How to Copy Files in Command Prompt (with Pictures) - wikiHow (2024)

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Written byJack Lloyd

Last Updated: August 8, 2023Fact Checked

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1. 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.
   • Most files will be somewhere in the following directory: [drive letter]:\Users\[username] (for example, "C:\Users\Kyle"). This is the directory in which almost every user-created file on your computer is located.
   • A file on your desktop for the above example would be in the "C:\Users\Kyle\Desktop" directory, while a file in the Documents folder would be in the "C:\Users\Kyle\Documents" directory.
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   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.

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   Open Start

   . Click the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen.^[1]

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   Type in command prompt. Doing so will search your computer for the Command Prompt program.^[2]

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   Click

   Command Prompt. It's at the top of the Start window. Doing so will open the Command Prompt program.^[3]

   • Keep in mind that if you're on a shared computer (e.g., a school or public PC), you may not be able to access the Command Prompt.

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1. 1

   Enter the "change directory" command. Type in cd followed by a space, but don't press ↵ Enter.^[4]

2. 2

   Type in your file's directory. Enter the directory in which the file that you want to copy is located.

   See Also

   How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows: Cut, Copy, and Paste | Digital TrendsUse copy and paste in Command Prompt - Windows Video Tutorial | LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.comHow to Copy and Paste on a Computer [Windows PC Keyboard Shortcut Guide]When can the Windows command line tool directly copy/paste using Command/Ctrl + C/V? - Microsoft Q&A

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   Press ↵ Enter. Doing so will reset Command Prompt to look in the entered directory.

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   Enter the "copy" command. Type in copy followed by a space, but don't press ↵ Enter yet.^[5]

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   Enter your file's name. Type in your file's name followed by a space, making sure to include the file's extension (e.g., .txt) for a text file. Don't press ↵ Enter after doing so.^[6]

   • 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.txt" would be Pickles" "are" "Good.txt in Command Prompt.
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   Enter a destination directory. Type in another directory (e.g., C:\Users\[you]\Desktop into which you want to copy the file.

   • If you don't do this, the file will be copied to your user directory (e.g., "C:\Users\[you]") by default.
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   Press ↵ Enter. 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.

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1. 1

   Go to the folder's directory. Type in cd followed by a space, then type in the folder's directory and press ↵ Enter.^[7]

   • For example, if you want to copy all of the files inside of a folder called "Example" that's on your desktop, you'd go to C:\Users\humpb\Desktop here.
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   Enter the robocopy command. Type in robocopy and then a space, but don't press ↵ Enter yet.^[8]

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   Enter a folder's name. Type in the name of the folder that you want to copy, then add a space. Again, don't press the ↵ Enter key just yet.

   • As with file names, you'll need to use quotes around any spaces in the folder name.
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   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.
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   Press ↵ Enter. Doing so will copy the contents of the folder into your destination folder.

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