---
name: "mbxcopy"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "uw-imapd"
version: "4:2001adebian-6"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/mbxcopy"
---

# mbxcopy(1)

copy or move messages to a new mailbox

## NAME

mbxcopy, mbxmove - copy or move messages to a new mailbox

## SYNTAX

**mbxcopy** *source destination*

**mbxmove** *source destination*

## DESCRIPTION

*mbxcopy* and *mbxmove* transfer messages from the named *source* mailbox to the named *destination* mailbox.

*mbxmove* removes (deletes and expunges) the messages the messages from the *source* mailbox after transferring them to the *destination* mailbox.

*mbxcopy* and  *mbxmove* require that the source *mailbox* exists and that the *destination* mailbox not exist.  The *destination* mailbox will be created automatically.

The mailbox name argument is a standard c-client mailbox name.  A variety of mailbox name formats and types of mailboxes are supported by c-client; examples of the most common forms of names are:

- Name

  *Meaning*

- INBOX

  *primary incoming mail folder on the local system*

- archive/tx-project

  mail folder named "tx-project" in "archive" subdirectory of local filesystem home directory

- {imapserver.foo.com}archive/tx-project

  mail folder named "tx-project" in "archive" subdirectory on IMAP server system "imapserver.foo.com"

- \#news.comp.mail.misc

  newsgroup "comp.mail.misc" on local filesystem.  This is only useful as a *source* mailbox. *mbxmove* will mark the transferred messages in the user's .newsrc file.

- {newserver.foo.com/nntp}comp.mail.misc

  newsgroup "comp.mail.misc" on NNTP server system "newserver.foo.com" This is only useful as a *source* mailbox. *mbxmove* will mark the transferred messages in the user's .newsrc file.

- {popserver.foo.com/pop3}

  mail folder on POP3 server system "popserver.foo.com".  This is only useful as a *source* mailbox.

See your system manager for more information about the types of mailboxes which are available on your system.

## RESTRICTIONS

You must surround a *{host}mailbox* form mailbox name with quotation marks if you run *mbxcopy* from [*csh*(1)](/csh/1.md) or another shell for which braces have special meaning.

## AUTHOR

Mark Crispin, MRC@CAC.Washington.EDU

## SEE ALSO

chkmail (1)\
 imapcopy (1)\
 mbxcvt (1)