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Use robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /ETA /TEE /LOG:"C:Logsrobocopy.log" /R:2 /W:5 for a recursive copy that includes empty folders, preserves file and directory timestamps, shows estimated completion, writes status to the console and a log, and avoids Robocopy’s extremely long default retry behavior. Replace the sample paths, create the log directory first, and verify every path before running.
The recommended command and what it does
This command is a practical starting point for a one-way Windows file copy:
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /ETA /TEE /LOG:"C:Logsrobocopy.log" /R:2 /W:5/Ecopies all subdirectories, including empty ones./COPY:DATrequests file data, attributes, and timestamps./DCOPY:DATrequests directory data, attributes, and timestamps./ETAdisplays an estimated arrival time for files being copied./TEEsends output to both the console and the log./LOG:"C:Logsrobocopy.log"saves output to that file and overwrites an existing log with the same name./R:2 /W:5retries a failed file twice and waits five seconds between attempts.
The log folder must already exist. For the example path, create it with mkdir C:Logs or choose a directory that is already present. Microsoft’s Robocopy reference documents these switches and their syntax.
Before you run Robocopy
Confirm the source and destination levels
Robocopy treats the first quoted argument as the source directory and the second as the destination directory. Decide whether you want the contents of a folder copied into an existing destination or the source folder itself represented as a new level. A wrong level is especially dangerous with mirroring because Robocopy can then remove items from a different destination tree.
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Use quotes for paths with spaces
Always quote paths such as C:UsersAlex SmithDocuments. Drive letters, UNC paths, and mapped drives can be used as long as the account running the command can read the source and write the destination.
Check the Windows version
The current Microsoft reference lists Windows 10 and Windows 11, plus Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 among supported products. Older or unusual environments may have different behavior or available switches, so run robocopy /? locally when working on an older Windows installation. The authoritative syntax and applicability list is maintained in Microsoft’s command documentation.
Choose the right recursive copy scope
| Goal | Switch | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Copy every subdirectory, including empty folders | /E |
Preserves the complete directory tree, including folders that contain no files. |
| Copy only populated subdirectories | /S |
Recurses through subdirectories but excludes empty ones. |
Use only one of these scope switches for a normal copy. The choice affects folder structure, not whether file timestamps are copied.
Preserve file and directory timestamps correctly
File metadata: /COPY:DAT
The letters in /COPY:DAT mean data (D), attributes (A), and timestamps (T). This is Microsoft’s documented default file-copy setting, but specifying it makes the intent visible in scripts and runbooks. It applies to files; it does not automatically request directory timestamps.
Directory metadata: /DCOPY:T or /DCOPY:DAT
Directory-copy flags are separate from file-copy flags. The documented default for directories is /DCOPY:DA, which does not include the timestamp flag. Add /DCOPY:T when you need directory timestamps, or use /DCOPY:DAT when you also want directory data and attributes. Microsoft’s Azure Data Box guidance specifically notes that /DCOPY:DAT is needed to transfer a directory’s CreationTime; see the metadata-preservation guidance.
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Show progress and retain a useful log
Estimated completion on screen
/ETA displays an estimated arrival time while files are copied. Do not add /NP (no progress), because that switch suppresses copy-progress output. A command intended for visible progress should omit /NP.
Console plus file logging
Combine /TEE with /LOG:path to see status in the current Command Prompt window while writing the same output to a file. /LOG: overwrites an existing log. Use /LOG+: when you want to append to an existing log instead:
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /ETA /TEE /LOG+:"C:Logscopy-history.log"Keep logs outside the source tree when possible. That avoids copying a growing log file into the destination and makes each run easier to audit.
Control retries instead of waiting indefinitely
Robocopy’s documented defaults are one million retries (/R:1000000) with a 30-second wait between attempts (/W:30). A disconnected network share or locked file can therefore keep a command running for an unexpectedly long time. Set explicit values that match the job:
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| Switch | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
/R:n |
Number of retries after an unsuccessful copy | /R:2 makes two retries. |
/W:n |
Wait time in seconds between retries | /W:5 waits five seconds. |
Low values are useful for interactive copies where you want a quick failure report. Higher values can be appropriate for a flaky network, but document them so an apparently stalled job is understood.
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Restartable mode
Add /Z to use restartable mode. If a transfer is interrupted, Robocopy can resume the file rather than restarting it from the beginning. This can reduce wasted bandwidth on large files, although restartable mode may have overhead on some workloads.
Multiple threads
/MT:n enables multithreaded copying. Microsoft documents values from 1 through 128 and a default of 8 threads when multithreading is enabled. More threads are not automatically faster: storage speed, network latency, file sizes, antivirus scanning, and server limits all affect the result. Start with a modest value and monitor the system instead of assuming the maximum is best.
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /Z /MT:8 /ETA /R:2 /W:5When combining /MT with logging, keep /TEE and /LOG if you need live status and a persistent record. Progress output can be more compact or less visually sequential in a multithreaded run because several files are processed concurrently.
Preview a job before it changes anything
Add /L for listing-only mode. Robocopy reports the actions it would take but does not copy, delete, or timestamp files. A preview is particularly important before using /MIR or /PURGE:
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robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /MIR /L /TEE /LOG:"C:Logspreview.log"- Run the preview with the exact source and destination paths you intend to use.
- Read the console output and the saved log, checking the folder level, files marked for copying, and items marked for deletion.
