Yield strengths in unpassivated and 530 nm TiN passivated Cu films deposited on Ti, high-speed steel and Ni substrates have been measured by x-ray diffraction (XRD) in combination with the four-point bending method. The results show that, although the texture and average grain size, investigated by XRD and transmission electron microscopy respectively, do not vary with different substrate, the yield strength of the Cu film increases obviously when a thin passivated layer is present and varies slightly with substrates. Many crackles appear in the passivated Cu film on Ti substrate but do not appear in other samples. The experimental results have been explained satisfactorily with an expression for the yield strength of thin films given previously.