Xxcopy

XXCOPY src [ dst ] [ options… ]

src Specifies the source file(s) or directory to copy.
dst Specifies the destination directory (no file names).
If dst ends with a trailing backslash, /I is assumed.
When any pathname is specified with an embedded blank,
the pathname must be surrounded by a pair of doublequotes.

CAUTION: The following list of the command description is *NOT*
designed for new users to learn the XXCOPY command set.
To quickly locate a short description of a command switch,
use the /HELPA command for the alphabetic listing.
For a better organized listing, see XXTB #27 at:

http://www.xxcopy.com/xxcopy27.htm

—– The following switches use file attributes to select files —–

/A Same as /ATA. Copies only files with the archive attribute set.
Doesn’t change the attribute.
/M Copies only src files with the archive attribute set.
Then, turns off the archive attribute of the source file.
/AT<mask> Selects files by the attribute bits (ACHSRo).
You may use two or more /AT<mask> switches to specify multiple
attributes required. E.g., /ATA/ATH qualifies files with both
the A(rchive) bit and the H(idden) bits.
Or, you may use one /AT<mask> switch with multiple letters to
select alternative attribute bits to select files. E.g.,
/ATAH qualifies a file which has either A-bit, H-bit or both.
/AX<mask> Excludes files with the specified attribute bits (ACHSRo).
You may use two or more /AX<mask> switches to specify
attribute bits to exclude files for file operations. E.g.,
/AXA/AXH excludes files with A-bit, H-bit, or both.
Or, you may use one /AX<mask> switch with multiple letters to
exclude files with only the specified combination of attribute
bits. E.g., /AXAH excludes files with both A-bit and H-bit.

Note: The /AT<mask> and /AX<mask> switches have opposite conjugation
rules (the effects of combining attribute bits — AND and OR).

/A0 Cancels *ALL* /A, /M, /AT, and /AX switches.

—– The following switches modifiy the file attributes —–

/AA Sets the src file archive bit (without actually copying).
/AZ Clears the src file archive bit (without actually copying).
Note: Both /AA and /AZ implicitly set /H (can be overridden).
/AC Clears the arch attribute of the src file after file action.
/AM Marks (sets) the arch attribute of the src file after file action.
/AN<mask> Sets a new value to file attribute bits (replace the value).
The <mask> value is a combination of letters, AHSRo.
Note: Unlike /AR and /AS, you cannot change the C-bit with /AN.
/AR<mask> Resets file attribute bits (clears specified bits).
/AS<mask> Sets file attribute bits (sets specified bits).

Note: The <mask> value for /AR and /AS specifies attributes (ACHSRo)
whose bits are either reset or set respectively to the existing
file attributes. Unspecified attributes bits are kept unchanged.
You may use both the /AR and /AS switches in one command.

/ARD<mask> Resets dir attribute bits (clears specified bits).
/ASD<mask> Sets dir attribute bits (sets specified bits).

/ARD and /ASD work on directories analogous to /AR and /AS.

Note: The /AA, /AN, /AR, /AS, /ARD, /ASD and /AZ switches modify the
file attributes without copying the files to the destination,
whereas the /A, /AT and /AX switches select files by the file
attributes for various operations (copy, list, remove, etc.).

—– The following switches use other file attribute bits —–

/H Copies hidden and/or system files also.
/H0 Excludes hidden and/or system files (default).
/Ho Copies hidden and/or system files only.
/R Allows overwrite/delete of read-only files.
/R0 Cancels overwrite/delete of read-only files.

—– The following switches determine file attributes on copy —–

/K Keeps the source attributes including read-only (same as /KS).
/KS Keeps the source attributes including the read-only bit.
/KD Keeps the attributes of destination (overwritten) file.
/KN Sets the destination attributes to normal (only the A-bit).
/K0 Keeps H-bit and S-bit, sets A-bit, clears R-bit (default).

/KCDP Sets dst dir’s C-bit with that of its parent dir (default).
/KCDD Keeps dst dir’s C-bit, a new dir gets its parent’s C-bit.
/KCDS Sets dst dir’s C-bit with that of src dir’s C-bit.
/KCDC Always sets the C-bit of dst directory (compress).
/KCDU Always resets the C-bit of dst directory (uncompress).

/KCFP Sets dst file’s C-bit with that of its parent dir (default).
/KCFD Keeps dst file’s C-bit, a new file gets its parent’s C-bit.
/KCFS Sets dst file’s C-bit with that of src file’s C-bit.
/KCFC Always sets the C-bit of dst file (compress).
/KCFU Always resets the C-bit of dst file (uncompress).

