The scp command is a secure file transfer protocol that enables users to transfer files between a local and a remote system using a secure encrypted channel. However, sometimes when trying to use the scp command, you may receive the error message “-bash: scp: command not found” indicating that the command is not installed or is not included in the system’s PATH variable.
[root@CentOS6.3 ~]# scp -bash: scp: command not found
In this guide, we will show you how to fix this issue and successfully use the scp command to transfer files.
Step 1: Check if the scp command is installed
The first step is to check if the scp command is installed on your system. You can do this by running the following command:
which scp
If the command is installed, you will see the path to the scp binary. If not, you will see no output, and this means that you need to install the scp command.
Step 2: Install the scp command
To install the scp command, you need to install the OpenSSH package, which includes the scp command. To do this, follow the steps below depending on your system’s package manager.
For Ubuntu/Debian:
sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install openssh-client
For CentOS/RHEL:
sudo yum install openssh-clients
For macOS:
brew install openssh
Step 3: Add the scp command to the system’s PATH
If you installed the scp command successfully but still get the “-bash: scp: command not found” error, you may need to add the command’s location to the system’s PATH variable. You can do this by adding the following line to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile file:
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/bin/scp
After adding the above line to your shell’s configuration file, reload the file with the following command:
source ~/.bashrc
Step 4: Test the scp command
After successfully installing the scp command and adding it to your system’s PATH variable, you can test if the scp command works correctly by transferring a file from your local system to a remote system using the following command:
scp /path/to/local/file user@remote:/path/to/remote/location
If the file is transferred successfully, you have fixed the “-bash: scp: command not found” error, and the scp command is now working correctly.
Commands Mentioned:
- which – locate a command’s binary/executable file
- sudo – execute a command with elevated privileges as a superuser
- apt-get – package manager for Debian/Ubuntu-based systems
- yum – package manager for CentOS/RHEL-based systems
- brew – package manager for macOS
- export – set an environment variable
- source – execute the shell script in the current shell environment
- scp – secure copy command for transferring files over a secure encrypted channel
Conclusion
In summary, the “-bash: scp: command not found” error can occur when the scp command is not installed or not included in the system’s PATH variable. To fix this error, you need to install the OpenSSH package, add the scp command’s location to the system’s PATH variable, and test the command to ensure that it works correctly. By doing this, you can ensure that the scp command is available and working correctly on your system, enabling you to transfer files securely between a local and a remote system.
We hope that this guide has been informative and helpful to you. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvements, please feel free to share them with us.
