# How do I add "copy to \\ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142 "2010-07-27T02:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/1 "2010-07-27T02:40:26Z")
I want to be able to right click on a file and then choose a menu item where that very same file is copied over another file. So I would right click a file (an Excel file) and highlite the menu item that would say “Copy To test\_setup.xls” This would immediately copy the contents of that file over the current contents of test\_setup.xls I use test\_set.xls all day long and it would save a lot of time if I could easily copy over that file in one click. I have looked online about messing with the context menu for winxp but it seems like the more i looked the more complicated it got. I was hoping someone could shed some light on how to do this manually if possible? Regards, MM ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/2 "2010-07-27T02:47:29Z")
In the file menu, choose “save as” then highlight the file you want replaced. On the other hand, if you don’t want to mess with wuss menus like that, you can write an autoexec.bat file in Notepad, make a shortcut to it, then click on the shortcut when you want the operation done. ---
**Author:** ![freakstasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@freakstasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freakstasy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/3 "2010-07-27T03:25:10Z")
If all else fails, you can overwrite files pretty quickly using the ALT F + A keyboard shortcut. It doesn’t sound that much faster than clicking Save As with the mouse, but if you do it all day, you’ll see a difference (personally I like it because it gives my right hand a break). 1. Open the file to be copied 2. Press Alt F + A 3. Find and highlight test\_setup.xls to overwrite it, as Superhal suggested. If test\_setup.xls is not in the same directory, you can click the “My Recent Documents” button and quickly sort by most recent to find it, or put it somewhere you can easily access it (Desktop). ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/4 "2010-07-27T11:36:51Z")
Whilst overkill for this single task [Directory Opus](http://www.gpsoft.com.au/) has a million options, you could bind this operation to a context menu, or a toolbar button, hot key etc. Not to mention a host of other file management features that when you’ve become accustomed to using them, make Explorer look like Xtree. ---
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/5 "2010-07-27T12:29:46Z")
If I choose to save as the file that I am copying now becomes test\_setup.xls, and I lose out on having the convience. Let’s say I have a file named red.xls and in the same directory I have test\_setup.xls. I want to be able to right click on the red.xls and choose an option that will copy the contents of red.xls into test\_setup.xls while still keeping red.xls in the directory. I have dozens of diffferent files in the same directory that I want to keep. And I can’t install any programs to do this as it is a work computer and they frown on that. It has to be done via the registry for winxp… ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/6 "2010-07-27T12:49:47Z")
The first thing I thought of was adding something new to the ‘Send to’ folder, but this doesn’t let you copy to a specific file name, just to a folder, and it’ll prompt for overwrite if you have already sent a file of the same name. You don’t need the registry, though, just: - Create your destination folder, if necessary. - Copy a shortcut to this folder into c:\documents and settings[your username]\SendTo - Rename the shortcut as you’d like it to appear in the send to context menu When you right click on any file, one of the menu options should be send to, which has a submenu including default destinations and any that may have been added by installed programs, and your new destination Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/7 "2010-07-27T13:49:50Z")
Combine **chrisk** ’s suggestion above with a simple batch/vbscript file executed via the scheduler, and you could have most of what you need: have a Sent To shortcu that sends things to a specific folder. Create a batch/vbscript file that searches the contents of that folder. If there are 2 files, it shoudl delete test\_setup.xls and rename the remaining file to test\_setup.xls. If there is one file, it leaves it alone. If there are 3 or more files, it punches you in the weiner. Set that batch/vbs to run every couple of minutes. ---
**Author:** ![ManiacMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b782af/32.png) [@ManiacMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManiacMan)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-add-copy-to-filenamehere-to-contextual-menu-winxp/548142/8 "2010-07-28T02:40:20Z")
I ended up asking a guru at work and what I did was to get into the registry and do the following: HKEY\_CLASSES\_ROOT Scrolled down to Excel.Sheet.8 Clicked on the shell folder… Added a Key and named it ‘Copy\_to\_Test\_Setup.xls’ Added another Key under Copy\_to\_Test\_Setup.xls named ‘command’ Then I modified the command-key to be cmd.exe /c copy %1 Test\_Setup.xls Hope that makes sense…people who mess with the registry will be better at explaining it than me I am sure. Now all I gotta do is right click on the file I want copied over Test\_Setup.xls and I am done. It copies the contents of the original file over test\_setup.xls and keeps my original file intact in just 2 clicks…very handy. Thanks All for replying…