# File input not picking up copied or moved files
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245
**Category:** Logstash
**Created:** [August 12, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245 "2015-08-12T10:41:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@karolpivo](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/karolpivo)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2015, 10:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245/1 "2015-08-12T10:41:55Z")
Hi,
I'm successfully using logstash to parse json formated events and send them to elasticsearch. Each event is created in a seprate file. One event per file with .json extension.
Logstash is correctly picking up a file when i create it using "vi mydoc.json", paste in the content and save. However it does not pick up if I cp or mv a file.
The objective is to automatically copy files to a directory and then parse them by logstash.
Each file has a different name and size. I tried looking at logstash code to figure out what attribute it uses but couldnt find relevant code. I also tried deleting the .sincedb files but didn't help either.
The input config is as follows:
input {
file {
path =\> "/opt/rp/\*.json"
type =\> "tp"
start\_position =\> "beginning"
stat\_interval =\> 1
```
}
```
}
How can I have logstash pick up copied files? What file stat attribute does it use to check if a file is new?
Thanks
---
### Author:  [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245/2 "2015-08-12T10:45:26Z")
Logstash's file input (actually the Ruby filewatch library) tracks files via inode numbers. Copying or moving a file into a directory should make Logstash treat it as a new file unless there's inode reuse going on. You'll get additional debugging out if you start Logstash with `--verbose`.
---
### Author:  [@Rajeev\_Gaurav](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Rajeev_Gaurav)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245/3 "2016-03-30T10:27:34Z")
Even I am facing the same issue where Log Stash is able to pickup the file which I created there but unable to pick up the files which is there by either copying or Moving or from Downloading.
Suggest some points.
---
### Author:  [@magnusbaeck](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/magnusbaeck)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2016, 11:20am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245/4 "2016-03-30T11:20:25Z")
Perhaps the files are old than 24 hours and you haven't adjusted the file input's `ignore_older` option. Otherwise the previously given advice of using the `--verbose` option is still relevant.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 5:04am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/file-input-not-picking-up-copied-or-moved-files/27245/5 "2017-07-06T05:04:46Z")