COPY: Copies one or more files to another location.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.3693]
(c) Copyright 1985-2023 Microsoft Corp.

C:\\WINDOWS>

Copies one or more files to another location.

COPY [/D] [/V] [/N] [/Y | /-Y] [/Z] [/A | /B ] source [/A | /B]
     [+ source [/A | /B] [+ ...]] [destination [/A | /B]]

  source       Specifies the file or files to be copied.
  /A           Indicates an ASCII text file.
  /B           Indicates a binary file.
  /D           Allow the destination file to be created decrypted
  destination  Specifies the directory and/or filename for the new file(s).
  /V           Verifies that new files are written correctly.
  /N           Uses short filename, if available, when copying a file with a
               non-8dot3 name.
  /Y           Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
               existing destination file.
  /-Y          Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an
               existing destination file.
  /Z           Copies networked files in restartable mode.

The switch /Y may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable.
This may be overridden with /-Y on the command line.  Default is
to prompt on overwrites unless COPY command is being executed from
within a batch script.

To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files
for source (using wildcards or file1+file2+file3 format).

The `COPY` command in Windows Command Prompt is used to copy files and directories. Here are some examples with comments: Example 1: Copy a file:

COPY file.txt target directory\

Description: This command copies the file "file.txt" to the specified destination directory. Example 2: Copy all TXT files to a target directory:

COPY *.txt target directory\

Description: Here all TXT files in the current directory are copied to the specified target directory. Example 3: Copy all files and subdirectories (recursively):

COPY Source directory\* Destination directory\ /E

Description: This command copies all files and subdirectories of the source directory to the target directory. The `/E` option stands for “recursive” and ensures that subdirectories are also copied. Example 4: Copy multiple files to a destination directory:

COPY file1.txt file2.txt target directory\

Description: Here the files “File1.txt” and “File2.txt” are copied to the specified target directory. Example 5: Copy all files of a specific extension to a target directory:

COPY source directory\*.png target directory\

Description: This command copies all PNG files from the source directory to the destination directory. Example 6: Overwriting files without asking:

COPY /Y file.txt target directory\

Description: `/Y` disables the confirmation prompt when overwriting files. Example 7: Maintain directory structure:

COPY Source directory\*.* Destination directory\ /S

Description: Here the directory structure of the source directory including files is copied to the target directory. `/S` stands for “including subdirectories”. Example 8: Copy files of specific size:

COPY *.txt target directory\ /ASH /MIN:1024 /MAX:2048

Description: In this example, all TXT files between 1KB and 2KB in size are copied to the target directory. `/ASH` excludes system files and hidden files. Example 9: Show help:

COPY /?

Description: This command displays help and information about the available options for the `COPY` command. It is important to understand the syntax and options of the `COPY` command to copy files and directories correctly. Also note that the `COPY` command in Command Prompt cannot recursively copy subdirectories. For recursive copy operations, using `XCOPY` or `ROBOCOPY` may make more sense.

There are a few important points to note when using the `COPY` command in the Windows Command Prompt: 1. Syntax and Parameters: Make sure to use the correct syntax and required parameters for the `COPY` command. The general syntax is: `COPY source targets`. 2. Path Specifications: Use full path specifications for the source and destination directories to ensure that the command finds and copies the correct files. 3. Spaces in filenames: If filenames contain spaces, use quotation marks to ensure that the input is interpreted correctly. Example: `COPY "File with spaces.txt" target directory\`. 4. Overwriting files: Note that by default the `COPY` command asks if a file already exists in the destination directory. You can disable this with the `/Y` option, but be careful to avoid accidental overwriting.

   COPY /Y Source Target
   

5. Recursive copy: The `COPY` command itself cannot recursively copy subdirectories. If you need a recursive copy, you might consider tools like `XCOPY` or `ROBOCOPY`. 6. Error Handling: The `COPY` command usually prints a message when an error occurs. Check the messages carefully to ensure that all files were copied successfully. 7. Attribute Filter: You can filter attributes to exclude or include certain types of files. For example, `/A` for all files, `/AS` for all but system files, and `/AH` for all but hidden files. 8. Batch scripts: If you use `COPY` in a batch script, note that you can use the `%ERRORLEVEL%` variable to check the return value to see if the copy operation was successful.

   IF %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
       ECHO Copy process successful.
   ) ELSE (
       ECHO Error during copying process.
   )
   

9. File Size and Type: If you want to copy specific files based on their size or type, you can use the `/MIN` and `/MAX` options.

   COPY *.txt target directory\ /MIN:1024 /MAX:2048
   

10. Data Backup: It is always advisable to back up important data before copy operations, especially if overwrites or major file manipulations are planned. Keep these points in mind to use the `COPY` command effectively and safely. If you need more advanced features, you could also consider tools like `XCOPY` or `ROBOCOPY`, which offer more extensive copying and synchronization functions.