How to create a duplicate file of an existing file using Python?

In this article, we will discuss how to create a duplicate of the existing file in Python. Below are the source and destination folders, before creating the duplicate file in the destination folder.

After a duplicate file has been created in the destination folder, it looks like the image below.

For automating of copying and removal of files in Python, shutil module is used. It offers a number of high-level operations on files and collections of files. Using shutil module, we can copy files as well as an entire directory.

Method 1 : Using shutil.copyfile()

It copies the contents of the source file to the destination file in the most efficient way possible. It does not use file objects and also does not copy metadata and permissions.

Syntax : shutil.copyfile(src, dst, *, follow_symlinks=True)

Parameters:

• src - src here is the complete path of the source file.
• dest - dest is the complete path of the destination file or directory.The destination location must be writable.
• follow_symlinks (optional) - The default value of this parameter is True. If it is set to False and src is a symbolic link, a new symbolic link will be created instead of copying the file src points to.

Return Type:- It returns the path of the newly created duplicate file.

Code:

# Python program to create the duplicate of
# an already existing file
import os
D = r"F:\Dest"

# importing the shutil module
import shutil

print("Before copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# src contains the path of the source file
src = r"C:\Users\YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\small\Src\Test.py"

# dest contains the path of the destination file
dest = r"F:\Dest\Test.py"

# create duplicate of the file at the destination,
# with the name mentioned
# at the end of the destination path
# if a file with the same name doesn't already
# exist at the destination,
# a new file with the name mentioned is created
path = shutil.copyfile(src,dest)

print("After copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# print path of the newly created duplicate file
print("Path of the duplicate file is:")
print(path)

Output:

Before copying the file:
['in.txt', 'out.txt']
After copying the file:
['in.txt', 'out.txt', 'Test.py']
Path of the duplicate file is:
F:\Dest\Test.py

Method 2: Using shutil.copy()

It also copies the contents of the source file to the destination file or directory. Unlike copyfile(), shutil.copy() also copies the permissions of the source file.

Syntax : shutil.copy(src, dst, *, follow_symlinks=True)

Parameters:-

• src - src here is the complete path of the source file.
• dest - dest is the complete path of the destination file or directory.The destination location must be writable.
• follow_symlinks (optional) - The default value of this parameter is True. If it is set to False and src is a symbolic link, a new symbolic link will be created instead of copying the file src points to.

Return Type:- It returns the path of the newly created duplicate file.

Code:

# Python program to create the duplicate of
# an already existing file
import os, stat
D = r"F:\Dest"

# importing the shutil module
import shutil

print("Before copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# src contains the path of the source file
src=r"C:\Users\YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\small\Src\Test.py"

# changing the permission(Read, write, and execute 
# by others)
# of the source file
os.chmod(src, stat.S_IRWXO)

# dest contains the path of the destination file
dest = r"F:\Dest\Test.py"

# create duplicate of the file at the
# destination, with the name mentioned
# at the end of the destination path
# if a file with the same name doesn't
# already exist at the destination,
# a new file with the name mentioned is created
path = shutil.copy(src,dest)

# checking the permission of
# the duplicate file to see if the
# permissions have also been copied
# check the permission(Read, write, and execute 
# by others)
# of the duplicate file
print(os.access(path, stat.S_IRWXO))

print("After copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# print path of the newly created duplicate file
print("Path of the duplicate file is:")
print(path)

Output:

Before copying the file:
['in.txt', 'out.txt']
After copying the file:
False
['in.txt', 'out.txt', 'Test.py']
Path of the duplicate file is:
F:\Dest\Test.py

Method 3: Using shutil.copy2()

It is almost similar to shutil.copy(), except copy2() also attempts to preserve metadata. When follow_symlinks is set to False, and src is a symbolic link, copy2() attempts to copy all metadata from the src symbolic link to the newly-created dst symbolic link.

Syntax : shutil.copy2(src, dst, *, follow_symlinks=True)

Parameters:

• src - src here is the complete path of the source file.
• dest - dest is the complete path of the destination file or directory.The destination location must be writable.
• follow_symlinks (optional) - The default value of this parameter is True. If it is set to False and src is a symbolic link, a new symbolic link will be created instead of copying the file src points to.

Return Type:- It returns the path of the newly created duplicate file.

Code:

# Python program to create the duplicate of an already 
# existing file
import os
D = r"F:\Dest"
# importing the shutil module
import shutil

print("Before copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# src contains the path of the source file
src=r"C:\Users\YASH\OneDrive\Desktop\small\Src\Test.py"

# dest contains the path of the destination file
dest = r"F:\Dest\Test.py"

# using copy2()
path=shutil.copy2(src,dest)

# A new duplicate file is added at
# the destination with name we mention
# on the path
print("After copying file:")
print(os.listdir(D))

# print path of the newly created duplicate file
print("Path of the duplicate file is:")
print(path)

Output:

Before copying the file:
['in.txt', 'out.txt']
After copying the file:
['in.txt', 'out.txt', 'Test.py']
Path of the duplicate file is:
F:\Dest\Test.py