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robocopy
Article • 02/03/2023 • 11 minutes to read

Copies file data from one location to another.

Syntax
Windows Command Prompt

robocopy <source> <destination> [<file>[ ...]] [<options>]

For example, to copy a file named yearly-report.mov from c:\reports to a file share
\\marketing\videos while enabling multi-threading for higher performance (with the
/mt parameter) and the ability to restart the transfer in case it's interrupted (with the
/z parameter), type:

Windows Command Prompt

robocopy c:\reports "\\marketing\videos" yearly-report.mov /mt /z

Important

If any data is copied from the root of a device, the destination directory will
adopt the "hidden" attribute during the copy process.

Parameters

Parameter Description

<source> Specifies the path to the source directory.

<destination> Specifies the path to the destination directory.

<file> Specifies the file or files to be copied. Wildcard characters (* or ?) are

supported. If you don't specify this parameter, *.* is used as the default
value.

<options> Specifies the options to use with the robocopy command, including copy,
file, retry, logging, and job options.

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Copy options

Option Description

/s Copies subdirectories. This option automatically excludes empty

directories.

/e Copies subdirectories. This option automatically includes empty

directories.

/lev: <n> Copies only the top n levels of the source directory tree.

/z Copies files in restartable mode. In restartable mode, should a file copy be

interrupted, Robocopy can pick up where it left off rather than recopying
the entire file.

/b Copies files in backup mode allowing Robocopy to override file and folder
permission settings (ACLs). This allow copying of files you might otherwise
not have access to assuming it's being run under an account with
sufficient privileges.

/zb Copies files in restartable mode. If file access is denied, switches to

backup mode.

/j Copies using unbuffered I/O (recommended for large files).

/efsraw Copies all encrypted files in EFS RAW mode.

/copy: Specifies which file properties to copy. The valid values for this option are:
<copyflags> D - Data
A - Attributes
T - Time stamps
X - Skip alt data streams
S - NTFS access control list (ACL)
O - Owner information
U - Auditing information

The default value for the /COPY option is DAT (data, attributes, and time
stamps). The X flag will be ignored if either /B or /ZB is used.

/dcopy: Specifies what to copy in directories. The valid values for this option are:
<copyflags> D - Data
A - Attributes
T - Time stamps
E - Extended attribute
X - Skip alt data streams

The default value for this option is DA (data and attributes).

/sec Copies files with security (equivalent to /copy:DATS).

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Option Description

/copyall Copies all file information (equivalent to /copy:DATSOU).

/nocopy Copies no file information (useful with /purge).

/secfix Fixes file security on all files, even skipped ones.

/timfix Fixes file times on all files, even skipped ones.

/purge Deletes destination files and directories that no longer exist in the source.
Using this option with the /e option and a destination directory, allows
the destination directory security settings to not be overwritten.

/mir Mirrors a directory tree (equivalent to /e plus /purge). Using this option
with the /e option and a destination directory, overwrites the destination
directory security settings.

/mov Moves files, and deletes them from the source after they are copied.

/move Moves files and directories, and deletes them from the source after they
are copied.

/a+:[RASHCNET] Adds the specified attributes to copied files. The valid values for this
option are:
R - Read only
A - Archive
S - System
H - Hidden
C - Compressed
N - Not content indexed
E - Encrypted
T - Temporary

/a-:[RASHCNETO] Removes the specified attributes from copied files. The valid values for
this option are:
R - Read only
A - Archive
S - System
H - Hidden
C - Compressed
N - Not content indexed
E - Encrypted
T - Temporary
O - Offline

/create Creates a directory tree and zero-length files only.

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Option Description

/fat Creates destination files by using 8.3 character-length FAT file names only.

/256 Turns off support for paths longer than 256 characters.

/mon: <n> Monitors the source and runs again when more than n changes are
detected.

/mot: <m> Monitors the source and runs again in m minutes if changes are detected.

/rh:hhmm-hhmm Specifies run times when new copies may be started.

/pf Checks run times on a per-file (not per-pass) basis.

/ipg: <n> Specifies the inter-packet gap to free bandwidth on slow lines.

