PowerShell Copy-Item
last modified February 15, 2025
In this article, we will cover the Copy-Item cmdlet in
PowerShell. This cmdlet copies files and directories from one location
to another.
Copy-Item basics
The Copy-Item cmdlet copies an item from one location to another.
It can copy files, directories, and registry keys. The cmdlet preserves the
original item and creates a copy at the destination. Wildcards are supported
for copying multiple items.
Basic file copy
The simplest way to use Copy-Item is to specify source and
destination paths. This copies a single file to the target location. The
destination can be a file name or directory. If the destination is a
directory, the file keeps its original name.
Copy-Item -Path "C:\data\report.txt" -Destination "C:\backup\"
This command copies report.txt from C:\data to C:\backup. If backup directory doesn't exist, an error occurs. The file keeps its original name.
Copy with new name
You can rename a file while copying by specifying a new name in the destination path. This creates a copy with a different name in the same or different directory. The original file remains unchanged.
Copy-Item -Path "C:\data\report.txt" -Destination "C:\backup\report_backup.txt"
This copies report.txt to report_backup.txt in the backup directory. Both files exist after the operation. The destination directory must exist.
Copy multiple files
Wildcards can be used to copy multiple files matching a pattern. The asterisk (*) matches any sequence of characters. This is useful for copying groups of files with similar names or extensions.
Copy-Item -Path "C:\data\*.log" -Destination "C:\backup\"
This copies all .log files from C:\data to C:\backup. Each file keeps its original name. Only files matching the pattern are copied.
Recursive directory copy
To copy a directory and its contents, use the -Recurse parameter. This copies all files and subdirectories. Without this parameter, only the empty directory is copied. The destination directory is created if it doesn't exist.
Copy-Item -Path "C:\projects\" -Destination "C:\backup\projects\" -Recurse
This copies the entire projects directory to the backup location. All files and subdirectories are included. The operation may take time for large directories.
Force overwrite
By default, Copy-Item won't overwrite existing files. Use the
-Force parameter to overwrite existing items. This is useful when you need
to ensure the destination matches the source. Be cautious as data loss may occur.
Copy-Item -Path "C:\data\report.txt" -Destination "C:\backup\" -Force
This command overwrites report.txt in the backup directory if it exists. Without -Force, the copy would fail if the file exists. The original is unchanged.
Filtered copy
You can combine Copy-Item with other cmdlets for advanced copying.
This example copies only files modified in the last 7 days. Get-ChildItem
filters the files before copying. The pipeline passes the filtered results.
Get-ChildItem -Path "C:\data\" -File |
Where-Object { $_.LastWriteTime -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-7) } |
Copy-Item -Destination "C:\backup\"
This copies only files modified in the last week. The pipeline filters first, then copies. This approach is efficient for large directories.
Copy to remote computer
Copy-Item can copy files to remote computers using PowerShell
remoting. The -ToSession parameter specifies the remote session. This requires
established PSSession with the remote computer.
$session = New-PSSession -ComputerName "Server01" Copy-Item -Path "C:\data\report.txt" -Destination "C:\backup\" -ToSession $session Remove-PSSession $session
This copies report.txt to Server01's backup directory. The session must be established first. Always clean up sessions when done.
Source
In this article, we have covered the Copy-Item cmdlet in PowerShell.
Author
List all PowerShell tutorials.