FileSystemEntry: copyTo() method

Deprecated: This feature is no longer recommended. Though some browsers might still support it, it may have already been removed from the relevant web standards, may be in the process of being dropped, or may only be kept for compatibility purposes. Avoid using it, and update existing code if possible; see the compatibility table at the bottom of this page to guide your decision. Be aware that this feature may cease to work at any time.

Non-standard: This feature is not standardized. We do not recommend using non-standard features in production, as they have limited browser support, and may change or be removed. However, they can be a suitable alternative in specific cases where no standard option exists.

The FileSystemEntry interface's method copyTo() copies the file specified by the entry to a new location on the file system.

There are some typical restrictions on what you can do:

A directory can't be copied into itself.
An entry can't be copied into its parent directory unless you specify a new name.
When copying a directory, the copy is always recursive; you can't leave out subfolders.

Syntax

copyTo(newParent)
copyTo(newParent, newName)
copyTo(newParent, newName, successCallback)
copyTo(newParent, newName, successCallback, errorCallback)

Parameters

newParent: A FileSystemDirectoryEntry object specifying the destination directory for the copy operation.
newName Optional: If this parameter is provided, the copy is given this string as its new file or directory name.
successCallback Optional: A function which is called when the copy operation is successfully completed. Receives a single input parameter: a FileSystemEntry based object providing the copied item's new details.
errorCallback Optional: An optional callback which is executed if an error occurs while copying the items. There's a single parameter: a DOMException describing what went wrong.

Return value

None (undefined).

Exceptions

DOMException.INVALID_MODIFICATION_ERR: The requested operation involves an impossible change, such as moving a directory inside itself or one of its own child directories, or copying an item within the same directory without renaming it.
DOMException.QUOTA_EXCEEDED_ERR: The operation exceeded the user's storage quota, or there isn't enough storage space left to complete the operation.

Examples

This example shows how a temporary log file might be moved into a more permanent "log" directory.

workingDirectory.getFile(
  "tmp/log.txt",
  {},
  (fileEntry) => {
    workingDirectory.getDirectory(
      "log",
      {},
      (dirEntry) => {
        fileEntry.copyTo(dirEntry);
      },
      handleError,
    );
  },
  handleError,
);

Browser compatibility

	desktop					mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Opera	Safari	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet	WebView Android	WebView on iOS
`copyTo` Deprecated Non-standard	Chrome – Full support Chrome 8 (Release date: 2010-12-02) footnote Full support	Edge – Full support Edge 79 (Release date: 2020-01-15) footnote Full support	Firefox – No support Firefox footnote No support	Opera – Full support Opera 15 (Release date: 2013-07-02) footnote Full support	Safari – No support Safari footnote No support	Chrome Android – Full support Chrome Android 18 (Release date: 2012-06-27) footnote Full support	Firefox for Android – No support Firefox for Android footnote No support	Opera Android – Full support Opera Android 14 (Release date: 2013-05-21) footnote Full support	Safari on iOS – No support Safari on iOS footnote No support	Samsung Internet – Full support Samsung Internet 1 (Release date: 2013-04-27) footnote Full support	WebView Android – Full support WebView Android 4.4 (Release date: 2013-12-09) footnote Full support	WebView on iOS – No support WebView on iOS footnote No support

Tip: you can click/tap on a cell for more information.

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
: Non-standard. Check cross-browser support before using.
: Deprecated. Not for use in new websites.