Main menu - File - Copy


Activating the menu item "File → Copy" or the shortcut "Shift+F5" copies all selected items without request (in contrast to the menu item "File → Copy with dialog" or the shortcut "F5").


In the menu item "Tools → Settings → File/folder operations" can be defined under "Copy" what program should run the copy process. One of the following options can be selected there:

  • Use Windows
    If the copying process should be handled by Windows, the Windows standard copy function is opened.
  • Use FreeCommander
    FreeCommander's copy function is described below.
  • Use external program
    If the copying process should be handled by an external program, dialog and proceeding depend on this program, defined under "Copy" in the menu item "Tools → Settings → File/folder operations".

Example for using two different copy programs

Like described above, "Use FreeCommander" can be started with "File → Copy" or the shortcut "Shift+F5".

To still allow to use the Windows copy function (this may be useful/necessary, if administrator rights are required for the target folder) the function "Win-Copy dialog" can be:

Further copying methods

  • Menu item "File → Copy with dialog", shortcut "F5"
    The menu item "File → Copy with dialog" and the shortcut "F5" offer another copying method: copying with many different settings in a dialog.
  • Drag&drop with the right mouse button
    If the option "Activate drag&drop in the file list" is checked in the tab "Drag&Drop" of the menu item "Tools → Settings → File/folder operations", copying with drag&drop with the right mouse button is enabled. After dragging the selected items with the right mouse button and dropping them, a pop up menu is shown. If the menu item "Copy" is selected, the selected items are copied to the target where the cursor is dropped.
    • Dropping onto a folder name
      The selected items are copied to this folder.
    • Dropping onto a file of the type "EXE"
      The selected items are not copied. A pop up menu is shown with the options "Open with" (open the selected file with this "EXE") and "Cancel" (the action).
    • Dropping onto an other area in the panel
      The selected items are copied to the active folder of the panel.

The drag&drop copy process is done with the Windows copy function.

  • Drag&Drop with the left mouse button
    If the following options are checked in the tab "Drag&Drop" of the menu item "Tools → Settings → File/folder operations",
    • "Activate drag&drop in the file list"
    • and "Show pop up menu for left button drop" (otherwise drag&drop allows only to move items)

drag&drop with the left mouse button allows to copy items (like described under "drag&drop with the right mouse button).

Copying using the FreeCommander copy function

If "Use FreeCommander" is selected (under the menu item "Tools → Settings → File/folder operations" in the section "Copy"), the FreeCommander copy process is started after the activation of the menu item "File → Copy" or the shortcut "Shift+F5".

Target folder

The target folder, where all selected items (files and folders) are copied to, is always the folder in the inactive panel. If another target folder is desired, the FreeCommander copy function "Copy with dialog" has to be chosen.

Copying options

This copying function does not offer settings.

However, if during a copy process with the FreeCommander function "File → Copy with dialog" under the tab "Settings" the button "Save - Dialog options for operations without dialog" was activated, all settings (active at that moment) for the function "Copy with dialog" are applied also to the copying processes activated with the menu item "File → Copy" or the shortcut "Shift+F5".

Copying process

Immediately after activating the menu item "File → Copy" or the shortcut "Shift+F5" the copying process for all items to be copied is started.

Exception:

If the overwrite decision "Overwrite all" is selected in the dialog "Copy" of the function "File → Copy with dialog" and the button "Save - Dialog options for operations without dialog" was activated, during the first copy with the function "File → Copy" the following message is shown:



If the warning is answered with "No", the dialog "Copy" of the menu item "File → Copy with dialog" is shown and options may be changed.

If it is answered with "Yes", the copying process is started.

As soon as the copying process is started the following window "Copying" is started. This window is only visible in the foreground, if several and/or big files are to be copied and the option "Auto minimize when starting the operation" is not checked.



Pause

Clicking this option checks it and suspends the copy process. Clicking it again unchecks the option and continues the copy process.

Cancel

After activating the button (during the copy process) the request "Do you really want to cancel the operation?" is shown. After confirming the request, the "Copy" dialog is closed (without further copy processes). Already completed copies remain.

