Reference number: CH000766

How do I copy files?

Question:

How do I copy files?

Answer:

Below are the steps required to copy computer files from one source to another in each of the major operating systems. Click on one of the below links to scroll down automatically to the operating system you need help with, or scroll down and review them all.

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, and 2003 users
MS-DOS users
Linux / Unix users

Microsoft Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, 2003

Below are the simple steps on how to copy a file or multiple files in Microsoft Windows from one location to another.

1. Go to the files or folders you wish to copy. If you need help locating the file you wish to copy, see document CHFIND. 
2. Highlight the file or files you wish to copy. If you need to highlight more than one file, you can hold down the CTRL or Shift keys on your keyboard or drag a box around the files you wish to copy. Additional information about selecting multiple files to copy can also be found on document CH000771.
3. Once highlighted, you can either right-click one of the highlighted files and select copy, or if you're in My Computer or Windows Explorer you can click Edit at the top of the window and choose Copy.
4. Move to the location you wish to copy the files to and either right-click in the folder and choose paste, or click Edit and click Paste.

In addition to copying files through Windows, you can also use MS-DOS to copy files. In some situations, such as copying multiple files of a certain extension or with a certain name, it can be a lot easier to copy the files through MS-DOS than in Windows.

MS-DOS users

Below are steps on how to copy a single file from one directory to another directory as well as how to copy multiple files from one directory to another directory.

Copying a single file from one location to another.

1. Using the cd command, move to the directory that contains the file you wish to copy.
2. Type a command similar to the below command.
   
   copy myfile.txt c:\my\location
   
   In the above example, you would substitute "myfile.txt" with the name of the file you wish to copy, and "c:\my\location" with the directory you're copying to.

Copying multiple files to another location

1. Using the cd command, move to the directory that contains the files you wish to copy.
2. Once in the directory that contains the files you wish to copy, type a command similar to one of the below commands.
   
   copy *.* c:\mydir
   
   In the above example, the command would copy every file in the current directory to the "mydir" directory.
   
   copy *.txt c:\mydir
   
   In the above example, the command would copy every txt, or text file, in the current directory into the "mydir" directory.

Additional examples of wildcard characters can be found on our wildcard dictionary definition.

See our cd command, dir command, and/or our copy command pages for additional information about each of these MS-DOS commands.

Linux / Unix users

Below are steps on how to copy a single file from one directory to another directory as well as how to copy multiple files from one directory to another directory.

Copying a single file from one location to another.

1. Using the cd command, move to the directory that contains the file you wish to copy.
2. Type a command similar to the below command.
   
   cp myfile.txt /usr/bin
   
   In the above example, you would substitute "myfile.txt" with the name of the file you wish to copy, and "/usr/bin" with the directory you're copying to.

Copying multiple files to another location

1. Using the cd command, move to the directory that contains the files you wish to copy.
2. Once in the directory that contains the files you wish to copy, type a command similar to one of the below commands.
   
   cp *.* /usr/bin
   
   In the above example, the command would copy every file in the current directory to the "/usr/bin" directory.
   
   cp *.txt /usr/bin
   
   In the above example, the command would copy every txt, or text file, in the current directory into the "/usr/bin" directory.

Additional examples of wildcard characters can be found on our wildcard dictionary definition.

See our cd command, cp command, and ls command page for additional information about each of these commands.

Additional information:

• See our copy dictionary definition for additional information about this term as well as related information and definitions.
• See document CH000823 for additional information about copying information to and from a floppy diskette or CD.