Note: The /Kx switches affect only A, R, H, and S bits of files,
whereas /KCFx and /KCDx affect only the C-bit of files and
directories, respectively.

—– The following switches are useful for backup and archive —–

/BI Backs up incrementally, different (by time/size) files only.
/BA Similar to /BI but includes dirs/files with different attrib.
/BB Backs up brand new files only (does not overwrite existing ones).
/BN Backs up newer files only (includes brand new files).
/Bo Backs up older files only (includes brand new files).
/BX Backs up different-date files (includes brand new files).
/BZ Same as /BZX.
/BZE Backs up equal-size files (includes brand new files).
/BZL Backs up larger-size files (includes brand new files).
/BZS Backs up smaller-size files (includes brand new files).
/BZX Backs up different-size files (includes brand new files).
/BE Backs up exactly the same files(includes brand new files).
/BS Selects exactly the same files (this is useful with /RS).
/BU Standard Backup switch (a short form of /BACKUP).
/B0 Undo any of /BA, /BI, /BB, /BN, /Bo, /BX, or /BZ switches.
/U Updates the files that already exist in destination.
/SP Spans the copy job over multiple destination (new volume).
/CD0 Does not compare file data byte-by-byte (default).
/CDM Selects files whose data match in byte-by-byte comparison.
/CDU Selects files whose data unmatch and brand new files.
/CDX selects files whose data match byte-by-byte and brand new files.

/CLONE Duplicates a directory (volume). This switch is a shortcut for
the following combination: /KS/H/E/R/Q/Y/BI/ZY/ZE/oD0.
/BACKUP Standard Backup without deleting any file (/CLONE without /ZY).
A shortcut for the following combination: /KS/H/E/R/Q/Y/BI/ZE/oD0.

Note: A «brand new» file refers to a file which exists in the
source directory but not in the destination directory
(Micrososoft’s Robocopy call it a «lonely file»).

—– The following switch adds inclusive alternate templates —–

/IN<tmpl> Includes an alternate filename template (tmpl).

You may specify as many alternate filename patterns as you want.
The template must be for the «Lastname» of the source specifier
(no backslash in the template, but wildcard characters are OK).

—– The following switch selects filepaths in the include file —–

/EIN<inlst> Specifies a text file with a list of filepaths to be included.
Two or more /EIN switches may be specified in a command.
The current version of XXCOPY does not support a wildcard
in the included filepath. (This may change in the future.)

Note: Even with an /EIN switch present, the source specifier must always
be furnished in the command line. The destination directory is
also required for operations that need one.

Note: When a filepath in an include file does not exist, or fails to
match the path template in the source specifier, the file will
not be selected in the operation.

Note: With an /EIN switch, XXCOPY will merge the entire set of included
files for the job and sort the order of access, eliminating
files duplicated and those that are outside of the source base

Note: The base path can be specified with a /BASE<path> switch that
follows immediately after an /EIN switch to override the base
directory when the original file list was generated.

/BASE<path> Sets an optional base path for the paths in /EIN list file
that appears immediately to its left in the command line.

—– The following switches exclude directories or files —–

/X<xspec> Adds an exclusion specifier (xspec) (see below for exclusion).
/EX<xlist> Specifies a text file which contains a list of xspecs (see below).

<xspec> Exclusion item for /X and the file contents specified by /EX.

. The text file may contain an arbitrary number of xspecs which
are separated by space, tab, or newline characters.
. An xspec with embedded spaces must be surrounded by a pair
of double-quote characters(«).
. An xspec cannot span from one line to another.
. Two consecutive colons (::) or slashes (//) start a comment
field which ends at the end of the line.
. You may specify more than 1 exclusion file. In such a
case all of the exclusion files will be processed.

Exclusion specifier (xspec) syntax:

. You may use any number of wildcard characters (* or ?) anywhere
in an exclusion specifier (Wild-Wildcard).
. An xspec for directories must be followed by a backslash.
. An xspec not followed by a backslash is for files.
. To use the old syntax for directory_template\?\*, you must
the /GX switch. In lieu of the obsolete syntax, it is advised
that the regular syntax (directorY_template\?*\*) be used.
. A bare file template applies to all directories.
E.g., *.mp3 is treated as *\*.mp3 (*\ is implicitly assumed).

XXCOPY optimizes the exclusion parameter by eliminating
some redundant specifiers.
Use «/W/oX» with xspec to test the syntax.

/ZLX0 Disables exclusion testing (default).
/ZLX Enables exclusion test (displays only excluded objects).

Note: /ZLX performs a ‘dry-run’ (like /L) without copying files.

