How to Copy a File in Windows

There are many, many reasons why you might want to copy files in Windows, especially if you're trying to fix a problem.

A file copy might be necessary during a troubleshooting process if, for example, you suspect a corrupt or missing system file. On the other hand, sometimes you'll copy a file to provide a backup while you make changes to an important file that might have a negative impact on your system.

No matter the reason, the file copy process is a standard function of any operating system, including all versions of Windows.

What Does It Mean to Copy a File?

A file copy is just that—an exact copy, or a duplicate. The original file isn't removed or altered in any way. Copying a file is simply putting the exact same file in some other location, again, without making any changes to the original.

It can be easy to confuse a file copy with a file cut, which is copying the original just like a regular copy, but then deleting the original once the copy has been made. Cutting a file is different because it actually moves the file from one location to another.

How to Copy a File in Windows

A file copy is most easily accomplished from within File Explorer, but there are some other ways you can make file copies (see the section at the very bottom of this page).

It's really, really easy to copy files from within File Explorer, no matter which Windows operating system you're using. You might know File Explorer as My PC, Computer, Windows Explorer, or My Computer, but it's all the same file management interface.

Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP all have slightly different processes for copying files:

Windows 11

1. Open File Explorer by selecting the Start button, and then searching for and selecting File Explorer.
   

   

2. Use the navigation bar at the top, or the folders on the left, to find the folder where the file you want to copy is stored. Double-clicking a folder or subfolder moves you through the file system.
   

   Use This PC from the left pane to access a disc, external hard drive, or another hard drive.

3. Select the file (don't double-click it).
   

4. Choose the copy button from the top of the window. It looks like two pieces of paper on top of each other.
   

   

   The same copy button is accessible in the context menu if you right-click the file you want to copy.

5. Using the same method described earlier to find the file, now locate the folder where you want this file to be copied.
   

6. Once you're inside the destination folder, use the paste button at the top of the window. This is the one to the right of the copy button.

   

   You can repeat this step as many times as you want, in other folders, to copy the same file to other destinations.
   

Windows 10 & Windows 8

1. If you're using Windows 10, select the Start button and then choose Documents from the left-hand side. It's the one that looks like a file.

   Windows 8 users can search for This PC from the Start screen.

   Both versions of Windows also support opening File Explorer or This PC with the WIN+E keyboard shortcut.

2. Find the folder where that the file is located by double-clicking any folders or subfolders necessary until you reach the file.

   If your file is located on a different hard drive than your primary one, choose This PC from the left-hand side of the open window and then select the correct hard drive. If you don't see that option, open the View menu at the top of the window, and then go to Navigation pane > Navigation pane.

   If you're given a permissions prompt that says you need to confirm access to the folder, just continue through.

   It's likely that your file is located deep inside several folders. For example, you might have to first open an external hard drive or disc, and then two or more subfolders before you reach the file that you want to copy.

3. Select the file by clicking or tapping it once. This will highlight it.

   To copy more than one file at once from that folder, hold down the Ctrl key and select each additional file that should be copied. The exact same process works for copying folders, too.

4. With the file(s) still highlighted, access the Home menu at the top of the window and select the Copy option.

   

   Anything you just copied is now stored in the clipboard, ready to be duplicated elsewhere.

5. Navigate to the folder where the file should be copied to. Once there, open the folder so that you can see any files or folders that already exist inside (it might even be empty).

   The destination folder can be anywhere; on a different internal or external hard drive, DVD, in your Pictures folder or on your Desktop, etc. You can even close out of the window where you copied the file, and the file will remain in your clipboard until you copy something else.

6. From the Home menu at the top of the destination folder, choose Paste.

   If you chose the same folder that has the original file, Windows will either automatically make a copy but will append the word "copy" to the end of the file name (just before the file extension) or ask you to either replace/overwrite the files or skip copying them.

   If you're asked to confirm the paste because the folder requires administrator permissions to paste files, go ahead and provide that. This just means the folder is considered important by Windows, and that you should be careful when adding files there.

The file selected from Step 3 is now copied to the location you chose in Step 5. Remember that the original file is still located where it was when you copied it; saving a new duplicate didn't affect the original in any way.

