Robocopy

Updated: April 17, 2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows
Server 2012, Windows 8
Copies file data.

Syntax
robocopy <Source> <Destination> [<File>[ ...]] [<Options>]

Parameters
Parameter

<Source>

Description

Specifies the path to the source directory.

<Destination> Specifies the path to the destination directory.

<File>

Specifies the file or files to be copied. You can use wildcard characters
(* or ?), if you want. If the File parameter is not specified, *.* is used as
the default value.

<Options>

Specifies options to be used with the robocopy command.

Copy options
Option

Description

/s

Copies subdirectories. Note that this option excludes empty

directories.

/e

Copies subdirectories. Note that this option includes empty

directories. For additional information, see Remarks.

/lev:<N>

Copies only the top N levels of the source directory tree.

/z

Copies files in Restart mode.

/b

Copies files in Backup mode.

/zb

Uses Restart mode. If access is denied, this option uses Backup

mode.

/efsraw

Copies all encrypted files in EFS RAW mode.

Specifies the file properties to be copied. The following are the

valid values for this option:
D Data
A Attributes
T Time stamps
/copy:<CopyFlags>
S NTFS access control list (ACL)
O Owner information
U Auditing information
The default value for CopyFlags is DAT (data, attributes, and time
stamps).

/dcopy:T

Copies directory time stamps.

/sec

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

/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. For additional information, see Remarks.

/mir

Mirrors a directory tree (equivalent to /e plus /purge). For

additional information, see Remarks.

/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.

/a-:[RASHCNET]

Removes the specified attributes from copied files.

/create

Creates a directory tree and zero-length files only.

/fat

Creates destination files by using 8.3 character-length FAT file

names only.

/256

Turns off support for very long paths (longer than 256 characters).

/mon:<N>

Monitors the source, and runs again when more than N changes are
detected.

/mot:<M>

Monitors source, and runs again in M minutes if changes are

detected.

Creates multi-threaded copies with N threads. N must be an integer

between 1 and 128. The default value for N is 8.
The /MT parameter cannot be used with the /IPG and /EFSRAW
parameters.
/MT[:N]

Redirect output using /LOG option for better performance.

Note
The /MT parameter applies to Windows Server 2008 R2 and
Windows 7.

/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.

/sl

Copies the symbolic link instead of the target.

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

/COPYALL

/COPY:O

/COPY:S

/COPY:U

/SEC

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.

/xa:[RASHCNETO] Excludes files for which any of the specified attributes are set.

/xf <FileName>[ ...]

Excludes files that match the specified names or paths. Note that
FileName can include wildcard characters (* and ?).

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

/xct

Excludes changed files.

/xn

Excludes newer files.

/xo

Excludes older files.

/xx

Excludes extra files and directories.

/xl

Excludes "lonely" files and directories.

/is

Includes the same files.

/it

Includes "tweaked" files.

/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 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

/r:<N>

Description

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).

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 those that are selected.

/v

Produces verbose output, and shows all skipped files.

/ts

Includes source file time stamps in the output.

/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).

/unicode

Displays the status output as Unicode text.

/unilog:<LogFile>

Writes the status output to the log file as Unicode text (overwrites
the existing log file).

/unilog+:<LogFile>

Writes the status output to the log file as Unicode text (appends the
output to the existing log file).

/tee

Writes the status output to the console window, as well as to the

log file.

/njh

Specifies that there is no job header.

/njs

Specifies that there is no job summary.

Job options
Option

Description

/job:<JobName> Specifies that parameters are to be derived from the named job file.

/save:<JobName> Specifies that parameters are to be saved to the named job file.

/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

The /mir option is equivalent to the /e plus /purge options with one small
difference in behavior:
o With the /e plus /purge options, if the destination directory exists, the
destination directory security settings are not overwritten.
o With the /mir option, if the destination directory exists, the destination
directory security settings are overwritten.