.
-a Archive mode. Same as -RpP. Preserves structure and attributes of
files but not directory structure.
-c copy files using clonefile(2). Note that if clonefile(2) is not
supported for the target filesystem, then cp will fallback to using
copyfile(2) instead to ensure the copy still succeeds.
-f For each existing destination pathname, remove it and create a new
file, without prompting for confirmation regardless of its
permissions. (The -f option overrides any previous -i or -n
options.)
The target file is not unlinked before the copy. Thus, any
existing access rights will be retained.
-i Cause cp to write a prompt to the standard error output before
copying a file that would overwrite an existing file. If the
response from the standard input begins with the character ‘y’ or
‘Y’, the file copy is attempted. (The -i option overrides any
previous -f or -n options.)
-l Create hard links to regular files in a hierarchy instead of
copying.
-N When used with -p, suppress copying file flags.
-n Do not overwrite an existing file. (The -n option overrides any
previous -f or -i options.)
-p Cause cp to preserve the following attributes of each source file
in the copy: modification time, access time, file flags, file mode,
user ID, and group ID, as allowed by permissions. Access Control
Lists (ACLs) and Extended Attributes (EAs), including resource
forks, will also be preserved.
If the user ID and group ID cannot be preserved, no error message
is displayed and the exit value is not altered.
If the source file has its set-user-ID bit on and the user ID
cannot be preserved, the set-user-ID bit is not preserved in the
copy's permissions. If the source file has its set-group-ID bit on
and the group ID cannot be preserved, the set-group-ID bit is not
preserved in the copy's permissions. If the source file has both
its set-user-ID and set-group-ID bits on, and either the user ID or
group ID cannot be preserved, neither the set-user-ID nor set-
group-ID bits are preserved in the copy's permissions.
-S Do not attempt to preserve holes in sparse files.
-s Create symbolic links to regular files in a hierarchy instead of
copying.
-v Cause cp to be verbose, showing files as they are copied.
-X Do not copy Extended Attributes (EAs) or resource forks.
-x File system mount points are not traversed.
For each destination file that already exists, its contents are
overwritten if permissions allow. Its mode, user ID, and group ID are
unchanged unless the -p option was specified.
In the second synopsis form, target_directory must exist unless there is
only one named source_file which is a directory and the -R flag is
specified.
If the destination file does not exist, the mode of the source file is
used as modified by the file mode creation mask (umask, see csh(1)). If
the source file has its set-user-ID bit on, that bit is removed unless
both the source file and the destination file are owned by the same user.
If the source file has its set-group-ID bit on, that bit is removed
unless both the source file and the destination file are in the same
group and the user is a member of that group. If both the set-user-ID
and set-group-ID bits are set, all of the above conditions must be
fulfilled or both bits are removed.
Appropriate permissions are required for file creation or overwriting.
Symbolic links are always followed unless the -R flag is set, in which
case symbolic links are not followed, by default. The -H or -L flags (in
conjunction with the -R flag) cause symbolic links to be followed as
described above. The -H, -L and -P options are ignored unless the -R
option is specified. In addition, these options override each other and
the command's actions are determined by the last one specified.
If cp receives a SIGINFO (see the status argument for stty(1)) signal,
the current input and output file and the percentage complete will be
written to the standard output.
If cp encounters an I/O error during the copy, then cp may leave a
partially copied target_file in place. cp specifically avoids cleaning
up the output file in error cases to avoid further data loss in cases
where the source may not be recoverable. Alternatives, like install(1),
may be preferred if stronger guarantees about the target_file are
required.
EXIT STATUS
The cp utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.
EXAMPLES
Make a copy of file foo named bar:
$ cp foo bar
Copy a group of files to the /tmp directory:
$ cp *.txt /tmp
Copy the directory junk and all of its contents (including any
subdirectories) to the /tmp directory:
$ cp -R junk /tmp
COMPATIBILITY
Historic versions of the cp utility had a -r option. This implementation
supports that option, however, its behavior is different from historical
FreeBSD behavior. Use of this option is strongly discouraged as the
behavior is implementation-dependent. In FreeBSD, -r is a synonym for
-RL and works the same unless modified by other flags. Historical
implementations of -r differ as they copy special files as normal files
while recreating a hierarchy.
The -a, -c, -l, -N, -n, -S, -s, -v, -X, and -x options are non-standard
and their use in scripts is not recommended.
LEGACY DESCRIPTION
In legacy mode, -f will override -i. Also, under the -f option, the
target file is always unlinked before the copy. Thus, new access rights
will always be set.
In -R mode, copying will terminate if an error is encountered.
For more information about legacy mode, see compat(5).
SEE ALSO
install(1), mv(1), rcp(1), clonefile(2), copyfile(2), umask(2), fts(3),
compat(5), symlink(7)
STANDARDS
The cp command is expected to be IEEE Std 1003.2 (“POSIX.2”) compatible.
HISTORY
A cp command appeared in Version 1 AT&T UNIX.
macOS 15.2 March 28, 2024 macOS 15.2