Powershell 5 Copy-Item Directory to Directory Error

Question

I am new to Powershell, and am testing out the functionality of Copy-Item according to this documentation. I am trying to copy files and folders from a subfolder into it's containing folder, but it is not working. What command do I need to use?

Here is my sample file structure

C:\
    Example
    |
    |__Top
        |
        |__Middle
            |
            |__Bottom

I tried to copy all the files and subfolders from Middle into Top using

Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recurse

but received this error

Copy-Item : An item with the specified name C:\Example\Top\Middle already exists.
At line:1 char:1
+ Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recu ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceExists: (C:\Example\Top\Middle:String) 
[Copy-Item], IO
   Exception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : 
DirectoryExist,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.CopyItemCommand

Copy-Item : Cannot overwrite the item C:\Example\Top\Middle\InTheMiddle.txt 
with itself.
At line:1 char:1
+ Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recu ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : WriteError: 
(C:\Example\Top\Middle\InTheMiddle.txt:String) [Co
   py-Item], IOException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : 
CopyError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.CopyItemCommand

Copy-Item : An item with the specified name C:\Example\Top\Middle\Bottom already         
exists.
At line:1 char:1
+ Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recu ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceExists: 
(C:\Example\Top\Middle\Bottom:String) [Copy-It
   em], IOException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : 
DirectoryExist,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.CopyItemCommand

Copy-Item : Cannot overwrite the item 
C:\Example\Top\Middle\Bottom\InTheBottom.txt with
itself.
At line:1 char:1
+ Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recu ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : WriteError: 
(C:\Example\Top\...InTheBottom.txt:String) [Copy-I
   tem], IOException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : 
CopyError,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.CopyItemCommand

Powershell Version 5.1.17134.112 Running as Administrator

Answer 1

You trying to copy child folder to its parent folder. To copy content of "Middle" folder you need to use this command:

Copy-Item "C:\Example\Top\Middle\*" -Destination "C:\Example\Top" -Recurse