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Yes. Robocopy can resume an interrupted file copy when you run it with /Z (restartable mode) or /ZB (restartable mode with a backup-mode fallback). On an interrupted file, Microsoft says Robocopy can continue from its checkpoint instead of copying the entire file again. Rerun the same source, destination, file-selection options and restartable switch; do not assume that an ordinary command without /Z will resume a partial file.
For a typical directory tree, start with a bounded-retry command such as robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /Z /R:2 /W:5 /LOG+:"C:Logscopy.log". The retry settings handle temporary failures, while /Z provides interrupted-file recovery. They solve different problems.
What Robocopy actually resumes
Restartable mode applies to an individual file transfer that was interrupted. If a computer reboots, a network connection drops or a copy process is stopped, Robocopy can use its restart information to continue that file rather than automatically sending all of its data again. The behavior is documented in Microsoft’s Robocopy command reference; it is not a promise that every storage, filesystem or hardware failure will be recoverable.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteRobocopy still compares the source and destination and processes the rest of the file tree according to your selection switches. A rerun may therefore skip files that are already identical, update files whose attributes or timestamps differ, and retry files that failed. “Resume” does not mean that every file is blindly appended to or that every interruption leaves a usable checkpoint.
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Choose the right switch
| Command choice | What it does | When it fits |
|---|---|---|
/Z |
Uses restartable mode, allowing an interrupted file to continue from where the transfer stopped. | Use when restartability matters, especially across an unstable network, and you accept extra processing overhead. |
/ZB |
Starts in restartable mode and switches to backup mode if access is denied. | Use when restartability is needed and backup-mode access is appropriate and available to the account running Robocopy. |
No /Z or /ZB |
Runs without the documented restartable-mode behavior. | Use only when you do not need checkpoint continuation and can tolerate a file being copied again after an interruption. |
/ZB is not simply a faster version of /Z. Backup mode changes how Windows accesses protected files and may require an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell session plus suitable permissions on the source and destination.
How to resume an interrupted copy
1. Reuse the original scope
Write down the exact source path, destination path and selection switches from the first run. Keep options such as /E, inclusion or exclusion filters, and timestamp or attribute choices consistent. Changing the scope during recovery can leave some files untouched or copy files you did not intend to include.
2. Rerun with restartable mode enabled
For example:
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /Z /R:2 /W:5 /LOG+:"C:Logscopy.log"/E includes all subdirectories, including empty ones. /Z enables restartable mode. In this example, /R:2 permits two retries and /W:5 waits five seconds between retries. These values are a practical starting point, not universal requirements.
3. Use the same saved job when applicable
If you saved a configuration, preserve it rather than reconstructing a different command. Robocopy’s job options are /SAVE:<jobname> and /JOB:<jobname>. A recovery run should load the same job and retain /Z or /ZB in that configuration. Confirm that the job still points to the intended source and destination before starting.
4. Append to a log
/LOG:<file> creates or overwrites the specified log. /LOG+:<file> appends output, which is useful when you want the original attempt and the recovery attempt in one file. A log lets you identify skipped files, access errors and files that still failed after the rerun.
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5. Let the run finish, then inspect it
Do not close the console as soon as the progress display appears complete. Wait for the final summary and record the process exit code. If the destination is a network share, keep the connection stable until Robocopy has written its final status.
Retries are not the same as resume
The /R and /W switches control what Robocopy does after a failed attempt. /R:n sets the retry count, and /W:n sets the wait in seconds before each retry. Neither switch enables checkpoint continuation.
Microsoft documents defaults of 1,000,000 retries for /R and 30 seconds for /W on its command-reference page. Those defaults can keep an unattended job running for an impractically long time. Set explicit limits when a job must finish or fail clearly, and adjust them to the problem:
- For a brief network flap, a few retries with a short wait may be sufficient.
- For a destination that is temporarily offline, use a longer wait and a retry count that matches your maintenance window.
- For a disconnected drive or failing disk, retries alone will not repair the underlying fault; investigate the device before rerunning.
A command such as /R:2 /W:5 means two additional attempts with five seconds between them. It does not mean “resume from five seconds ago”; the restart behavior comes from /Z or /ZB.
When should you use /ZB?
Choose /ZB when a protected file might produce an access-denied error and the account running Robocopy is allowed to use backup-mode access. Microsoft’s migration guidance notes that backup-mode use depends on an elevated console or PowerShell session, while the actual permissions on the source and destination still apply.
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Do not add /ZB reflexively. It carries the restartable behavior of /Z but can invoke a different access path, and it has the same performance concerns plus checkpointing overhead. If ordinary permissions are sufficient, /Z is the simpler choice. If access is denied, check elevation, share permissions, NTFS permissions and whether backup privileges are assigned before treating /ZB as a fix.
