Objective There are few reports on the microstructure and properties of (Ti,Cu)N thin film, which is a new type of hard coating. This work investigated the effects of pulsed bias on the structure and properties of (Ti,Cu)N film, enriching research results of this area. Methods The hybrid ion plating technique, realized by simultaneously using arc ion plating and magnetron sputtering, was employed to deposit (Ti,Cu)N film samples onto high-speed steel under different pulsed biases. Surface morphology, crystalline structure, thickness, micro-hardness as well as friction coefficient of the coatings were measured respectively. Results All the films were crystalline in spite of the varying bias. The (Ti,Cu)N coatings deposited at -300 V had the most obvious preferred plane (200). Both the quantity and the size of the macro-particles on the film surface became smaller with the increasing pulsed bias, presenting an improved surface quality. Deposition rate of the ( Ti,Cu) N film increased first and then decreased with increasing pulsed bias, and the maximum deposition rate, 25. 04 nm / min, was achieved at a pulsed bias of -400 V. Micro-hardness of the films changed similarly to the deposition rate with the varying pulsed bias, and it reached the maximum value of 1571. 4HV at -300 V. Conclusion The pulsed bias had an obvious influence on the surface morphology, crystalline orientation, deposition rate and microhardness of (Ti,Cu)N films.