Linux – scp from remote Linux to local Windows with spaces in local path

linuxscpterminalwindows

To push a file from a Linux terminal to a Windows system, the following two examples work just fine.

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test_folder/file.html

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"/C:/Users/user.name/test_folder/file.html"

I need to do this where the local folder has spaces and I cannot change the name,
say /C:/Users/user.name/test folder/

All of the following fail with the message scp: ambiguous target

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"/C:/Users/user.name/test folder/file.html"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"/C:/Users/user.name/test\ folder/file.html"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"'/C:/Users/user.name/test\ folder/file.html'"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"/C:/Users/user.name/test\\ folder/file.html"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"'/C:/Users/user.name/test\\ folder/file.html'"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"/C:/Users/user.name/test\\\ folder/file.html"

scp /home/user.name/file.html user.name@local.ip.num:"'/C:/Users/user.name/test\\\ folder/file.html'"

How do I get this to work?

Best Answer

  • Try using quotes ' or Double quotes " around complete argument.

    As suggested by @dirkt in comments Quoting the complete path argument for the ssh host should do the work. That makes your command like this :

    scp /home/user.name/file.html 'user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test folder/'

  • Use escape sequence for space in between name of folder.

    You can use \ (backslash with a space) that is escape sequence for a space. That makes your command like this :

    scp /home/user.name/file.html 'user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test\ folder/'

    Notice the \ with a space in between test & folder that makes it test\ folder.

  • It maybe the case that you need to escape twice as It is escaped first locally and then on the remote end. In that case you can write like this :

    1. "'complete argument'" inside quotes within double quotes like this :

      "'user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test folder/'"

      OR

    2. Escape spaces and quote complete argument like this :

      'user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test\ folder/'

      OR

    3. Escape twice directly using escape sequence like this

      user.name@local.ip.num:/C:/Users/user.name/test\\ folder/

Feel free to add-in more details.

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