When you try to copy files or folders in Linux using the “cp” command, and the location already contains a file with the same filename, it can ask you whether you want to overwrite the old file:
[root@webserver]# cp -r /aaa/aaa.txt /bbb/bbb.txt cp: overwrite '/aaa/aaa.txt'?
Normally you enter “y” or “n” here, but this message will pop up for every file you are trying to copy. So if you are trying to copy a folder with thousands of files you will get this question thousands of times. Lets try to speed this up!
1. Try the -rf option
The first thing you should try is use the “cp” function with the “-rf” flag set.
[root@webserver]# cp -rf /aaa/aaa.txt /bbb/bbb.txt
However, if it still asks you if you want to overwrite the target file, there is a big chance the cp function is aliased in your .bashrc or .profile. In this case, read on.
2. Call cp with an absolute location
Instead of using the “cp” alias, try calling “cp” directly. On CentOS 8.x cp is found in “/bin”. Try the following:
[root@webserver]# /bin/cp -rf /aaa/aaa.txt /bbb/bbb.txt
