rclone Copy

rclone copy transfers files from source to destination, skipping files that already exist with the same size and modification time. It never deletes files at the destination — making it the safest transfer command for everyday use.

Quick Summary

copy is rclone's default, non-destructive transfer. It adds new files and updates changed files at the destination but leaves everything else untouched. If you're unsure whether to use copy or sync, start with copy.

Basic Syntax

rclone copy SOURCE DESTINATION [flags]

Part	Description
SOURCE	Local path or remote:path to copy from
DESTINATION	Local path or remote:path to copy to

Transfer Directions

# Local → Remote (upload)
rclone copy /local/path remote:bucket/path

# Remote → Local (download)
rclone copy remote:bucket/path /local/path

# Remote → Remote (server-side copy if supported)
rclone copy remoteA:path remoteB:path

# Local → Local
rclone copy /source/path /dest/path

Key Flags

Flag	Description
--dry-run / -n	Preview what would be copied without transferring
--progress / -P	Show real-time transfer progress
--verbose / -v	Show files being transferred
--transfers N	Number of parallel file transfers (default 4)
--checkers N	Number of parallel hash checkers (default 8)
--bwlimit RATE	Limit bandwidth (e.g., 10M for 10 MB/s)
--max-age DURATION	Only copy files newer than this (e.g., 24h, 7d)
--min-size SIZE	Skip files smaller than SIZE
--max-size SIZE	Skip files larger than SIZE
--include PATTERN	Only copy files matching pattern
--exclude PATTERN	Skip files matching pattern
--log-file PATH	Write logs to a file
--log-level LEVEL	Set log level: DEBUG, INFO, NOTICE, ERROR

Practical Examples

Upload a Website Backup to S3

rclone copy /var/www/html backup-s3:my-bucket/www-backup/ --progress

Download Remote Files to Local Server

rclone copy gdrive:projects/2024 /home/user/projects/2024 --progress

Copy Only Recent Files

# Copy files modified in the last 24 hours
rclone copy /var/log/nginx remote:backups/logs --max-age 24h --progress

# Copy files modified in the last 7 days
rclone copy /var/www/uploads remote:backups/uploads --max-age 7d

Bandwidth-Limited Transfer

# Limit upload to 5 MB/s to avoid saturating the connection
rclone copy /backup/db remote:offsite/db --bwlimit 5M --progress

Copy with Filters

# Only copy images
rclone copy /var/www/uploads remote:media/ \
  --include "*.{jpg,jpeg,png,gif,webp}" --progress

# Exclude cache and temp files
rclone copy /var/www/app remote:backups/app/ \
  --exclude "cache/**" \
  --exclude "*.tmp" \
  --exclude "node_modules/**" \
  --progress

Production Backup Script

backup.sh

#!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y-%m-%d)
LOG="/var/log/rclone/backup-${DATE}.log"

# Preflight check
rclone lsd backup-s3:my-bucket > /dev/null 2>&1 || {
  echo "Remote unreachable" | tee -a "$LOG"
  exit 1
}

# Dry run first
rclone copy /var/www/html backup-s3:my-bucket/www/${DATE}/ \
  --dry-run --log-file "$LOG" --log-level INFO

# Execute
rclone copy /var/www/html backup-s3:my-bucket/www/${DATE}/ \
  --progress --log-file "$LOG" --log-level INFO \
  --transfers 8

echo "Backup completed: $(date)" >> "$LOG"

copy vs sync vs move

Behavior	copy	sync	move
Adds new files	✅	✅	✅
Updates changed files	✅	✅	✅
Deletes destination extras	❌	✅	❌
Removes source files	❌	❌	✅
Safe for append-only archives	✅	❌	❌

When to Use copy

Use copy for backups, uploads, and any scenario where you want to add data without risking deletion. Only reach for sync when you specifically need the destination to mirror the source exactly.

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Consequence	Prevention
Using copy when you need mirror	Stale files accumulate at destination	Use sync for exact mirrors
No --log-file in cron jobs	Silent failures go unnoticed	Always log automated copies
Forgetting --progress on large transfers	No visibility into transfer status	Add -P for interactive sessions
Source path typo	Copies wrong directory or creates empty destination	Verify paths with rclone ls first
Default 4 transfers too slow	Under-utilizes fast connections	Increase --transfers 8 or 16 for fast links

What's Next

Examples with Output

1. Copy a Local Directory to a Remote

Upload your project files to cloud storage. Command:

rclone copy ./my-project gdrive:backups/my-project --progress

Output:

Transferred:   10.5 MiB / 10.5 MiB, 100%, 2.1 MiB/s, ETA 0s
Transferred:   150 / 150, 100%
Elapsed time:  5.2s

2. Copy a Single File and Rename It

Using copyto behavior within copy by specifying the filename. Command:

rclone copy /tmp/report.pdf remote:archives/2023-report.pdf

Output:

(No output on success unless -v is used)

3. Parallel Transfer Enhancement

Speed up the transfer of many small files by increasing parallel workers. Command:

rclone copy ./assets remote:bucket/assets --transfers 16 --checkers 32

Output:

2024/01/15 12:00:00 INFO  : 
Transferred:   1.2 GiB / 1.2 GiB, 100%, 45 MiB/s, ETA 0s
Transferred:   2500 / 2500, 100%

4. Copy Only New Files

Use a dry-run to see which files would be added to the destination. Command:

rclone copy /src /dest --dry-run -v

Output:

2024/01/15 12:00:00 NOTICE: newfile.txt: Not copied (dry run)
2024/01/15 12:00:00 NOTICE: 
Transferred:   1 / 1, 100%

5. Limit Bandwidth to Save Network Resources

Restrict the upload speed to not interfere with other activities. Command:

rclone copy /large-video gdrive:videos --bwlimit 2M --progress

Output:

Transferred:   50.2 MiB / 500 MiB, 10%, 2 MiB/s, ETA 3m45s