Copy files by command prompt

Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. This wikiHow teaches you how to use Windows' Command Prompt program to copy a file or folder. Part 1. Find out your file's location. You'll need the file's location—also known as a "directory"—in order to tell Command Prompt where to look for the file. You can find the file's directory by going to the file's location in File Explorer and then clicking the URL bar near the top of the File Explorer window. This is the directory in which almost every user-created file on your computer is located.

Know your file's name. If you want to copy your file, you'll need to know its name. Keep in mind that file names are case-sensitive in Command Prompt, so you'll need to include the proper capitalization. Type in command prompt. Doing so will search your computer for the Command Prompt program. Part 2. Enter the "change directory" command. Type in your file's directory. Enter the directory in which the file that you want to copy is located.

Doing so will reset Command Prompt to look in the entered directory. Enter the "copy" command. Enter your file's name. Type in your file's name followed by a space, making sure to include the file's extension e. If there are spaces in the file's name, you need to put quotation marks around them.

For example, a file named "Pickles are Good. Enter a destination directory. Type in another directory e. If you don't do this, the file will be copied to your user directory e. Doing so will copy the file into your indicated directory. You can view the copied file by going to the directory in question in your computer's File Explorer. Part 3. Go to the folder's directory.

Enter the robocopy command. Enter a folder's name. Type in the name of the folder that you want to copy, then add a space. As with file names, you'll need to use quotes around any spaces in the folder name. Enter a destination. Type in a directory into which you want to copy the folder's files. If there are lots of files in the folder, this can get messy if you copy them into an unorganized folder since the folder itself won't be copied with the files.

Doing so will copy the contents of the folder into your destination folder. Copy "source path" "destination path". The quotation marks are optional unless you have spaces in your folder or file names. Not Helpful 16 Helpful Is it possible to move a PDF file from one folder to another and not have it overwrite another file with the same name by having a different date? You'll have to rename the PDF file prior to moving it, as two files with the same name can't reside in the same folder.

User case - "Hi friends, does anybody know how to move the files and folders from one drive to another using the command prompt in windows? When compared to the usual method of file copying, using the command prompt has some advantages. It saves time by eliminating the need to copy and paste manually.

It also allows you to copy when unattended. That is to say, after entering specific commands, you can leave the computer alone and take a rest. The task will run on its own. If you are looking for h ow to copy files using command prompt , then keep reading further. This article also mentions other ways of copying files.

The above command copies all text files in the current directory to the E: drive using a wildcard. The command above copies the "example. We didn't indicate a destination; by default, the current directory is utilized if the goal isn't supplied. Xcopy is a command that copies files or groups of files between directories. It's convenient for copying data to and from a fixed drive. Step 1.

To find cmd, go to Start and type cmd into the search box. From the list, right-click Command Prompt and choose "Run as administrator". Now, in the command prompt, type the Xcopy command to copy folders and subfolders, including their contents, as shown below. If you want to copy the "test" folder and its subfolders from the C drive to the D disc, use the Xcopy command as follows:. A command-line interface differs from a graphical user interface, considering that it is text-only.

A high learning curve, more space for error, a vast number of instructions, and the inability to figure anything out by research are all downsides of the command line interface. Here are three easier ways to transfer and copy files from one drive or one computer to another. Check the detailed content. Depending on the drive's capacity, USB flash memory devices, also known as memory keys and memory sticks, can replicate a few files or a large quantity of data.

Step 2. Copying files with command line has some advantages comparing to traditional way of files copying. For example, it saves the time of manually copy and paste. Also, it supports unattended task while copying. That is to say, you can leave the computer alone and take a break after inputting some certain commands. The task will run automatically. Unlike some sorts of data backup with CMD , it is a little bit of fiddly to copy each file manually, especially when these files are stored in different locations.

If they are placed in one same partition or volume, it would be more convenient to backup entire partition. Anyway, you may have other reasons to do files copy in Command Prompt.

However, the most important thing is to figure out how to perform. Two methods on how to copy and paste files using CMD for different purposes will be introduced below.

Choose the one that suits you most. With covered two methods, it is quite easy to copy files in Windows 7 with command line.