How to scp multiple files to a remote server

To scp multiple files, run scp file1 file2 user@server:/destination/ on the computer that holds the files. Put every local source before the remote destination. The destination directory must already exist.

How to scp multiple files in one command

Create the destination on the server, then run scp from your laptop:

ssh user@server \
  'mkdir -p /tmp/agent-input'
scp ~/Desktop/bug.png \
  ~/Downloads/notes.pdf \
  user@server:/tmp/agent-input/

Expected result: the server has /tmp/agent-input/bug.png and /tmp/agent-input/notes.pdf. OpenSSH documents the command form as scp source ... target. Choose a directory outside /tmp if the files must persist.

Copy filenames that contain spaces

Quote each path with spaces. $HOME still expands inside double quotes:

scp "$HOME/Desktop/bug screen.png" \
  "$HOME/Downloads/review notes.pdf" \
  user@server:/tmp/agent-input/

Expected result: both original filenames appear in the remote directory. If two source files from different folders have the same basename, rename one before copying so they do not target the same remote path.

Copy matching files with a wildcard

Let your local shell select the files:

scp ~/Desktop/*.png \
  user@server:/tmp/agent-input/

Expected result: PNG files directly inside your local Desktop are copied. The shell expands *.png on the laptop; it does not search subfolders. Check that files match before running the command, since shells handle an unmatched pattern differently.

Check the files on the remote host

ssh user@server \
  'ls -lh /tmp/agent-input/'

Expected result: the listing includes each uploaded filename and a non-zero size. A local path such as /Users/you/Desktop/bug.png still refers to your laptop; use the remote path when another program on the server needs the file.

If you use Windows through WSL, replace a Windows path such as C:\Users\you\Desktop\bug.png with /mnt/c/Users/you/Desktop/bug.png in the local scp command. Microsoft documents the WSL drive mapping.

Send several files to a remote coding agent

For a few named files, the scp command above is enough. Give your agent the resulting paths, such as /tmp/agent-input/bug.png and /tmp/agent-input/notes.pdf. The remote coding agent guide covers that handoff in more detail.

For a temporary batch with one folder path and prompt, install vmup and complete the first SSH upload:

vmup bug.png notes.pdf

Expected result: vmup prints Agent folder: and a prompt that points the agent to the remote batch. The default batch expires after five minutes. Use scp when original filenames or a persistent destination matter.

For a single screenshot in Claude Code, see paste an image over SSH. For files in a Cursor remote workspace, see Cursor Remote-SSH local files.

Last tested with

• Manual named-file, spaced-name, and wildcard transfers: macOS OpenSSH to a localhost SSH test server, September 24, 2026
• WSL path form: checked against Microsoft's WSL filesystem documentation; native WSL was not available

Quick answers

Can scp copy multiple files at once? Yes. Put each source before one remote destination directory: scp file1 file2 user@server:/destination/.

How do I scp all PNG files in one folder? Run scp ~/Desktop/*.png user@server:/destination/ on the laptop. The local shell selects the matching files.

Where should I run the scp command? Run it on the machine that holds the source files. If the files are on your laptop, run scp in a laptop terminal, outside the remote SSH session.

What if the remote destination directory does not exist? Create it first with ssh user@server 'mkdir -p /destination', then run scp.

Disclosure: vmup is maintained by the author of this article. The manual scp commands above work without vmup.