---
name: "acl_copy_entry"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "acl"
version: "2.4.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/acl_copy_entry"
---

# acl\_copy\_entry(3)

copy an ACL entry

## NAME

**acl\_copy\_entry** – copy an ACL entry

## LIBRARY

Linux Access Control Lists library (libacl, -lacl).

## SYNOPSIS

**#include \<sys/types.h\>**

**#include \<sys/acl.h\>**

*int*\

**acl\_copy\_entry**(*acl\_entry\_t dest\_d*, *acl\_entry\_t src\_d*);

## DESCRIPTION

The **acl\_copy\_entry**() function copies the contents of the ACL entry indicated by the *src\_d* descriptor to the existing ACL entry indicated by the *dest\_d* descriptor. The *src\_d* and *dest\_d* descriptors may refer to entries in different ACLs.

## RETURN VALUE

The **acl\_copy\_entry()** function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the error.

## ERRORS

If any of the following conditions occur, the **acl\_copy\_entry**() function returns -1 and sets *errno* to the corresponding value:

- \[EINVAL\]

  The argument *src\_d* or *dest\_d* is not a valid descriptor for an ACL entry.

  The arguments *src\_d* and *dest\_d* reference the same ACL entry.

## STANDARDS

IEEE Std 1003.1e draft 17 (“POSIX.1e”, abandoned)

## SEE ALSO

[acl\_get\_entry(3)](/acl_get_entry/3.md), [acl(5)](/acl/5.md)

## AUTHOR

Derived from the FreeBSD manual pages written by Robert N M Watson ⟨rwatson@FreeBSD.org⟩, and adapted for Linux by Andreas Gruenbacher ⟨andreas.gruenbacher@gmail.com⟩.