Linux Command Line Tutorial For Beginners 8 - cp command Video Lecture | Complete Linux Course: Become a Linux Professional - Software Development

hello guys welcome to the next video on
Linux command line tutorial for
beginners in this video we will see how
we can use CP command
in Linux CP command is used to copy
files and directories in Linux
so let's see how we can use it so just
open your terminal by pressing ctrl alt
T and let's see what are the options we
have for CP command
so for giving CP command you use CP and
then options and then you can write the
source so you just need to give the name
of your source and then the destination
ok
so CP and then comes two options for
example - i or - v or other options and
then you give the name or location of
your source file or directory and then
you need to give the name of the
destination where you want to copy the
source right so let's get started first
of all I will CD to my desktop and in
here in the desktop you can already see
that I have two directories and a file
so for example I want to copy a file
into a new file so what I can do is I
can just write CP and then I can just
write the name of my file 1 which I want
to copy and then I want to copy this
file into a new file called file - dot
txt which doesn't really exist so what
the CP command is going to do is if this
file doesn't exist is going to create
the new file and then copy the content
of file 1 to file 2 so let's see what
happens when we give this command so you
can see the new file is created and the
content of file 1 will be copied to file
- so let's cat for example file 1 first
and you can see the content of it
then let's get the content of file - and
you can see the same content right let
me clear the terminal now the second
thing we can do here is we can copy a
file to a directory so for example I can
just use CP and then I can just write
the name of the file and for example I
want to copy it to a directory one which
is empty right now so let me show you
first of all before giving this command
the content of the directory 1 so I will
just use LS and then directory name
right and press enter and it shows
nothing that means directory is empty
right so now I will do CP and then the
name of the file for example I want to
copy file 1 and then the name of the
directory which is my destination where
I want to save my file right and I will
press Enter
and it's going to copy this file to
direct you 1 and less to Alice directory
1 once again and you can see a file 1 is
now existing inside directory 1 right
so it has copied the file 1 into the
directory 1 for example I want to copy a
file to also into the directory - what I
can do is I can just write file 1 which
is already copied if you want to you
know copy the multiple files you can
just do it something like this so you
can give the multiple sources here and
then at the end you can give the name of
the destination so this time I am going
to give the directory to for example to
copy to it so I will just press ENTER
and then I will Alice to directory tools
and you can see these two files are
transferred to the directory - right now
for example I want to transfer these two
files to directory one but we already
know that file 1
is already existing inside the directory
1 and for example we don't want to
overwrite the file 1 which is inside
directory 1 so this command is going to
overwrite the file 1 because it's
already existing in the you know
directory 1 so to avoid the over writing
what you can do is you can give this
command or flag which is minus I which
stands for interactive which ask before
overwriting ok so when you press ENTER
it says CP overwrite directive one file
one dot text so it it will ask you the
question and if you give Y here then
it's going to overwrite your file 1 and
if you give n here then it's going to
not overwrite it right so we are going
to give n so it's going to only copy
file 2 and it's not going to overwrite
file 1 ok so you can use I for the
interactive interface right now for
example you can you know give the
absolute path here or the relative path
right for example I will see D to my
directory 1 here and see see D 2 D 1 and
that's 2 LS here and for example we want
to give the CP command from here so the
file 2 and file 1 exist in the desktop
not the directory 1 and right now we are
in dir 1 directory so we can just go 1
you know step back or 1 folder above by
using these do two dots as you already
know and you can give the name of the
file for example file 1 dot txt and then
once again dot dot and then this time
file 2 dot txt right and then for
example you want to copy it in the
current directory you are already in you
can use this dot 2
show or indicate that this is our
current directory or destination is our
current directory so press ENTER and
it's going to copy these two files to
the directory one and we have not given
- i flag here so it will overwrite these
two files
okay now this dot here means the current
directory so whenever you do LS - a is
going to show you dot and then dot dot
and then file1 and file2 dot txt so this
dot means the current directory so if
you give this dot it means the current
directory you can also give this command
something like there one something like
this but you are already in the
directory right so you can give the
absolute paths of the directories for
example right so for example home and
then your username and then the desktop
which you are in so you are in the
desktop directory here right and then
dir one directory one okay so you can
give this kind of absolute path also or
dot also or this kind of relative path
also to copy your files now there is one
more interesting thing I want to show
here and first let me clear the terminal
and for example I want to copy the
directory 1 to our directory 3 which
doesn't really exist so what I can do
here so I can do something like the CP
and then dir 1 and let me go to the
desktop first of all so I will just do
CD dot dot so I will be in the desktop
and then I will just to see P and then
dir 1 and then I will give the name of
my directory which doesn't really exist
which is directory tree right and let's
press ENTER and let's see
happens and it's going to give error and
it says omitting directory dir one and
why it's doing this because this
directory contains some files and then
it's not able to copy this directory to
directory tree so in order to copy our
directory which contains a file or files
you can give this command which is minus
capital R or smaller I think both are
same but mostly we use capital R which
is for recursive copying
so press Enter and then you can see dir
3 is created and we can list out the
content of dir 3 and you can see the
content of directory 1 is transferred to
directory 3 now you may ask why this
directive 1 is not inside directory tree
right because CP command for example
when you use for files it will transfer
the file inside the directory 3 right so
whenever you give some command something
like this and if the destination doesn't
exist then what is going to do is is
going to transfer the content of the
directory or source directory to the
destination directory and create this
directory first and then transfer the
content now once again when you give the
same command if the directory already
exists ok so once this direct you
already exist and you give the same
command let's see what happens and I'm
going to just give I not i but weak flag
here for verbose and you already know
what this means is and I'm going to
press ENTER and you can see what happens
here so what's happening here is is
transferring directory 1 to directory 3
and then it's trying and transferring
the file inside the directory 1 to
directory 3 and
we are going to give the same command LS
directly three here and now you can see
directed three is transferred inside the
directory that if you one is transferred
inside the directory three right so if
the file already exists it's going to
you know copy this directory one inside
the die directly three if file doesn't
exist or directory doesn't exist then
it's going to just copy the content of
the source to the destination okay so
this is how you can use a CP command and
for more detail you have this command
man CP for seeing you know all the
options which you can use with the CP
command
and when you press Q it's going to quit
so I hope you've enjoyed this video
please rate comment subscribe and bye
for now