INSTALL(1)

📦
version 9.12 · 29 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 INSTALL(1) 💖

okay bestie, this is the install manual page from the User Commands section of the GNU coreutils girlies, and honestly? it's giving "cp but make it fashion." let's get into it 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

install — copy files and set attributes 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

install [OPTION]... [-T] SOURCE DEST
install [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY
install [OPTION]... -t DIRECTORY SOURCE...
install [OPTION]... -d DIRECTORY...

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so this install program copies files (like, usually the ones you just compiled) into whatever destination locations you pick out. obsessed.

but real talk — if your goal is downloading and installing a ready-to-use package on a GNU/Linux system, you should be using a package manager like yum(1) or apt-get(1) instead. that's just the move, fr fr.

in the first three forms, you copy SOURCE to DEST, or you copy multiple SOURCE(s) into the existing DIRECTORY, while also setting permission modes and owner/group. in the 4th form? you just create all components of the given DIRECTORY(ies). slay.

🌟 mandatory arguments to long options are also mandatory for the corresponding short options. no shortcuts, bestie.

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • --backup[=CONTROL] — make a backup of each existing destination file 💾
  • -b — like --backup but it does not accept an argument
  • -c — (ignored) 🙈 yeah it just... sits there. iconic honestly
  • -C, --compare — compare content of source and destination files, and if there's no change to content, ownership, and permissions, don't modify the destination at all. lowkey respectful of your files' peace
  • -d, --directory — treat all arguments as directory names; create all components of the specified directories 📁
  • -D — create all leading components of DEST except the last, or all components of --target-directory, then copy SOURCE to DEST
  • --debug — explain how a file is copied. implies -v 🔍
  • -g, --group=GROUP — set group ownership, instead of the process' current group
  • -m, --mode=MODE — set permission mode (as in chmod), instead of rwxr-xr-x
  • -o, --owner=OWNER — set ownership (super-user only, so like... know your power level 👑)
  • -p, --preserve-timestamps — apply access/modification times of SOURCE files to the corresponding destination files ⏰
  • -s, --strip — strip symbol tables
  • --strip-program=PROGRAM — program used to strip binaries
  • -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
  • -v, --verbose — print the name of each created file or directory 🗣️
  • --preserve-context — preserve SELinux security context
  • -Z — set SELinux security context of the destination file and each created directory, 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

🌈 the backup suffix tea 🌈

the backup suffix is '~', unless you set it with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX. and the version control method can be selected via the --backup option or through the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable. here are the values, bestie:

  • 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

👑 AUTHOR 👑

written by David MacKenzie. we stan. 🫶

💜 REPORTING BUGS 💜

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

this is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. there is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. 🫣

🍓 SEE ALSO 🍓

full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/install> — or available locally via: info '(coreutils) install invocation' 📖

and that's the whole page, babe! this is from GNU coreutils 9.12, dated September 2026 — so go forth, copy your files, set your attributes, and remember: you're the main character of this terminal. periodt. 💅✨🦋

📦 where this page comes from