Copy-Item

 

Additional Resources for Copy-Item

Copying Files or Folders http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/topics/msh/cmdlets/copy-item.mspx

 

SYNOPSIS

Copies an item from one location to another within a namespace.

 

SYNTAX

Copy-Item [-path] <string[]> [[-destination] <string>] [-container] [-recurse] [-force] [-include <string[]>] [-exclude <string[]>] [-filter <string>] [-passThru] [-credential <PSCredential>] [-whatIf] [-confirm] [<CommonParameter

s>]

 

Copy-Item [-literalPath] <string[]> [[-destination] <string>] [-container] [-recurse] [-force] [-include <string[]>] [-exclude <string[]>] [-filter <string>] [-passThru] [-credential <PSCredential>] [-whatIf] [-confirm] [<CommonParameters>]

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Copies an item from one location to another in a namespace. Copy-Item does not delete the items being copied. The particular items that the cmdlet can copy depend on the Windows PowerShell providers available. For example, when used with the FileSystem provider, it can copy files and directories and when used with the Registry provider, it can copy registry keys and entries.

 

PARAMETERS

 

-path <string[]>

Specifies the path to the items to copy.

 

Required?	true
Position?	1
Default value	N/A - The path must be specified.
Accept pipeline input?	true (ByValue, ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters?	true

 

-destination <string>

Specifies the path to where the items are to be copied.

 

Required?	false
Position?	2
Default value	<Current location>
Accept pipeline input?	true (ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-container <SwitchParameter>

Preserves container objects during the copy operation.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value	True
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-recurse <SwitchParameter>

Specifies a recursive copy.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value	False
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-force <SwitchParameter>

Allows cmdlet to override restrictions such as renaming existing files as long as security is not compromised.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value	False
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-include <string[]>

Specifies only those items upon which the cmdlet will act, excluding all others.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-exclude <string[]>

Omits the specified items. Wildcards are permitted.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-filter <string>

Specifies filter elements as required and supported by providers.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-passThru <SwitchParameter>

Passes the object created by this cmdlet through the pipeline. By default, this cmdlet does not pass any objects through the pipeline.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value	False
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-credential <PSCredential>

The credential is used to validate access. If a PSCredential object obtained earlier using get-credential is supplied, it will be used as is. If a user name is supplied,  there will be a prompt for a password.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	true (ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-literalPath <string[]>

Specifies a path to the item. The value of -LiteralPath is used exactly as it is typed. No characters are interpreted as wildcards. If the path includes escape characters, enclose it in single quotation marks. Single quotation marks tell Windows PowerShell not to interpret any characters as escape sequences.

 

Required?	true
Position?	1
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	true (ByPropertyName)
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-whatIf

Describes what would happen if you executed the command without actually executing the command.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

-confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before executing the command.

 

Required?	false
Position?	named
Default value
Accept pipeline input?	false
Accept wildcard characters?	false

 

<CommonParameters>

This cmdlet supports the common parameters: -Verbose, -Debug, -ErrorAction, -ErrorVariable, and -OutVariable. For more information, type, "get-help about_commonparameters".

 

INPUT TYPE

String

 

NOTES

 

Copy-Item  is like the 'cp' or 'copy' commands in other shells.

 

For more information, type "Get-Help Copy-Item -detailed". For technical information, type "Get-Help Copy-Item -full".

 

When specifying multiple values for a parameter, use commas to separate the values. For example, "<parameter-name> <value1>, <value2>".

 

EXAMPLE 1

 

 

This command will copy the file mar1604.log.txt to the C:\Presentation directory. The command does not delete the original file.

 

EXAMPLE 2

 

 

This command copies the entire contents of the Logfiles directory into the Drawings directory. If the source directory contains files in subdirectories, those subdirectories will be copied with their file trees intact. The -container parameter is set to true by default. This preserves the directory structure.

 

EXAMPLE 3

 

 

This command copies the contents of the C:\Logfiles directory to the C:\Drawings\Logs directory. It will create the subdirectory \Logs if it does not already exist.

 

RELATED LINKS

Clear-Item

Get-Item

Invoke-Item

Move-Item

Set-Item

New-Item

Remove-Item

Rename-Item

about_namespace