—– The following switches limit files by the filetime —–

/D Same as /DA.
/DA Copies newer files and brand new files.
/DB Copies older files and brand new files.
/DS Copies only the files whose filetime is exactly the same.
/DX Copies only the files whose filetime is different in any way.

Note: All filetime comparisons are affected by the fuzzy range (/FF).

/D:<date> Same as /DA:<date>.
/DA:<date> Copies files that were changed on or after the specified date.
/DB:<date> Copies files that were changed on or before the specified date.
/Do:<date> Copies files that were changed on the specified date.
/DA#<n> Copies files that were changed on or after <n> days ago.
/DB#<n> Copies files that were changed on or before <n> days ago.
/Do#<n> Copies files that were changed on the day <n> days ago.

Note: A «brand new» file refers to a file which exists in the
source directory but not in the destination directory
(Micrososoft’s Robocopy call it a «lonely file»).

Note: With /DA#<val>, /DB#<val> and /DO#<val>, the parameter <val> will
be treated as the number of Days unless it is appended with a
one-letter suffix (D, H, M, or S which stand for Days, Hours,
Minutes, or Seconds, respectively). When <val> is given in
the number of days, the exact time is midnight of the day.

e.g., /DA#0 denotes files made some time today after midnight.
/DO#2 means all day the day before yesterday.
/DA#30m selects files made within the last 30 minutes.

/DA:. Copies files that were changed today or later (same as /DA#0).
/DB:. Copies files that were changed yesterday or earlier.
/Do:. Copies files that were changed today only.

/DA:<val> and /DB:<val> work as a pair if both are specified.

e.g., /DA:1997-01-01 /DB:1997-12-31 files made in 1997
/DA:1997-04-01 /DB:1997-04-30 files made in April 1997
/DB:1997-03-31 /DA:1997-05-01 exclude files made in April
/DA:1997-01-01 /DB:1997-01-01 try shorter /Do:1997-01-01

Since the US and European conventions are not reconcilable,
we recommend the ISO 8601 standard (YYYY-MM-DD) with a 4-digit
year value followed by month and day. If all values have two
digits only, it is interpreted according to the system setting.
A file date must be between 1970-01-01 and 2069-12-31.

A partial date specifier is accepted for /DA:, /DB: and /DO:
where yyyy-mm and yyyy denote the month and year respectively.
E.g., /DO:2000-2 is equivalent to /DA:2000-2-1 /DB:2000-2-29,
and /DB:1999 to /DB:1999-12-31, and /DA:2000 to /DA:2000-1-1.

/DA:<time> Same as /DA:<date> except an additional time value may be added.
/DB:<time> Same as /DB:<date> except an additional time value may be added.

The <time> parameter starts with the <date> (as shown above)
followed by ‘T’ or ‘@’ and hh:mm:ss, hh:mm, or hh.

e.g., 2002-10-25T15:25:30 (recommended as ISO 8601 std)
31-10-2002@13:00 10-31-2002@13 (min and sec may be omitted)
(/D0:<date> cannot be specified with the <time> value).

Note: /DA, /DB, /DX, /DS, /Do, /DA:<date> and /DB:<date> are mutually
exclusive (except /DA:<date> and /DB:<date> work as a pair).

Note: /DA /DB and /DD, if date is omitted, are the same as /BN and /Bo
except they can be combined with another /B switch (e.g., /BI).

Note: /DA, /DB, /DX and /DS compare source and destination files using
both date and time whereas /DA:<date> and /DA#<n> use date only.

/D0 Cancels all file-date related (/D…) switches.

—– The following switches modify filetime semantics —–

/FW Uses the Last-Write timestamp for Filetime (default).
/FA Uses the Last-Access timestamp for Filetime.
/FC Uses the Creation timestamp for Filetime.

Note: /FW, /FA and /FC are mutually exclusive choices.

/FL Filetime in Local time (default).
/FU Filetime in UTC (Universal Coordinated Time – same as GMT).

Note: /FL and /FU are mutually exclusive choices.

/FF Fuzzy Filetime (same as /FF2S — matches within 2 sec).
/FF0 Fuzzy Filetime cancelled (adjustment value set to +/- 0).
/FF<val> Fuzzy Filetime, adjust ref time +/- <val> seconds.
/FF+<val> Fuzzy Filetime, adjust ref time by adding <val> seconds.
/FF-<val> Fuzzy Filetime, adjust ref time by subtracting <val> seconds.

Note: With /FF<val>, /FF+<val> and /FF-<val>, the parameter <val> will
be treated as the number of seconds unless it is appended with a
one-letter suffix (D, H, M, or S which stand for Days, Hours,
Minutes, or Seconds, respectively).

e.g., /FF treats file times within +/- 2 sec as the same.
/FF-1H treats files older by up to 1 hour as the same.
/FF+2/FF-4 (you may choose asymmetric slack values).

