1.\" Copyright (c) 1989, 1990 The Regents of the University of California. 2.\" All rights reserved. 3.\" 4.\" This code is derived from software contributed to Berkeley by 5.\" the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. 6.\" 7.\" %sccs.include.redist.roff% 8.\" 9.\" @(#)cp.1 6.15 (Berkeley) 07/30/91 10.\" 11.Dd 12.Dt CP 1 13.Os BSD 4 14.Sh NAME 15.Nm cp 16.Nd copy files 17.Sh SYNOPSIS 18.Nm cp 19.Op Fl Rfhip 20.Ar source_file target_file 21.Nm cp 22.Op Fl Rfhip 23.Ar source_file ... target_directory 24.Sh DESCRIPTION 25In the first synopsis form, the 26.Nm cp 27utility copies the contents of the 28.Ar source_file 29to the 30.Ar target_file . 31In the second synopsis form, 32the contents of each named 33.Ar source_file 34is copied to the destination 35.Ar target_directory . 36The names of the files themselves are not changed. 37If 38.Nm cp 39detects an attempt to copy a file to itself, the copy will fail. 40.Pp 41The following options are available: 42.Bl -tag -width flag 43.It Fl R 44If 45.Ar source_file 46designates a directory, 47.Nm cp 48copies the directory and the entire subtree connected at that point. 49This option also causes symbolic links to be copied, rather than 50indirected through, and for 51.Nm cp 52to create special files rather than copying them as normal files. 53Created directories have the same mode as the corresponding source 54directory, unmodified by the process' umask. 55.It Fl f 56For each existing destination pathname, remove it and 57create a new file, without prompting for confirmation 58regardless of its permissions. 59(The 60.Fl i 61option is ignored if the 62.Fl f 63option is specified.) 64.It Fl h 65Forces 66.Nm cp 67to follow symbolic links. 68Provided for the 69.Fl R 70option which does not follow symbolic links by default. 71.It Fl i 72Causes 73.Nm cp 74to write a prompt to standard error before copying a file that would 75overwrite an existing file. 76If the response from the standard input begins with the character 77.Sq Li y , 78the file is copied if permissions allow the copy. 79.It Fl p 80Causes 81.Nm cp 82to preserve in the copy as many of the modification time, access time, 83file mode, user ID, and group ID as allowed by permissions. 84.Pp 85If the user ID and group ID cannot be preserved, no error message 86is displayed and the exit value is not altered. 87.Pp 88If the source file has its set user ID bit on and the user ID cannot 89be preserved, the set user ID bit is not preserved 90in the copy's permissions. 91If the source file has its set group ID bit on and the group ID cannot 92be preserved, the set group ID bit is not preserved 93in the copy's permissions. 94If the source file has both the set user ID and set group ID bits 95on and either the user ID or group ID cannot be preserved, neither 96the set user ID or set group ID bits are preserved in the copy's 97permissions. 98.El 99.Pp 100For each destination file that already exists, its contents are 101overwritten if permissions allow, but its mode, user ID, and group 102ID are unchanged. 103.Pp 104If the destination file does not exist, the mode of the source file is 105used as modified by the file mode creation mask 106.Pf ( Ic umask , 107see 108.Xr csh 1 ) . 109If the source file has its set user ID bit on, that bit is removed 110unless both the source file and the destination file are owned by the 111same user. 112If the source file has its set group ID bit on, that bit is removed 113unless both the source file and the destination file are in the same 114group and the user is a member of that group. 115If both the set user ID and set group ID bits are set, all of the above 116conditions must be fulfilled or both bits are removed. 117.Pp 118Appropriate permissions are required for file creation or overwriting. 119.Pp 120Symbolic links are followed unless the 121.Fl R 122option is specified, in which case the link itself is copied. 123.Pp 124.Nm Cp 125exits 0 on success, >0 if an error occurred. 126.Sh SEE ALSO 127.Xr mv 1 , 128.Xr rcp 1 , 129.Xr umask 2 130.Sh HISTORY 131The 132.Nm cp 133command is expected to be 134.St -p1003.2 135compatible. 136