Copying and Moving with cp and mv

cp and mv both work with a source and destination. Understanding whether the last argument is a new name or an existing directory matters more than memorizing isolated forms.

cp: keep the original

cp notes.txt notes-backup.txt creates an independent copy. If the destination is an existing directory, cp notes.txt backup/ keeps the filename and places a copy there. Multiple sources can be written as cp notes.txt todo.txt backup/; the last argument must then be a directory.

cp source destination The source remains and the destination gets a copy.

mv source destination The source leaves its old location; the destination may be a directory or a new name.

cp -r project project-backup Recursively copy a directory and everything inside it.

cp -i source destination Ask before overwriting an existing destination.

Directory copies and overwrite risk

Ordinary cp generally refuses to copy a directory. Use cp -r project project-backup to copy the entire tree. Copying to an existing filename normally overwrites it; cp -i can prompt first.

mv: moving is also renaming

mv notes.txt archive/ places the file in an existing directory and removes it from the old location. mv draft.txt report.txt moves it to a new name in the same directory—in other words, it renames it. Directories work the same way.

Decision rule: an existing destination directory receives the item; a new destination name usually means copy-and-rename or a direct rename.

Simulated terminal ready. Run commands and watch the filesystem on the right.