What is cp MacOS command?

The MacOS cp command is used for file copying tasks, allowing users to copy files and directories on their MacOS system with ease and efficiency.

cp Syntax:

cp [option] [source] [destination]

Option	Description
-R	Copy directories recursively
-i	Prompt before overwriting
-f	Force copy by overwriting destination without prompt
-n	Do not overwrite an existing file
-v	Verbose mode, show informative messages
-r	Alias for -R, copy directories recursively
-p	Preserve the file attributes, such as timestamps
-L	Follow symbolic links

Parameter	Description
source	Specifies the file or directory to be copied
destination	Specifies the destination for the copy action

cp file.txt /path/to/directory/

Copies the file “file.txt” to the specified directory.

cp file1.txt file2.txt file3.txt /path/to/directory/

Copies multiple files (“file1.txt”, “file2.txt”, “file3.txt”) to the specified directory.

cp -R directory1 /path/to/directory/

Copies the directory “directory1” and all its contents to the specified directory recursively.

cp -p file.txt /path/to/directory/

Copies the file “file.txt” to the specified directory while preserving its metadata, such as timestamps and permissions.

cp original_file.txt /path/to/directory/new_file.txt

Copies the file “original_file.txt” to the specified directory with a new file name “new_file.txt”.

To use the cp command in bash, execute the following command:

cp file1.txt file2.txt

The cp command in MacOS is used to copy files or directories from one location to another.

To copy a directory in MacOS using cp, you can use the following command:

cp -r directory1 directory2

Yes, you can preserve file attributes like permissions, timestamps, and ownership with the -p option in the cp command.

cp -p file1.txt file2.txt

To force overwrite files without prompting when using the cp command in MacOS, you can use the -f option.

cp -f file1.txt file2.txt

You can display the progress of a file copy with the -v (verbose) option in the cp command in MacOS.

cp -v file1.txt file2.txt

To copy multiple files at once using cp in MacOS, simply list all the files you want to copy followed by the destination directory.

cp file1.txt file2.txt directory/

To copy files interactively, prompting before overwriting, you can use the -i option in the cp command in MacOS.

cp -i file1.txt file2.txt