/sj Copies junctions (soft-links) to the destination path instead of link targets.

/sl Don't follow symbolic links and instead create a copy of the link.

/mt: <n> Creates multi-threaded copies with n threads. n must be an integer

between 1 and 128. The default value for n is 8. For better performance,
redirect your output using /log option.

The /mt parameter can't be used with the /ipg and /efsraw parameters.

/nodcopy Copies no directory info (the default /dcopy:DA is done).

/nooffload Copies files without using the Windows Copy Offload mechanism.

/compress Requests network compression during file transfer, if applicable.

/sparse Enables retaining sparse state during copy.

Important

When using the /secfix copy option, specify the type of security information you
want to copy, using one of these additional copy options:

/copyall
/copy:o
/copy:s
/copy:u
/sec

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Note

The /mt parameter was introduced in Windows Server 2008 R2 and its
functionality applies to current versions of Windows Server.

Copy file throttling options

Option Description

/iomaxsize: The requested max i/o size per read/write cycle in n kilobytes,
<n> [kmg] megabytes, or gigabytes.

/iorate: <n> [kmg] The requested i/o rate in n kilobytes megabytes, or gigabytes per
second.

/threshold: The file size threshold for throttling in n kilobytes, megabytes, or

<n> [kmg] gigabytes (see Remarks).

File selection options

Option Description

/a Copies only files for which the Archive attribute is set.

/m Copies only files for which the Archive attribute is set, and resets the
Archive attribute.

/ia: [RASHCNETO] Includes only files for which any of the specified attributes are set. The
valid values for this option are:
R - Read only
A - Archive
S - System
H - Hidden
C - Compressed
N - Not content indexed
E - Encrypted
T - Temporary
O - Offline

/xa: [RASHCNETO] Excludes files for which any of the specified attributes are set. The valid
values for this option are:
R - Read only
A - Archive
S - System

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Option Description

H - Hidden
C - Compressed
N - Not content indexed
E - Encrypted
T - Temporary
O - Offline

/xf <filename>[ Excludes files that match the specified names or paths. Wildcard
...] characters (* and ?) are supported.

/xd <directory>[ Excludes directories that match the specified names and paths.
...]

/xc Excludes existing files with the same timestamp, but different file sizes.

/xn Source directory files newer than the destination are excluded from the
copy.

/xo Source directory files older than the destination are excluded from the
copy.

/xx Excludes extra files and directories present in the destination but not the
source. Excluding extra files will not delete files from the destination.

/xl Excludes "lonely" files and directories present in the source but not the
destination. Excluding lonely files prevents any new files from being
added to the destination.

/im Include modified files (differing change times).

/is Includes the same files. Same files are identical in name, size, times, and
all attributes.

/it Includes "tweaked" files. Tweaked files have the same name, size, and
times, but different attributes.

/max: <n> Specifies the maximum file size (to exclude files bigger than n bytes).

/min: <n> Specifies the minimum file size (to exclude files smaller than n bytes).

/maxage: <n> Specifies the maximum file age (to exclude files older than n days or
date).

/minage: <n> Specifies the minimum file age (exclude files newer than n days or date).

/maxlad: <n> Specifies the maximum last access date (excludes files unused since n).

/minlad: <n> Specifies the minimum last access date (excludes files used since n) If n is
less than 1900, n specifies the number of days. Otherwise, n specifies a

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Option Description

date in the format YYYYMMDD.

/xj Excludes junction points, which are normally included by default.

/fft Assumes FAT file times (two-second precision).

/dst Compensates for one-hour DST time differences.

/xjd Excludes junction points for directories.

/xjf Excludes junction points for files.

Retry options

Option Description

/r: <n> Specifies the number of retries on failed copies. The default value of n is
1,000,000 (one million retries).

/w: <n> Specifies the wait time between retries, in seconds. The default value of n is 30
(wait time 30 seconds).

/reg Saves the values specified in the /r and /w options as default settings in the
registry.

/tbd Specifies that the system will wait for share names to be defined (retry error
67).

/lfsm Operate in low free space mode which enables copy, pause and resume (see
Remarks).

