Copy SOURCE to DEST, or multiple SOURCE(s) to DIRECTORY.
- -a, --archive
- same as -dpR
- --backup[=CONTROL]
- make a backup of each existing destination file
- -b
- like --backup but does not accept an argument
- -d, --no-dereference
- never follow symbolic links
- -f, --force
- if an existing destination file cannot be
opened, remove it and try again
- -i, --interactive
- prompt before overwrite
- -H
- follow command-line symbolic links
- -l, --link
- link files instead of copying
- -L, --dereference
- always follow symbolic links
- -p, --preserve
- preserve file attributes if possible
- --parents
- append source path to DIRECTORY
- -P
- same as `--parents' for now; soon to change to
`--no-dereference' to conform to POSIX
- -r
- copy recursively, non-directories as files
WARNING: use -R instead when you might copy
special files like FIFOs or /dev/zero
- --remove-destination
- remove each existing destination file before
attempting to open it (contrast with --force)
- --sparse=WHEN
- control creation of sparse files
- -R, --recursive
- copy directories recursively
- --strip-trailing-slashes remove any trailing slashes from each SOURCE
- argument
- -s, --symbolic-link
- make symbolic links instead of copying
- -S, --suffix=SUFFIX
- override the usual backup suffix
- --target-directory=DIRECTORY
- move all SOURCE arguments into DIRECTORY
- -u, --update
- copy only when the SOURCE file is newer
than the destination file or when the
destination file is missing
- -v, --verbose
- explain what is being done
- -x, --one-file-system
- stay on this file system
- --help
- display this help and exit
- --version
- output version information and exit
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.
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
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.
