Linux / Unix: Rsync Copy Hidden Dot Files and Directories Only

Posted on in Categories , , , last updated February 6, 2014

How do I use the rsync tool to copy only the hidden files and directory (such as ~/.ssh/, ~/.foo, and so on) from /home/jobs directory to the /mnt/usb directory under Unix like operating system?

The rsync program is used for synchronizing files over a network or local disks. To view or display only hidden files with ls command:


ls -ld ~/.??*

OR


ls -ld ~/.[^.]*

Sample outputs:

ls command: List only hidden files in Unix / Linux terminal
Fig:01 ls command to view only hidden files

rsync not synchronizing all hidden .dot files?

In this example, you used the pattern .[^.]* or .??* to select and display only hidden files using ls command. You can use the same pattern with any Unix command including rsync command. The syntax is as follows to copy hidden files with rsync:

rsync -av /path/to/dir/.??* /path/to/dest
rsync -avzP /path/to/dir/.??* /mnt/usb
rsync -avzP $HOME/.??* user1@server1.cyberciti.biz:/path/to/backup/users/u/user1
rsync -avzP ~/.[^.]* user1@server1.cyberciti.biz:/path/to/backup/users/u/user1

In this example, copy all hidden files from my home directory to /mnt/test:

rsync -avzP ~/.[^.]* /mnt/test

Sample outputs:

Rsync example to copy only hidden files
Fig.02 Rsync example to copy only hidden files

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. He has worked with global clients and in various industries, including IT, education, defense and space research, and the nonprofit sector. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+.

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6 comment

    1. Noop. Any details on ls version and Unix may help if you are not getting the same result.

      ls -l ./.??*
-rw-r--r-- 1 John John    0 Nov 11 11:54 ./.a,
-rw-r--r-- 1 John John    0 Nov 11 11:54 ./.b,
-rw-r--r-- 1 John John    0 Nov 11 11:54 ./.ssh

./.rss:
total 0
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      1. [email protected] / # cd /tmp
        [email protected] /tmp # ls -ld .??*
        ls: cannot access .??*: No such file or directory
        2 [email protected] /tmp # touch .a .b
        [email protected] /tmp # ls -ld .??*
        ls: cannot access .??*: No such file or directory
        2 [email protected] /tmp # ls -ld .[^.]*
        -rw-r–r–. 1 root root 0 Nov 11 23:07 .a
        -rw-r–r–. 1 root root 0 Nov 11 23:07 .b
        [email protected] /tmp # ls –version
        ls (GNU coreutils) 8.4
        Copyright (C) 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
        License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later .
        This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
        There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

        Written by Richard M. Stallman and David MacKenzie.

        Reply Report comment

  4. Thanks!! Makes sense when you figure ~/.??* means anything that starts with a dot, has 2 more random chars, then everything after it (as to ignore . and .. ). Easy peasy, and will work for a million years! Thanks again!

    Reply Report comment

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