Windows copy command syntax and examples

Using copy command, we can copy files from one directory to another directory. This command is similar to the Linux cp command, but it does not match with the full functionality of cp. Windows copy command can be used to copy files only, we can’t copy directories.

The syntax and usecases of copy command are explained below with examples.

Copy the contents of a file to another file

Example: To copy a file from c:\data\file1.doc to D:\backup\file2.doc

If the destination file already exists you will be prompted for confirmation. To suppress this confirmation you can use /Y switch with copy command. This would be useful if you are executing copy command from a batch file.

If the destination file exists, the above command will overwrite the same without asking the user for confirmation.

Copy file to another directory

When we specify a directory path as the destination, the files will be copied with the same name. We can assign a different name by specifying the new name in the destination path. Example is shown below.

To copy the file 1.doc loated at c:\data\documents to the directory c:\data\newdocs

Copy files with white space in name

If the file name has white space within it, we can wrap up the name in double quotes.
Example: To copy file, my resume.doc to another folder

Copy multiple files

We can’t specify multiple file names in copy command. However, we can use wildcards to identify a group of files and then copy all of them in a single command.
For example, to copy all excel files from current folder to another folder F:\backup

To copy all files in current folder to another folder

Use of environment variables

We can use environment variables in the copy command to specify the path of the folders. Like USERPROFILE, SystemRoot, ProgramFiles, TEMP, WINDIR, APPDATA, HOMEPATH.

For example, to copy a file to a user’s documents folder

The above command copies the file to the My Documents folder of the current logged in user.

You may also want to read

Windows «copy» is funny. Type «copy 1 2» and the file «1» will be copied into a new file «2». Now separate them by a plus sign instead of a space (copy 1+2) and you’ll concatenate 1 and 2 and replace the old file «1» with the result of the concatenation!

Yes, we can concatenate two or more files using copy command. You need to separate the list of files using +. You can redirect the resultant data to a new file also.

The above command will not alter the file 1. It creates a new file 3 with the concatenated data of 1 & 2. If no file name is provided it stores the result in the first file.

My Win7 cannot find a copy command, and when i run xcopy, a window flashes and exits.

I have the same problem. If you solved it, could you please explain how?

If you can not find your copy.exe file, you can download it to your windows directory or C:\ Directory depending the setting on your OS you should also be able to copy and run it from system32 or system folder.

how can i combine 2 .exe files and be able to use both after concatenation

I want to copy 2 different files(.exe,.config) from source to destination server of windows.
can you please help me on this command.

Hello i have a problem with my cmd windows 7.when i try to copy a command. Like help > file.pdf. i mean in extension pdf because i have this problem only with .pdf extension but not with .txt.So whe i execute the command. No problem. Then when i go to open the file.pdf ftom user destination the file.pdf doesn’t open say that is corrupted.please do help me .thanks

i have a file contain many lines as sources and another file has the same numbre of lines as destinations. i want to copy first line as source( c:/test/*.txt) to first line in destination ( d:/test2/), secend line ( c:/test/*.pdf) to second line in destination ( E:/test3/)……

Can I use the DOS/Windows “COPY” command in a BAT file to copy a file or a short string of text to computer memory and then paste (Ctrl +V) that string or file into a document?

How to Copy a Folder’s File List in Windows

It may not be that often, but you may sometimes need to get the list of files in a folder. There may be several reasons such as to create a list of file names, copy all the file names, export a list of file names to excel, etc. No matter what the reason is, Windows has no default option to create a list of all the filenames in a folder. However, listing file names in a folder is not that hard in Windows. Here is how to create or copy a folder’s file list in Windows.

Create a List of File Names in a Folder

The first and easiest way to create a list of file names in a folder is to use the command prompt. We can just use the DIR command to export a list of file names to a text document.

To start, navigate to the folder with the files you want to create a list. Now, “Shift + right-click” in the folder, and then select the option “Open command prompt here.”