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Restartable mode is a resilience feature, not a free optimization. Microsoft’s Azure migration guidance says /Z adds logging and that /ZB adds checkpointing, significantly reducing copy performance. The guidance recommends using these modes cautiously and particularly considers them for unstable network conditions, where avoiding a full recopy may outweigh the throughput loss.
For a reliable local disk-to-disk transfer, benchmark or observe a small representative copy before enabling restartable mode for a very large job. For a long-running transfer over a connection that regularly drops, the additional overhead may be worthwhile because a failure does not necessarily discard all progress on the current file. The correct choice depends on the cost of repeating data versus the slower transfer rate.
Do not confuse /LFSM with restartable mode
/LFSM is a separate low-free-space mode. It pauses copying when continuing would reduce destination free space below a configured floor; it does not provide /Z‘s interrupted-file checkpoint behavior.
In Microsoft’s Azure migration guidance, /LFSM is intended for tiered-storage targets and is not supported for a remote SMB share. That guidance also lists it as incompatible with /MT, /EFSRAW and /ZB. If a destination is running out of space, first free space or choose an appropriate low-space strategy; adding /LFSM is not a substitute for restartable mode.
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Verify whether the rerun succeeded
Robocopy’s exit code needs to be read together with the final summary. Microsoft documents a return value of 8 or greater as meaning that at least one failure occurred. Codes below 8 can represent different outcomes, including extra files at the destination or mismatches, so a nonzero code below 8 is not automatically a failed copy.
| What to check | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| Exit code 8 or higher | At least one copy failure occurred. Review the log for the affected paths and error messages. |
| Exit code below 8 | Robocopy reports one of its non-failure or minor-difference states. Read the summary to distinguish copied files, skipped files, extras and mismatches. |
| Files listed as failed | Resolve the specific cause—permissions, path availability, locked files, free space or media errors—and rerun with the same restartable options. |
In migration output, Microsoft notes that a file can be reported as copied when only metadata changed. Its interpretation guidance uses “Newer” for data copied and “Modified” when only metadata was updated. That distinction matters when a log appears to show many copied files but the data volume transferred is smaller than expected.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common interruption scenarios
Windows restarted during a copy
Start the same command again with /Z or /ZB still present. Robocopy will rescan the tree and use restartable behavior for an interrupted file where its state is available. If the first command did not include either switch, do not promise that the partial file will resume; the rerun may need to copy that file again.
A network share disconnected
Reconnect the share, verify that the source and destination paths resolve, then rerun with bounded retries and a log. Restartable mode is most useful when the connection is unstable, but it cannot overcome a share that remains offline or credentials that no longer authorize access.
The destination filled up
Free space or move the destination, then rerun with the same selection and restartable option. Check whether the failed files are large enough to exceed the remaining capacity. /LFSM can pause for a low-space floor in supported local or tiered-storage scenarios, but it is a different feature and has the incompatibilities described above.
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Access was denied
Confirm both share and filesystem permissions. If policy allows backup-mode access, run an elevated console and consider /ZB; otherwise correct the permissions and continue with /Z. Do not assume elevation alone grants access to every remote resource.
What about multithreading?
/MT controls multithreaded copying, not restartability. Microsoft documents a range of 1 to 128 threads and a default of 8 on the command-reference page. You can use an explicit /MT:n value when parallel transfers suit the storage and network, but keep /Z or /ZB if interrupted-file recovery is required. In the Azure migration guidance, /LFSM is incompatible with /MT, so do not combine those switches in that scenario.
A practical recovery checklist
- Identify the exact original source, destination and file-selection options.
- Ensure the rerun includes
/Zor/ZB. - Use
/Rand/Wvalues that match the expected outage instead of accepting million-attempt defaults. - Append to a log with
/LOG+so the recovery is auditable. - If using a saved job, load the same
/JOB:<jobname>configuration and verify its paths. - Wait for the final summary and inspect the exit code.
- Investigate every failed path before declaring the copy complete.
For a saved job, the essential rule is simple: rerun the same job with restartable mode preserved. For a manually entered command, reproduce the same scope and add /Z or /ZB before starting the recovery.
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See Microsoft’s Robocopy command reference for switch syntax, job files, retries, logging and exit-code behavior. Microsoft’s migration-specific cautions about restart-mode performance, low-free-space mode and output interpretation are in Migrate Data into Azure File Sync with Azure Data Box. A community question describing a Windows restart and rerunning an .rcj job appears on Microsoft Q&A; the command reference remains the authoritative source for switch behavior.
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