1.\" Copyright (c) 1989, 1990 The Regents of the University of California. 2.\" All rights reserved. 3.\" 4.\" %sccs.include.redist.man% 5.\" 6.\" @(#)cp.1 6.10 (Berkeley) 06/29/90 7.\" 8.Dd 9.Dt CP 1 10.Os BSD 4 11.Sh NAME 12.Nm cp 13.Nd copy files 14.Sh SYNOPSIS 15.Nm cp 16.Op Fl fhip 17.Ar source_file target_file 18.br 19.Nm cp 20.Op Fl Rfhip 21.Ar source_file ... target_directory 22.Sh DESCRIPTION 23In the first synopsis form, 24.Nm cp 25utility copies the contents of the 26.Ar source_file 27to the 28.Ar target_file 29or, in the second synopsis form, 30the contents of each named 31.Ar source_file(s) 32is copied to the destination 33.Ar target_directory . 34The names of the files themselves are not changed. 35If 36.Nm cp 37detects an attempt to copy a file to itself, the copy will fail. 38The following options are available: 39.Tp Fl h 40Forces 41.Nm cp 42to follow symbolic links. 43Provided for the 44.Fl R 45option which does not follow symbolic links by default. 46.Tp Fl f 47Turns off the 48.Fl i 49option. 50(The last 51.Fl f 52or 53.Fl i 54option overrides any previous specification of either option.) 55.Tp Fl i 56Causes 57.Nm cp 58to write a prompt to standard error before copying a file that would 59overwrite an existing file. 60If the response from the standard input begins with the character ``y'', 61the file is copied if permissions allow. 62(The last 63.Fl f 64or 65.Fl i 66option overrides any previous specification of either option.) 67.Tp Fl p 68Causes 69.Nm cp 70to preserve in the copy as many of the modification time, access time, 71.\" and file mode as allowed by permissions. 72file mode, user ID, and group ID as allowed by permissions. 73.Pp 74If the user ID and group ID cannot be preserved, no error message 75is displayed and the exit value is not altered. 76.Pp 77If the source file is set user ID or set group ID, and either the user 78ID or the group ID cannot be preserved, the set user ID and set group 79ID bits are not preserved in the copy's permissions. 80.Tp Fl R 81If 82.Ar source_file 83designates a directory, 84.Nm cp 85copies the directory and the entire subtree connected at that point. 86Special file types, such as symbolic links and block and character 87devices, are recreated instead of being copied. 88Created directories have the same mode as the corresponding source 89directory, unmodified by the process' file mode creation mask (umask). 90.Tp Fl r 91The 92.Fl r 93option is identical to the 94.Fl R 95option with the exception that it does not treat special files 96differently from regular files. 97Symbolic links are always followed. 98This option has been deprecated. 99.Tp 100.Pp 101For each destination file that already exists, its contents are 102overwritten if permissions allow, but 103.Nm cp 104will not change its mode, user ID, or group ID. 105However, if the file is not being copied by the super-user, 106writing the file may clear the set user ID or set group ID 107permission bits. 108.Pp 109If the destination file does not exist, the mode of the source file is 110used as modified by the file mode creation mask (umask). 111If the source file is either set user ID or set group ID, those 112bits are removed unless the source file and the destination 113file are owned by the same user and group. 114.Pp 115Appropriate permissions are required for file creation or overwriting. 116.Pp 117.Nm Cp 118exits 0 on success, >0 if an error occurred. 119.Sh SEE ALSO 120.Xr mv 1 , 121.Xr rcp 1 , 122.Xr umask 2 123.Sh HISTORY 124The 125.Nm cp 126command appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX. 127