The above action will open the Command Prompt in the current folder. Now, copy and execute the below command:

As soon as you execute the command, a new text file will be created in the current folder with the list of files in the folder. The good thing about the above command is that it will only list files and ignores any directories or folders.

If you want the command to list directories or folders, use the below command:

As you can see from the above command, we just modified the previous command and removed the -d attribute to include folders in the list. In case you are wondering, the /o:n switch ensures that the list is automatically sorted by names.

Add Copy File List Option to Right-Click Context Menu

If you need to create file lists often, then the above method may not be that user-friendly. To make things easier, you can add a context menu option which copies the file list. You can, in turn, paste the list wherever you want.

To start, search for “regedit” in the Start menu and open it.

The above action will open the Windows Registry Editor. Here, navigate to the following location:

Right-click on the “Shell” key, and select the option “New -> Key.”

Name the new key “copylist,” and press the Enter button.

By default, all the new keys will have a String Value called “(Default)” with no value data. To change the value data, double-click on the value, enter the Value Data as “Copy file list,” and click on the “OK” button. This value is what you will see in the right-click context menu. Feel free to customize the text if needed.

Now, right-click on the “copylist” key, select “New” and then “Key.”

Enter “command” as the name of the key.

Again, the new key will have its own default value. To edit the value data, double-click on the Default value to open the “Edit Value Data” window. Here, enter cmd /c dir «%1» /b /a:-d /o:n | clip, and click on the “OK” button to save the changes.

Note: if you also want to list folders along with files in a folder, then replace /a:-d with /a .

From this point forward, you can copy the file list by simply right-clicking on the folder that contains all your files and then selecting the option “Copy file list.” Once copied, you can paste the list whereever you want, like in a Notepad or Excel sheet.

Do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above method to create or copy the list of files in a folder.

Vamsi is a tech and WordPress geek who enjoys writing how-to guides and messing with his computer and software in general. When not writing for MTE, he writes for he shares tips, tricks, and lifehacks on his own blog Stugon.

6 comments

Let me see if I get this. You’re having people do a RegEdit rather than just creating a simple .bat file?

There is a screen capture program I’ve used for years called FastStone Capture. One of the options is “Capture Scrolling Window.” Using that command, I am able to capture a list of folders, files, date modified, file type, file size, and other columns I have displayed in the window, no matter how long the list is. I can then save that screen capture as a pdf file or one of seven other file formats. If I save it as a pdf file, it automatically creates however many letter-size pages are needed for the length of the screen capture. While the file is not in an editable text format, it works if, for whatever reason, I just need a list of folders and files and any other details.

I followed this to the letter and all I get if I do “Copy file list” on, say, my Downloads directory (from within my user directory) and then paste into Notepad, is the last thing that was on my clipboard. I’m running Ditto from my System Tray, though. Could that be what’s stopping it from working?

Aha! I just found out why it wouldn’t work. The command appears to end in a comma (just after the word clip). This should be part of the main text, and not part of the command.

It would have been way simpler to just post a link to a *.reg file. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. But, some people might not be so savvy regarding editing registry. We all know editing the registry can be very hazardous by people who don’t know what they are doing. Here’s an easy way to create a reg file without uploading the file. Open notepad. Copy the text between the brackets into Notepad:

Save as file type: any file and call it Copy file list.reg.
Right click on this new file, select Merge. Voilà! All done

Awesome! Worked perfectly! Thanks so much – this will be extremely useful.

Comments are closed.

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Copy file listing in windows

Copies one or more files from one location to another.

You can also use the copy command, with different parameters, from the Recovery Console. For more information about the recovery console, see Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE).

Syntax

Parameters

Parameter	Description
/d	Allows the encrypted files being copied to be saved as decrypted files at the destination.
/v	Verifies that new files are written correctly.
/n	Uses a short file name, if available, when copying a file with a name longer than eight characters, or with a file name extension longer than three characters.
/y	Suppresses prompting to confirm that you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
/-y	Prompts you to confirm that you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
/z	Copies networked files in restartable mode.
/a	Indicates an ASCII text file.
/b	Indicates a binary file.
Required. Specifies the location from which you want to copy a file or set of files. Source can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a file name, or a combination of these.
Required. Specifies the location to which you want to copy a file or set of files. Destination can consist of a drive letter and colon, a directory name, a file name, or a combination of these.
/?	Displays help at the command prompt.