Note: The /FF switch affects all filetime comparisons such as /CLONE,
/BI,/BA,/BU,/BS,/BX,/BO,/BN,/DA,/DB,/DS,/DX,/TS and /TD.

Note: The FAT (DOS/Win9x) file system has a 2-second granularity in
file time whereas NTFS, Unix and other file systems use finer
time stamps. The /FF switch is useful for incremental backup
between volumes of different file systems.

—– The following switches cope with time zones —–

/TS+<n> Adds an offset to the time of source (and the copied ) file.
/TS-<n> Subtracts an offset time from source (and the copied) file.
/TD+<n> Adds an offset to the time of the destination file.
/TD-<n> Subtracts an offset time from the dst file for comparison.

Note: The offset value <n> for /TS and /TD is specified in hours
unless it is appended with a one-letter suffix (D, H, M, or S
which stand for Days, Hours, Minutes, or Seconds respectively).

—– The following switches control timestamps —–

/TTA Touches (modifies) timestamp of Last Access of src.
/TTA0 Preserves timestamp of Last Access of src (default).

/TC Shortcut for /TCA/TCC/TCW (copies all three types of timestamps).
/TC0 Shortcut for /TCA0/TCC0/TCW0.

/TCA Copies the timestamp of Last Access fm src to dst.
/TCA0 Uses current time for dst Last Access (default).

/TCC Copies the timestamp of Create Time fm src to dst.
/TCC0 Uses current time for dst Create time (default).

/TCW Copies the Last Write time fm src to dst (default).
/TCW0 Uses current time for dst Last Write time.

—– The following switches qualify the source by file size —–

/SZ:<n>-<m> Selects files whose size is between n bytes and m bytes.
/SZ:<n>- Selects files whose size is equal to or greater than n bytes.
/SZ:-<m> Selects files whose size is equal to or less than m bytes.
/SZ:<n> Selects files whose size is exactly n bytes.
/SZ!<n>-<m> Selects files whose size is NOT between n bytes and m bytes.
/SZ!<n>- Selects files whose size is NOT equal to or greater than n bytes.
/SZ!-<m> Selects files whose size is NOT equal to or less than m bytes.
/SZ!<n> Selects files whose size is NOT equal to n bytes.
/SZ:- Disables size-based selection (/SZ!- also works).

Note: The size values <n> and <m> are entered in bytes unless appended
with a suffix letter (K, M, G, T which stand for metric
kilo (x1000), mega (x1000000), giga (x1000000000), or
tera (x1000000000000), respectively).

—– The following switch limits the destination file size —–

/TR<n> Truncates the new file to (copies the first) n bytes.

—– The following switches deal with subdirectories —–

/S Copies directories and subdirectories except empty ones.
/E Copies directories and subdirectories, including empty ones.
Same as /S /E.

/T Creates directory structure, but does not copy files. It copies
all directories including empty ones (implicitly sets /E).

/SG Same as /SGN (see variations in handling duplicates below).
/SGF Gathers files into one-level directory (unsorted First file 1st).
/SGL Gathers files into one-level directory (unsorted Last file 1st).
/SGN Gathers files into one-level directory (sorted, Newest file 1st).
/SGo Gathers files into one-level directory (sorted, Oldest file 1st).
/SGFo Gathers files into one-level directory (First only).
/SGLo Gathers files into one-level directory (Last only).
/SGNo Gathers files into one-level directory (Newest only).
/SGoo Gathers files into one-level directory (Oldest only).
/SG0 Cancels file-gather switches (/SG…).

Note: /SGL and /SGLo is works well with other file-selection switches.
E.g., /SGLo /BZL to gather the largest file of its kind.

/SL Flattens subdirectories, add-name-Left (see below).
/SX Flattens subdirectories, add-name-Middle (see below).
/SR Flattens subdirectories, add-name-Right (see below).

/SL, /SX, and /SR are the same as /S except the output files
will be saved as a flat directory without adding levels of
subdirectories. The source subdirectory name will become a
part of the target filename. /SL and /SR add the subdir name
to the left or right of the name respectively.
/SX inserts the subdirectory name in the middle.

/SLR Rebuilds flattened directory (path to the left).
/SXR Rebuilds flattened directory (path in the middle).
/SRR Rebuilds flattened directory (path to the right).

/SLR /SXR, and /SRR do opposite of /SL, /SX and /SR, respectively.

