The copy Command Prompt command duplicates a file, storing the second version in a different location of your choosing.
Use the command to copy a file using its specific name and file extension or use a wildcard to copy groups of files at once, regardless of the file names or extensions. Some other command options include verification that the files were copied correctly and suppression of prompts to overwrite files of the same name.
Copy Command Availability
The copy command is available from within the Command Prompt in Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP, as well as from the Advanced Startup Options and System Recovery Options repair/recovery menus.
Copy Command Syntax
The command accepts the following general form:
The availability of certain copy command switches and other command syntax might differ from operating system to operating system.
copy [/d] [/v] [/n] [/y | /-y] [/z] [/l] [/a | /b] source [/a | /b] [+ source [/a | /b] [+ …]] [destination [/a | /b]] [/?]
See How to Read Command Syntax if you’re not sure how to interpret the copy command syntax as it’s described above or in the list below.
Append files by choosing several source files but just one destination file.
Copy Command Examples
Below are several examples of how to use the copy command:
Copy to a Different Folder
copy Z:\Software\program.iso C:\Users\Jon\Downloads\Programs\
The copies program.iso from the Z: drive to the user’s Programs folder.
Copy and Rename
copy Y:\install\j93n.exe Y:\more\m1284.msi
You can use the copy command to rename a file and even change its file extension. In this example, the j93n.exe file copies to a new folder on the Y: drive as m1284.msi.
copy D:\i386\atapi.sy_ C:\Windows\atapi.sys
In the above example, the atapi.sy_ file, located in the i386 folder on the Windows XP installation CD, is copied to the C:\Windows directory as atapi.sys.
This isn’t a file conversion technique (i.e., the EXE file isn’t really being converted to MSI) but instead a way to make an identical copy but with the destination file saved under a different name and inside a different folder.
Unlike the Y: drive example above, this one is a bit more realistic, since copying files like that from a disc is a common practice when fixing some specific Windows problems.
Copy to Current Path
copy D:\readme.htm
In this example, the copy command has no destination specified, so the readme.htm file is copied to whatever directory you typed the copy command from.
For example, if you type copy d:\readme.htm from the C:\Windows> prompt, that HTM file will be copied to C:\Windows.
Copy Only Certain File Types
copy /y /v C:\Users\Jon\Downloads*.mp3 C:\Users\Jon\Music\DownloadedMusic\
This command copies all MP3s (*.mp3) from the Downloads folder to the Music\DownloadedMusic\ folder, but we want to make sure that every file is copied, even if there’s already one in DownloadedMusic with the same name (/y). We’ll verify the copy (/v) to make sure Command Prompt tells us whether the files were actually copied or if an error happened in the process.
Merge Files Into One
copy Z:\file1.txt+Z:\file2.txt+Z:\file3.txt Z:\combined.txt
This will merge three TXT files into a new one called combined.txt. As you can see, each file that should be part of the merge need to be separated by a + sign, but no spaces.
A folder has to already exist in the destination location before the copy command will copy files to it. Make new folders in Command Prompt with the mkdir command.
You can also use the asterisk to append multiple files. So, in our example, we could replace all those .txt instances with Z:*.txt, but only if we want to merge every single TXT file from the Z: drive.
Copy Related Commands
This command is similar to the xcopy command, but unlike copy, xcopy works on folders, too.
Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day
Xcopy Command
How to Change the Windows Startup Sound
Net Send Command
More Command
Rename Command
How to Use the Netstat Command
Vol Command Examples and Options
Sfc Command (System File Checker)
Net Command
How to Restore Hal.dll From the Windows XP CD
How to Restore Deleted Files From the Recycle Bin
The Complete List of Command Prompt (CMD) Commands
How to Redirect Command Output to a File
How to Use the Net Use Command in Windows
Msg Command (Examples, Switches, and More)
How to Move Your iTunes Library to a New Location
Facebook
Twitter
Hit Refresh on Your Tech News
About Us
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Terms of Use
Careers
Advertise
Contact
EU Privacy
NEWS
HOW TO
FEATURES
ABOUT US
