Copy folder with files to another folder in Linux
David Y.
The Problem
How can I copy a folder containing files to another folder in Linux or another Unix-based operating system using the command line?
The Solution
The cp command takes a source followed by a destination argument. To copy a folder with its contents, we must perform a recursive copy. We can do the following:
cp -a source/. destination/
The -a flag is equivalent to -dr --preserve=all. This does the following:
-rwill copy all folder contents recursively.-dwill preserve symlinks.--preserve=allwill preserve all file attributes, such as ownership, permissions, and timestamps.
In the command, we use source/. instead of source to take advantage of Bash globbing and ensure we copy any hidden files or folders, which would be missed if we just used source.
To read more about cp, type man cp into your terminal.
Loved by over 4 million developers and more than 90,000 organizations worldwide, Sentry provides code-level observability to many of the world’s best-known companies like Disney, Peloton, Cloudflare, Eventbrite, Slack, Supercell, and Rockstar Games. Each month we process billions of exceptions from the most popular products on the internet.
Related Answers
- Apply permissions to a directory and its contents in Linux
- Change permissions for a folder and subfolders in Linux
- Create a file from terminal in Linux
- Find all files containing a specific string
- How can I symlink a file in Linux?
- How to Exit Vim
- Replace newlines with spaces using `sed`
- Resolve SSH permissions too open error
- SCP remote to local
- Write a regular expression to match lines not containing a word
A better experience for your users. An easier life for your developers.
A peek at your privacy
Here’s a quick look at how Sentry handles your personal information (PII).
×Who we collect PII from
We collect PII about people browsing our website, users of the Sentry service, prospective customers, and people who otherwise interact with us.
What if my PII is included in data sent to Sentry by a Sentry customer (e.g., someone using Sentry to monitor their app)? In this case you have to contact the Sentry customer (e.g., the maker of the app). We do not control the data that is sent to us through the Sentry service for the purposes of application monitoring.
Am I included?PII we may collect about you
- PII provided by you and related to your
- Account, profile, and login
- Requests and inquiries
- Purchases
- PII collected from your device and usage
- PII collected from third parties (e.g., social media)
How we use your PII
- To operate our site and service
- To protect and improve our site and service
- To provide customer care and support
- To communicate with you
- For other purposes (that we inform you of at collection)
Third parties who receive your PII
We may disclose your PII to the following type of recipients:
- Subsidiaries and other affiliates
- Service providers
- Partners (go-to-market, analytics)
- Third-party platforms (when you connect them to our service)
- Governmental authorities (where necessary)
- An actual or potential buyer
We use cookies (but not for advertising)
- We do not use advertising or targeting cookies
- We use necessary cookies to run and improve our site and service
- You can disable cookies but this can impact your use or access to certain parts of our site and service
Know your rights
You may have the following rights related to your PII:
- Access, correct, and update
- Object to or restrict processing
- Port over
- Opt-out of marketing
- Be forgotten by Sentry
- Withdraw your consent
- Complain about us
If you have any questions or concerns about your privacy at Sentry, please email us at compliance@sentry.io.
If you are a California resident, see our Supplemental notice.