CP(1)

📦
version 9.10 · 5 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, listen up — this is cp(1), the copy files and directories girlie of the GNU coreutils lineup. she's been doing this since forever and she EATS every time. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

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

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so the whole vibe is: copy SOURCE to DEST, or copy a whole bunch of SOURCE(s) into a DIRECTORY. that's it. that's the job. iconic. 👑

heads up bestie: mandatory arguments to long options are also mandatory for the short options. so if the long one needs a value, the short one does too. no skipping. ✋

the options, in order, all of them, no crumbs left behind 💅

  • -a, --archive — literally the same as -dR --preserve=all. the full-preservation combo meal. 🍓
  • --attributes-only — don't copy the file data, just the attributes. personality only, no content. ngl it's giving "vibes but no substance" but make it intentional.
  • --backup[=CONTROL] — make a backup of every existing destination file.
  • -b — like --backup but she does not accept an argument. strict queen.
  • --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. she narrates her own life, main character energy fr.
  • -f, --force — if an existing destination file can't be opened, remove it and try again. (this option is ignored when the -n option is also used, fyi)
  • -i, --interactive — prompt before overwrite. (overrides a previous -n option — yes she will ask, she's polite like that 🙈)
  • -H — follow command-line symbolic links in SOURCE.
  • -L, --dereference — always follow symbolic links in SOURCE. zero fear, she goes where they point. 🌈
  • -P, --no-dereference — never follow symbolic links in SOURCE. she does NOT chase, she observes. 💅
  • --keep-directory-symlink — follow existing symlinks to directories.
  • -l, --link — hard link files instead of copying. why copy when you can just ~link~ besties.
  • -n, --no-clobber — (deprecated) do not overwrite an existing file and do not fail. (overrides a -u or previous -i option). see also --update; equivalent to --update=none.
  • -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. down the rabbit hole we go 🐇
  • --reflink[=WHEN] — control clone/CoW copies. see below.
  • --remove-destination — remove each existing destination file before attempting to open it. (contrast with --force) — she's thorough, okay?!
  • --sparse=WHEN — control creation of sparse files. see below.
  • --strip-trailing-slashes — remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCE argument. de-cluttering, we love to see it.
  • -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. she's a yapper and honestly? we need that. 🗣️
  • -x, --one-file-system — stay on this file system. no crossing boundaries, she has her limits.
  • -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.

okay lore time 💖

ATTR_LIST is a comma-separated list of attributes. and the 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
  • all — for all attributes

the sparse files situation 🦋

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, explained 🌟

UPDATE controls which existing files in the destination are replaced:

  • all — the default operation when an --update option is not specified, and results in all existing files in the destination being replaced.
  • none — 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 — the default operation when --update is specified, and results in files being replaced if they're older than the corresponding source file.

By default or with --reflink=auto, cp will try a lightweight copy, where the data blocks are copied only when modified, falling back to a standard copy if this is not possible. With --reflink[=always] cp will fail if CoW is not supported, while --reflink=never ensures a standard copy is performed.

backups, the whole tea ☕

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

one special little exception 👀

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. legends, honestly. thank you for your service 🫡

😭 REPORTING BUGS 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

okay that's the whole thing bestie, you're officially a cp girlie now 💅✨ go forth and copy responsibly — this was GNU coreutils 9.10, August 2026, CP(1), and she ATE. mwah! 🎀💖🦋

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