Copying progress

The copying progress is visualized as follows:

  • The message "x% copied" is shown in the title bar.
  • A progress bar is shown below the item list.

Copy status of the items

In the item list each item is preceded by an icon that shows the copy status of the item:

  •                Item not yet copied
  •        Item copied successfully
  •        An error has occurred during the copy process of this item.
                   The item was not copied.
                   An error message is shown in the column "Error message" in the row of the item.
  •        The copying of this item was skipped.
                   The item was not copied.

The message bar shows the actually copied item.


The items are copied in the order in which they are listed in the tab "Files".

If the overwrite decision "Ask the user" is selected and a file with the same name (as the file to be copied) exists in the target folder, the dialog "Confirm overwrite" is shown, where the user may decide, how to handle the conflict.

Confirm overwrite

In the dialog "Confirm overwrite" the user may decide, if a file should be overwritten in case of conflict.

This dialog is shown only, if the overwrite decision "Overwrite all" is not selected.



Confirm overwrite

Under "Confirm overwrite" the file to be overwritten is shown struck through including its path, size and modification date.

If the modification row is bold, this file is newer than the other file.

  • Button or key F2
    Activating the button or the key F2 opens the following dialog:

    If the option "Use only one field" is checked, name and extension of the target file can be edited in the field "New name".
    If the option "Use only one field" is not checked, name and extension of the target file can be edited in two separate fields.
    Activating the button "OK" executes the copying process - the target file is renamed and the file to be copied is copied.
  • Button or the key F3
    Activating the button or the key F3 shows the file in the viewer.
  • Button or the shortcut Alt+Enter
    Activating the button or the shortcut Alt+Enter opens the properties window for the file.

With

Under "With" the file to be copied is shown including its path, size and modification date.

If the modification row is bold, this file is newer than the other file.

  • Button or key F2
    Activating the button or the key F2 opens the following dialog:

    If the option "Use only one field" is checked, name and extension of the target file can be edited in the field "New name".
    If the option "Use only one field" is not checked, name and extension of the target file can be edited in two separate fields.
    Activating the button "OK" executes the copying process - the target file is unchanged and the file to be copied is renamed and copied.
  • Button or the key F3
    Activating the button or the key F3 shows the file in the viewer.
  • Button or the shortcut Alt+Enter
    Activating the button or the shortcut Alt+Enter opens the properties window for the file.

Overwrite

Activating the button "Overwrite", overwrites the file shown under "Confirm overwrite" with the file shown under "With".

Overwrite all

Activating the button "Overwrite all", overwrites all target files (with the same name like a file to be copied) without further confirmation.

Overwrite all older

Activating the button "Overwrite all older", overwrites all target files (with the same name like a file to be copied), if the modification date of the target file is before the modification date of the file to be copied (the file to be copied is newer). No further warnings are provided.

Skip

After activating the button "Skip", the file shown under "With" is not copied. The file shown under "Confirm overwrite" is not overwritten.

Skip all

After activating the button "Skip all", no more target file (with the same name like a file to be copied) is overwritten.

Button Cancel

Activating the button "Cancel", cancels the copying process (of this and all further conflict files). Already completed copies remain (copies with no conflicts and copies of conflict files that were manually confirmed).

More options

Activating "More options" opens a pop up menu with the following additional options:

  • Overwrite all smaller (Copy larger)
    If this option is selected, all target files (with the same name like a file to be copied) are overwritten, if they are smaller than the files to be copied.
  • Auto rename target files

If this option is selected, all target files (with the same name like a file to be copied) are auto renamed first. Afterwards the "With" file is copied normally. Example: the file "FreeCommander.exe" is renamed to "FreeCommander(2).exe". If "FreeCommander(2).exe" already exists, the new file is named "FreeCommander(3).exe", etc.

  • Auto rename copied files

If this option is selected, the files to be copied are copied renamed. In the "With" folder the name of the file does not change. In the target folder the original file will be unchanged. Example: the file "FreeCommander.exe" is renamed to "FreeCommander(2).exe". If "FreeCommander(2).exe" already exists, the new file is named "FreeCommander(3).exe", etc.