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Docker cp Tutorial: Copy Files Between a Host and Container

Q: Can I use docker cp with a stopped container?

Yes. docker cp reads and writes directly to the container's filesystem, so you can copy files even when the container is stopped. This is useful when a container fails to start and you need to retrieve a configuration file or log for inspection.

Q: Will a configuration file I change with docker cp persist after I recreate the container?

No. Files copied into the container live in its writable layer and disappear when you remove the container. For files you need to keep, use a Bind mount or add them to the image.

Q: Is there an equivalent command in docker compose?

Yes: docker compose cp service-name:path destination. The syntax is the same, but use the service name instead of the container name.

docker cp copies files between a host and a container. You can use it whether the container is running or stopped.

Syntax

docker cp [OPTIONS] CONTAINER:SOURCE-PATH HOST-DESTINATION     # container → host
docker cp [OPTIONS] HOST-SOURCE-PATH CONTAINER:DESTINATION-PATH   # host → container

Option	Description
`-a, --archive`	Preserve file ownership (uid/gid) information
`-L, --follow-link`	If the source is a symbolic link, copy the file it points to
`-q, --quiet`	Do not show copy progress

Set the source or destination to - to read from standard input or write to standard output in tar format.

Examples

Run these commands on an nginx container named web:

$ docker cp web:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf ./nginx.conf

$ head -n 3 nginx.conf

user  nginx;
worker_processes  auto;

$ echo "<h1>copied in</h1>" > page.html

$ docker cp page.html web:/usr/share/nginx/html/page.html

$ docker exec web cat /usr/share/nginx/html/page.html
<h1>copied in</h1>

$ docker cp web:/etc/nginx/conf.d ./confd

$ ls confd
default.conf

$ docker cp web:/no/such/file .
Error response from daemon: Could not find the file /no/such/file in container web

Command	Description
`docker cp web:/etc/nginx/nginx.conf ./nginx.conf`	Copy the container's configuration file to the host, often to get the default configuration before editing it
`docker cp page.html web:/usr/share/nginx/html/page.html`	Copy a file from the host into the container
`docker cp web:/etc/nginx/conf.d ./confd`	Copy an entire folder. If the destination `confd` does not exist, Docker creates it and puts the folder's contents inside
`docker cp web:/no/such/file .`	Error shown when the source does not exist

Folder copy rules:

Destination does not exist: Create the destination folder and copy the source folder's contents into it (as in the example above).
Destination already exists: Put the entire source folder inside the destination as destination/source-folder-name.
Source path ends with /. (for example, web:/etc/nginx/conf.d/.): Copy only the contents, not the folder itself.

When to use docker cp

Good fit:

Retrieve a container's default configuration files, logs, or generated files.
Temporarily copy a file into a container for testing.
Back up and restore a database in Windows PowerShell: first export it to a file inside the container, then use docker cp to copy it out. This avoids issues with PowerShell not supporting < and with encoding (see Common error messages).

Not a good fit:

Sync code during development: use a Bind mount or docker compose watch (see Node.js app).
Data you need to keep: use a Volume.

Exercises

Exercise: Copy the nginx welcome page /usr/share/nginx/html/index.html from the web container to the host, change the title, and copy it back. Check the result in a browser (start the container with -p 8080:80).

Answer

docker cp web:/usr/share/nginx/html/index.html ./index.html
# Edit index.html with an editor
docker cp ./index.html web:/usr/share/nginx/html/index.html

Refresh http://localhost:8080 to see the change. The change disappears when you remove the container.

FAQ

Can I use docker cp with a stopped container?

Yes. docker cp reads and writes directly to the container's filesystem, so you can copy files even when the container is stopped. This is useful when a container fails to start and you need to retrieve a configuration file or log for inspection.

Will a configuration file I change with docker cp persist after I recreate the container?