Moving and Copying Items

This page covers how to move and copy Sitecore items using SPE, including transfers within databases and between databases.

Moving Items

Use Move-Item to transfer items from one location to another. The item retains its ID and all version history.

Basic Move Operations

Example: Move an item to a new parent.

$sourcePath = "master:\content\home\sample item"
$destinationPath = "master:\content\home\moved"
Move-Item -Path $sourcePath -Destination $destinationPath

If the destination item exists, the moved item becomes a child of the destination. If the destination doesn't exist, the source item is renamed during the move.

Example: Move and rename in one operation.

# If "new-name" doesn't exist, item is moved and renamed
$oldPath = "master:\content\home\old-name"
$newPath = "master:\content\home\new-name"
Move-Item -Path $oldPath -Destination $newPath

Moving via Pipeline

Example: Get an item and move it using the pipeline.

Get-Item -Path "master:" -ID "{65736CA0-7D69-452A-A16F-2F42264D21C5}" |
    Move-Item -Destination "master:{DFDDF372-3AB7-45B1-9E7C-0D0B27350439}"

Moving with Children

By default, Move-Item moves the item and all its descendants.

Example: Move an entire content tree.

Move-Item -Path "master:\content\home\old-section" `
          -Destination "master:\content\archive\"

Copying Items

Use Copy-Item to duplicate items. By default, the copy receives a new ID.

Basic Copy Operations

Example: Copy an item to a new location and change display name.

$originalPath = "master:\content\home\original"
$copyPath = "master:\content\home\copy"
Copy-Item -Path $originalPath -Destination $copyPath

The item name in the destination path determines the new item's name. Lowercase names in the destination result in lowercase item names.

Example: Copy and return the new item.

$originalPath = "master:\content\home\original"
$copyPath = "master:\content\home\copy"
$newItem = Copy-Item -Path $originalPath -Destination $copyPath -PassThru
$newItem."__Display Name" = "Copy"

Write-Host "New item ID: $($newItem.ID)"

Recursive Copying

Example: Copy an entire tree maintaining structure.

$sourceId = "{AF27FAD3-2AF0-4682-9BF7-375197587579}"
$destinationId = "{53F94442-555B-4622-B813-A16ED2CAB01B}"

Get-Item -Path "master:" -ID $sourceId | Copy-Item -Destination $destinationId -Recurse

Copying Between Databases

Copy items between databases (e.g., from master to web) using transfer options.

Example: Transfer item with same ID to another database.

Copy-Item -Path "master:\content\home" `
          -Destination "web:\content\home" `
          -TransferOptions 0

Using -TransferOptions 0 maintains the same ID. This is useful for publishing workflows but can cause conflicts if the item already exists in the target database.

Transfer Options

The -TransferOptions parameter controls how items are copied between databases:

Value	Behavior
0	Keep original ID
1	Create new ID (default behavior)
2	Allow default values
4	Allow standard values

Example: Copy with new ID (default behavior).

# These are equivalent
Copy-Item -Path "master:\content\home\sampleitem" -Destination "web:\content\home\sampleitem"
Copy-Item -Path "master:\content\home\sampleitem" -Destination "web:\content\home\sampleitem" -TransferOptions 1

Bulk Operations

Pattern: Move Multiple Items

Get-ChildItem -Path "master:\content\temp" -Recurse |
    Where-Object { $_.TemplateName -eq "Sample Item" } |
    ForEach-Object {
        Move-Item -Path $_.ProviderPath -Destination "master:\content\archive"
    }

Pattern: Copy Items Based on Criteria

$templates = @("Sample Item", "Article", "News Item")

Get-ChildItem -Path "master:\content\home" -Recurse |
    Where-Object { $templates -contains $_.TemplateName } |
    ForEach-Object {
        Copy-Item -Path $_.ProviderPath -Destination "master:\content\backup"
    }

Pattern: Reorganize Content Structure

# Move all items of a specific template to a new location
$targetTemplate = "Article"
$newParent = Get-Item -Path "master:\content\articles"

Get-ChildItem -Path "master:\content\home" -Recurse |
    Where-Object { $_.TemplateName -eq $targetTemplate } |
    ForEach-Object {
        Move-Item -Path $_.ProviderPath -Destination $newParent.ProviderPath
        Write-Host "Moved: $($_.Name)"
    }

Pattern: Copy with Progress Reporting

$itemsToCopy = Get-ChildItem -Path "master:\content\home\original" -Recurse
$total = $itemsToCopy.Count
$current = 0

foreach($item in $itemsToCopy) {
    $current++
    Write-Progress -Activity "Copying items" `
                   -Status "Copying $($item.Name)" `
                   -PercentComplete (($current / $total) * 100)

    Copy-Item -Path $item.ProviderPath `
              -Destination "master:\content\home\copied" `
              -Recurse
}
Write-Progress -Activity "Copying items" -Completed

Maintaining Structure

Pattern: Copy Tree Maintaining Hierarchy

$sourceRoot = Get-Item -Path "master:\content\home\job-search"
$destinationRoot = Get-Item -Path "master:\content\home\careers"

$sourceRoot | Copy-Item -Destination $destinationRoot.ProviderPath -Recurse

# Produces a new tree /sitecore/content/home/careers/job-search
# Existing content remains at /sitecore/content/home/job-search

Dynamic Parameters

Parameter	Command	Description	Example
DestinationItem	Move-Item, Copy-Item	Parent item to receive moved/copied item	-DestinationItem $parent
FailSilently	Move-Item, Copy-Item	Suppress unauthorized access errors	-FailSilently
TransferOptions	Copy-Item	Controls ID handling (0=keep, 1=new)	-TransferOptions 0
PassThru	Copy-Item	Returns the new item	-PassThru
Recurse	Copy-Item	Includes all descendants	-Recurse

Performance Considerations

• Batch operations - Group multiple moves/copies together

• Use BulkUpdateContext - When copying many items with field updates

• Progress reporting - Provide feedback for long-running operations

• Avoid unnecessary recursion - Only use -Recurse when needed

• Test first - Use -WhatIf parameter if available, or test in development

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall: Moving to Non-Existent Path

# BAD - if parent doesn't exist, item is renamed
Move-Item -Path "master:\content\home\demo" `
          -Destination "master:\content\nonexistent"

# GOOD - verify parent exists
$destination = "master:\content\archive"
if (Test-Path $destination) {
    Move-Item -Path "master:\content\home\demo" -Destination $destination
} else {
    Write-Host "Destination does not exist" -ForegroundColor Red
}

Pitfall: Copying Without PassThru

# BAD - can't access the new item
Copy-Item -Path "master:\content\home\demo" -Destination "master:\content\copy"
# No reference to the copied item

# GOOD - use PassThru to get reference
$sourcePath = "master:\content\home\demo"
$destinationPath = "master:\content\home\demo-copy"
$copiedItem = Copy-Item -Path $sourcePath -Destination $destinationPath -PassThru
$copiedItem.Title = "Updated Title"

See Also

• Retrieving Items - Find items to move or copy

• Creating and Removing Items - Item lifecycle management

• Best Practices - Performance optimization

• Appendix - Common Commands - Full cmdlet reference

References

• Working with Sitecore Items in PowerShell Extensions