- Confirm that destination-only files are disposable and that the destination is not a broader directory than intended.
- Remove
/Lonly after the preview matches your plan.
Microsoft’s migration guidance emphasizes this listing-only check and warns that mismatched folder structures combined with /MIR can produce large-scale deletions and recopies: Azure Files Robocopy migration guidance.
Understand the deletion risk of mirror commands
/MIR is not a safer copy mode
/MIR mirrors the source by copying new and changed content and deleting destination items that are absent from the source. It is equivalent to combining recursive copying with purging of destination-only items. A typo in either path can therefore delete unrelated destination data.
/PURGE has the same cleanup consequence
/PURGE also deletes destination files and directories that no longer exist in the source. Use it only when the destination is deliberately maintained as an exact replica, not as a general backup containing additional files.
Safer mirror procedure
- Check both paths character by character, including drive letters, share names, and trailing folder levels.
- Run the same command with
/Land a log file. - Review every deletion reported in the preview.
- Keep a backup or snapshot of valuable destination-only data before the live run.
- Remove
/Lonly when deletion is explicitly intended.
Commands for common copying jobs
Complete tree with timestamps and ETA
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /ETAThis is the concise choice when you need the whole directory tree, including empty folders, and visible estimated progress without a log.
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Complete tree with console status and a new log
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /ETA /TEE /LOG:"C:Logscopy.log"Create C:Logs first. The specified log replaces an older file with that name.
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Mirror preview
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /MIR /L /TEE /LOG:"C:Logspreview.log"Use this to inspect planned copies and deletions; remove /L only after confirming that the destination cleanup is wanted.
Large, interruption-prone transfer
robocopy "C:Source" "D:Destination" /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT /Z /MT:8 /ETA /TEE /LOG+:"C:Logstransfer-history.log" /R:3 /W:10This variant resumes interrupted files, uses eight worker threads, appends to a historical log, and limits each failed file to three retries with ten-second waits.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A repeatable operating procedure
- Prepare the destination. Make sure the destination volume or network share is available and writable. Create the log directory before starting.
- Choose scope. Select
/Efor empty directories or/Sto omit them. - Set metadata explicitly. Use
/COPY:DATfor file data, attributes, and timestamps; add/DCOPY:Tor/DCOPY:DATwhen directory timestamps matter. - Decide how you will observe the run. Add
/ETAfor estimates, and pair/TEEwith/LOGor/LOG+when you need a record. - Bound failure handling. Set
/Rand/Wrather than accepting the one-million-retry, 30-second defaults. - Preview destructive operations. If using
/MIRor/PURGE, run with/Lfirst and inspect the log. - Run the live command. Keep the Command Prompt open if you want to watch progress, and retain the log for troubleshooting.
- Validate the result. Check representative files, folder timestamps, and the log for repeated failures or skipped items before treating the copy as complete.
Troubleshooting by symptom
No progress appears
Remove /NP if it was included. Add /ETA for estimated completion and run without redirecting all output away from the console. /TEE is useful when you also need the same status in a log.
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Files have correct times but folders do not
/COPY:DAT controls file metadata only. Add /DCOPY:T or /DCOPY:DAT and ensure the destination supports the timestamp values you need.
The command appears stuck on one file
Explicitly set /R:n and /W:n. The defaults can keep retrying for a very long time. Inspect the log for a disconnected share, permissions problem, locked file, or unavailable destination.
Unexpected destination files disappear
Review whether /MIR or /PURGE was used. Those switches intentionally remove destination-only items. Stop and restore from backup if the deletion was not intended; for future runs, preview with /L and verify the folder levels before executing.
The log is missing
Confirm that the parent directory exists and that the account can write there. Remember that /LOG: replaces an existing file, while /LOG+: appends. A path typo can send output somewhere other than expected, so use a fully quoted path.
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| Situation | Recommended switches | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Normal full copy, empty folders included | /E /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT |
Copies the complete tree and requests file and directory metadata. |
| Only populated folders | /S /COPY:DAT /DCOPY:DAT |
Excludes empty directories while retaining the metadata choices. |
| Visible progress without a saved log | /ETA |
Shows estimated arrival during the copy. |
| Visible progress plus an audit trail | /ETA /TEE /LOG:path |
Displays output and writes it to a file; use /LOG+ to append. |
| Interrupted large-file transfer | /Z, optionally /MT:n |
Restartable mode can resume interrupted files; multithreading may improve throughput depending on the workload. |
| Exact replica with destination cleanup | /MIR only after an /L preview |
Mirroring deletes destination-only items, so path verification is mandatory. |
Important limits and expectations
- Robocopy switch behavior is documented by Microsoft, but actual speed depends on disks, network conditions, file sizes, security software, and server limits.
- Metadata requests are not guarantees that every destination file system can store every source timestamp or attribute.
/COPY:DATdoes not copy directory timestamps; directory metadata requires a separate/DCOPYchoice./Lis a preview mode and must be removed for a live copy; leaving it in place performs no transfer.- Do not use
/MIRas a synonym for “safe backup.” It is synchronization with deletion, not additive archiving.
For complete option definitions, supported Windows editions, and syntax details, consult Microsoft’s Robocopy command reference. For migration-specific mirror precautions, see Microsoft’s Azure Files example, and for directory creation-time preservation, see the Azure Data Box metadata guidance.
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