copy (command)

For the command for copying with the clipboard, see Cut, copy, and paste.

copy
The ReactOS copy command
Developers	DEC, Intel, MetaComCo, Heath Company, Zilog, Microware, HP, Microsoft, IBM, DR, TSL, Datalight, Novell, Toshiba
Repository	{{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
Engine
Operating system	RT-11, OS/8, RSX-11, ISIS-II, iRMX 86, TOPS-10, TOPS-20, OpenVMS, TRIPOS, HDOS, DOS, MSX-DOS, FlexOS, 4680 OS, 4690 OS, PC-MOS, Z80-RIO, OS-9, MPE/iX, OS/2, Windows, ReactOS, SymbOS, DexOS
Type	Command
License	HDOS: PD MS-DOS: MIT PC-MOS: GPL v3 ReactOS: GPL v2

copy is a shell command for copying files.

Different implementations provide various capabilities, such as:

• Combining (concatenating) multiple files into a single file
• If multiple source files are specified before the path to an existing directory, then files are copied to the directory
• Support for text vs. binary data; for text, the command stops when it reaches an end-of-file (EOF) character; for binary, files are copied in their entirety, ignoring EOF
• In DOS, a file can be copied to or from a device. For example, copy path con outputs the file at path to the console, and copy con path copies text typed at the console to a file at path

Implementations

The command is available in RT-11, OS/8, RSX-11, ISIS-II, iRMX 86, TOPS-10, TOPS-20, OpenVMS, MetaComCo TRIPOS, HDOS, Z80-RIO, OS-9, DOS, FlexOS, 4690 OS, PC-MOS, HP MPE/iX, OS/2, Windows, ROM-DOS, ReactOS, SymbOS, DexOS, and 86-DOS.

Under IBM PC DOS/MS-DOS the command is available since version 1.

Some shells provide a copy command with a different name. In Unix-based systems, the copy command is cp. In CP/M, the command is PIP. in OpenVOS, the command is copy_file.

DOS

The following copies existing file fromfile to path tofile.

copy fromfile tofile

A file can be copied to a device. The following sends a file to the printer on lpt1.

copy letter.txt lpt1

The following outputs to stdout, like the type command.

copy letter.txt con

The following concatenates the page# files into book.txt – like cat.

copy page1.txt+page2.txt book.txt 

The command can copy files between drives.

The following uses text mode to copy text of the file, stopping when it reaches an EOF character.

copy /a doc1.txt + doc2.txt doc3.txt
copy /a *.txt doc3.txt

The following uses binary mode, concatenating files in their entirety and ignoring EOF characters.

copy /b image1.jpg + image2.jpg image3.jpg

See also

• XCOPY – Shell command for copying files

External links

• copy | Microsoft Docs
• Open source COPY implementation that comes with MS-DOS v2.0