/lfsm: Specifies the floor size in n kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.

<n> [kmg]

Logging options

Option Description

/l Specifies that files are to be listed only (and not copied, deleted, or time
stamped).

/x Reports all extra files, not just the ones that are selected.

/v Produces verbose output, and shows all skipped files.

/ts Includes source file time stamps in the output.

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Option Description

/fp Includes the full path names of the files in the output.

/bytes Prints sizes as bytes.

/ns Specifies that file sizes are not to be logged.

/nc Specifies that file classes are not to be logged.

/nfl Specifies that file names are not to be logged.

/ndl Specifies that directory names are not to be logged.

/np Specifies that the progress of the copying operation (the number of files
or directories copied so far) will not be displayed.

/eta Shows the estimated time of arrival (ETA) of the copied files.

/log: <logfile> Writes the status output to the log file (overwrites the existing log file).

/log+: <logfile> Writes the status output to the log file (appends the output to the existing
log file).

/unilog: Writes the status output to the log file as unicode text (overwrites the
<logfile> existing log file).

/unilog+: Writes the status output to the log file as Unicode text (appends the
<logfile> output to the existing log file).

/tee Writes the status output to the console window, and to the log file.

/njh Specifies that there is no job header.

/njs Specifies that there is no job summary.

/unicode Displays the status output as unicode text.

Job options

Option Description

/job: <jobname> Specifies that parameters are to be derived from the named job file. To run
/job:jobname , you must first run the /save:jobname parameter to create the
job file.

/save: Specifies that parameters are to be saved to the named job file. This must be
<jobname> ran before running /job:jobname . All copy, retry, and logging options must
be specified before this parameter.

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Option Description

/quit Quits after processing command line (to view parameters).

/nosd Indicates that no source directory is specified.

/nodd Indicates that no destination directory is specified.

/if Includes the specified files.

Remarks
Using /PURGE or /MIR on the root directory of the volume formerly caused
robocopy to apply the requested operation on files inside the System Volume
Information directory as well. This is no longer the case as if either is specified,
robocopy will skip any files or directories with that name in the top-level source
and destination directories of the copy session.

Modified files classification applies only when both source and destination
filesystems support change timestamps, such as NTFS, and the source and
destination files have different change times but are otherwise the same. These
files are not copied by default. Specify /IM to include them.

The /DCOPY:E flag requests that extended attribute copying should be

attempted for directories. Robocopy will continue if a directory's EAs could not
be copied. This flag is not included in /COPYALL.

If either /IoMaxSize or /IoRate are specified, robocopy will enable copy file
throttling to reduce system load. Both may be adjusted to optimal values and
copy parameters, but the system and robocopy are allowed to adjust them to
allowed values as necessary.

If /Threshold is used, it specifies a minimum file size for engaging throttling.

Files below that size will not be throttled. Values for all three parameters may be
followed by an optional suffix character such as [KMG] (kilo, mega, giga).

Using /LFSM requests robocopy to operate in 'low free space mode'. In this
mode, robocopy will pause whenever a file copy would cause the destination
volume's free space to go below a 'floor' value. This value can be explicitly
specified using /LFSM:n[KMG] flag.

If /LFSM is specified with no explicit floor value, the floor is set to 10% of the
destination volume's size. Low free space mode is incompatible with /MT and

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/EFSRAW.

Exit (return) codes

Value Description

0 No files were copied. No failure was encountered. No files were mismatched. The files
already exist in the destination directory; therefore, the copy operation was skipped.

1 All files were copied successfully.

2 There are some additional files in the destination directory that are not present in the
source directory. No files were copied.

3 Some files were copied. Additional files were present. No failure was encountered.

5 Some files were copied. Some files were mismatched. No failure was encountered.

6 Additional files and mismatched files exist. No files were copied and no failures were
encountered meaning that the files already exist in the destination directory.

7 Files were copied, a file mismatch was present, and additional files were present.

8 Several files did not copy.

Note

Any value equal to or greater than 8 indicates that there was at least one failure
during the copy operation.

Related links
Command-Line Syntax Key

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