Remarks

You can copy an ASCII text file that uses an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) to indicate the end of the file.

If /a precedes or follows a list of files on the command line, it applies to all files listed until copy encounters /b. In this case, /b applies to the file preceding /b.

The effect of /a depends on its position in the command-line string: — If /a follows source, the copy command treats the file as an ASCII file and copies data that precedes the first end-of-file character (CTRL+Z). — If /a follows destination, the copy command adds an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) as the last character of the file.

If /b directs the command interpreter to read the number of bytes specified by the file size in the directory. /b is the default value for copy, unless copy combines files.

If /b precedes or follows a list of files on the command line, it applies to all listed files until copy encounters /a. In this case, /a applies to the file preceding /a.

The effect of /b depends on its position in the command–line string: — If /b follows source, the copy command copies the entire file, including any end-of-file character (CTRL+Z). — If /b follows destination, the copy command doesn’t add an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z).

If a write operation cannot be verified, an error message appears. Although recording errors rarely occur with the copy command , you can use /v to verify that critical data has been correctly recorded. The /v command-line option also slows down the copy command, because each sector recorded on the disk must be checked.

If /y is preset in the COPYCMD environment variable, you can override this setting by using /-y at the command line. By default, you are prompted when you replace this setting, unless the copy command is executed in a batch script.

To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files for source (use wildcard characters or file1+file2+file3 format).

If the connection is lost during the copy phase (for example, if the server going offline breaks the connection), you can use copy /z to resume after the connection is re-established. The /z option also displays the percentage of the copy operation that is completed for each file.

You can substitute a device name for one or more occurrences of source or destination.

If destination is a device (for example, Com1 or Lpt1), the /b option copies data to the device in binary mode. In binary mode, copy /b copies all characters (including special characters such as CTRL+C, CTRL+S, CTRL+Z, and ENTER) to the device, as data. However, if you omit /b, the data is copied to the device in ASCII mode. In ASCII mode, special characters might cause files to combine during the copying process.

If you don’t specify a destination file, a copy is created with the same name, modified date, and modified time as the original file. The new copy is stored in the current directory on the current drive. If the source file is on the current drive and in the current directory and you do not specify a different drive or directory for the destination file, the copy command stops and displays the following error message:

If you specify more than one file in source, the copy command combines them all into a single file using the file name specified in destination. The copy command assumes the combined files are ASCII files unless you use the /b option.

To copy files that are 0 bytes long, or to copy all of a directory’s files and subdirectories, use the xcopy command.

To assign the current time and date to a file without modifying the file, use the following syntax:

Where the commas indicate that the destination parameter has been intentionally left out.

Examples

To copy a file called memo.doc to letter.doc in the current drive and ensure that an end-of-file character (CTRL+Z) is at the end of the copied file, type:

To copy a file named robin.typ from the current drive and directory to an existing directory named Birds that is located on drive C, type:

If the Birds directory doesn’t exist, the file robin.typ is copied into a file named Birds that is located in the root directory on the disk in drive C.

To combine Mar89.rpt, Apr89.rpt, and May89.rpt, which are located in the current directory, and place them in a file named Report (also in the current directory), type:

If you combine files, the copy command marks the destination file with the current date and time. If you omit destination, the files are combined and stored under the name of the first file in the list.

To combine all files in Report, when a file named Report already exists, type:

To combine all files in the current directory that have the .txt file name extension into a single file named Combined.doc, type:

To combine several binary files into one file by using wildcard characters, include /b. This prevents Windows from treating CTRL+Z as an end-of-file character. For example, type:

If you combine binary files, the resulting file might be unusable due to internal formatting.