File Copy in Python

Copy the contents of one file to another.

BeginnerFile Handling ProgramsExample 8 of 20
file-copy.py
1# Program to copy a text file
2
3src = input("Enter source filename: ")
4dst = input("Enter destination filename: ")
5
6try:
7 with open(src, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f_src, open(dst, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f_dst:
8 for line in f_src:
9 f_dst.write(line)
10 print("File copied from", src, "to", dst)
11except FileNotFoundError:
12 print("Source file not found.")

Output

Enter source filename: input.txt
Enter destination filename: backup.txt
File copied from input.txt to backup.txt

What's going on

Opens source and destination files simultaneously and streams line by line.

After this program

If the idea is still fuzzy, read Day 14: File Handling in the Python course. For a short check, try the Python quiz (300 questions). Stay with all 20 file handling programs, or see every topic on Python exercises.