Windows 7 & Windows Vista

1. Select the Start button and then Computer.

2. Locate the hard drive, network location, or storage device that the original file you want to copy is located on, and double-click to open the contents of the drive.

   If you're planning on copying files from a recent download from the internet, check your Downloads folder, Documents library, and Desktop folders for the downloaded file. Those can be found in the Users folder.

   Many downloaded files come in a compressed format like ZIP, so you may need to uncompress the file to locate the individual file or files you're after.

3. Continue to navigate down through whatever drives and folders are necessary until you find the file you want to copy.

   If you're prompted with a message that says "You don't currently have permission to access this folder", select Continue to continue to the folder.

4. Highlight the file you want to copy by selecting it once. Do not open the file.

   Want to copy more than one file (or folder)? Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and select any files and folders you want to copy. Release the key when you've highlighted all the files and folders you want to copy. All of those highlighted files and folders will be copied.

5. Choose Organize and then Copy from the menu at the top of the folder's window.

   

6. Navigate to the location where you want to copy the file to. Once you've found the folder, click on it once to highlight it.

   Just to reiterate, you're selecting the destination folder that you want the copied file to be contained in. You shouldn't click any files. The file you're copying is already in your PC's clipboard.

7. Choose Organize and then Paste from the folder window's menu.

   If you paste the file in the exact same folder where the original exists, Windows will rename the duplicate to have the word "copy" at the end of the file name. This is because no two files can exist in the same folder with the exact same name.

   If you're prompted to provide administrator permissions to copy to the folder, choose Continue. This means that the folder you're copying to is considered a system or other important folder by Windows 7.

The file you selected in Step 4 will now be copied to the folder that you chose in Step 6. The original file will be left unchanged and an exact copy will be created in the location you specified.

Windows XP

1. Select Start and then My Computer.

2. Locate the hard drive, network drive, or another storage device that the original file you want to copy is located on, and double-click to open the contents of the drive.

   If you're planning on copying files from a recent download from the internet, check your My Documents and Desktop folders for the downloaded file. These folders are stored within each user's folder inside the Documents and Settings directory.

   Many downloaded files come in a compressed format, so you may need to uncompress the file to locate the individual file or files you're after.

3. Continue to navigate down through whatever drives and folders are necessary until you find the file you want to copy.

   If you're prompted with a message that says "This folder contains files that keep your system working properly. You should not modify its contents.", choose Show the contents of this folder to continue.

4. Highlight the file you want to copy by selecting it once (don't double-click or it will open the file).

   Want to copy more than one file (or folder)? Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and select any files and folders you want to copy. Release the key when you're done. All highlighted files and folders will be copied.

5. Choose Edit and then Copy To Folder from the menu at the top of the folder's window.

   

6. In the Copy Items window, use the (+) icons to locate the folder you want to copy the file that you selected in Step 4 to.

   If the folder doesn't yet exist that you want to copy the file to, select Make New Folder.

7. Choose the folder you want to copy the file to, and then select ​ Copy.

   If you copy the file to the same folder that has the original, Windows will rename the duplicate file to have the words Copy of before the original file name.

The file you selected in Step 4 will be copied to the folder that you chose in Step 7. The original file will be left unchanged and an exact copy will be created in the location you specified.

Tips and Other Ways to Copy Files in Windows

One of the most well-known shortcuts for copying and pasting without a mouse is Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. It works with not only text, but also files and folders. Just highlight what needs to be copied, execute Ctrl+C to store it in the clipboard, and then use Ctrl+V to paste the contents somewhere else.

Ctrl+A can highlight everything in a folder, but if you don't want to copy everything you've highlighted, and instead want to exclude a few items, you can then use the Ctrl key to deselect any highlighted item. Whatever remains highlighted is what will be copied.

Files can also be copied from the Command Prompt in any version of Windows, with the copy or xcopy command.

You can also open File Explorer by right-clicking the Start button. The option is called File Explorer or Explore, depending on the version of Windows that you're using.

If you don't know where the file is located on your computer, or you'd rather not search through lots of folders to find it, you can do a quick system-wide file search with the free Everything tool. You can even copy files directly from that program and avoid using File Explorer. Other file search tools have similar features.