/S<d> Sets the directory delimiter character for /SL, /SX and /SR,
where <d> is any legal non-alphabetic, non-blank character.
The default delimiter is back-apostrophe (`).

/DL<n> Limits processing of directory nesting to n levels.
/DL0 removes the limit. /DL works only when /S or /E is set.

—– The following switches deal with the path length —–

/VL Enables the Very Long Path (same as /VL32767).
/VL<n> Sets the maximum path length to n chars (up to 32767).
/VL0 Disables the Very Long Path (default with 259 chars).

/PL:<n>-<m> Selects files whose full path length is between n and m.
/PL:<n>- Selects files whose full path length is n or greater.
/PL:-<m> Selects files whose full path length is m or less.
/PL:<n> Selects files whose full path length is exactly n.
/PL!<n>-<m> Selects files whose full path length is NOT between n and m.
/PL!<n>- Selects files whose full path length is NOT n or greater.
/PL!-<m> Selects files whose full path length is NOT m or less.
/PL!<n> Selects files whose full path length is NOT equal to n.
/PL:- Disables path length-based selection (/PL!- also works).

—– The following switches check the destination directory —–

/I If destination does not exist and copying more than one file,
assumes that destination must be a directory (no prompting).
Note: when the destination specifier ends with a backslash,
it declares as a directory which implicitly sets the /I switch.
/IA Continues if destination is absent (terminates if exists).
/IA<item> Continues if the specified item (file/directory) is absent.
/IP Continues if destination is present (terminates if absent).
/IP<item> Continues if the specified item (file/directory) is present.
/ILD<label> Continues if the destination volume label matches as specified.
/ILS<label> Continues if the source volume label matches as specified.

/Z Deletes extra files or subdirectories in destination.
/ZY Same as /Z except there is no confirmation prompt.

—– The following switches control the file copy buffer size —–

/ZB<n> Sets the size of the file copy buffer (in bytes, 4G max).
/ZB0 Cancels the buffer size setting (uses the default size).

—– The following switches control the safe file overwrite —–

/So Enables Standard Safe File Overwrite (Same as /So1).
/So0 Disables Safe File Overwrite.
/So1 Enables Standard Safe File Overwrite (default).
/So2 Enables Very Safe File Overwrite (always via temporary file).

—– The following switches control the file versioning —–

/JV Archives existing dst file with a versioning number (9999).
/JV<n> Archives existing dst file up to up to n versions.
/JV0 Disables versioning by simply overwriting the existing file

—– The following switches control the prompting behaviors —–

/P Prompts you before creating each destination file.
/PC Prompts you before creating new files.
/PC0 Suppresses warning on file-creation.
/Po Prompts you before overwriting existing files (default).
/Po0 Suppresses warning on file-overwrite (Legacy /Y).
/PD Prompts you before processing each directory.
/PD0 Suppresses prompt before processing each directory.
/PJ Prompts before a different type dst is overwritten (default).
/PJ0 Suppresses the warning for trans-overwrite (different type).
/PM Prompts before deleting existing file at the move destination.
/PM0 Suppresses prompts on deleting existing file at move destination.
/PN Prompts when on excessive failures on /NX operations.
/PN0 Suppresses prompts on excessive failures of /NX operatoins.
/PZ Prompts you for confirmation of the dst (for /CLONE /Z /ZY).
/PZ0 Suppresses the prompt for directory confirmation on /CLONE /Z /ZY.
/PP Enables the space bar press-for-pause feature (default).
/PP0 Disables the space bar press-for-pause feature.
/PR Prompts on removing a file whose path contains reparse pt (default).
/PR0 Does not prompt before removing a filw with reparse point path.
/PW Enables Prompt with Dialog Window.
/PW0 Disables Prompt with Dialog Window (default).

/W Same as /WS.
/WS Prompts you to press a key at the start of the job.
/WS<n> Waits at the start of operation for a specified period (n sec).
/WE Prompts you to press a key at the end of the job.
/WE<n> Waits at the end of the operation for a specified period (n sec).
/WD Prompts with a warning for copying a non-directory src (default).
/WD0 Suppresses warning for copying a non-directory source.
/WL Issues a warning when a path length exceeds the limit (default).
/WL0 Suppresses warning for a path length that exceeds the limit.
/WN Displays a warning on failure on SFN-preservation in file copy.
/WN0 Suppresses warning on failure on SFN-preservation in file copy.
/WU<n> Prompts with a warning for unnecessary destination (default).
/WU0<n> Suppresses warning for unnecessary destination specifier.

/C Continues copying even if errors occur (default).
/C0 Disables the /C switch (terminates upon error).
/CB Continues batch file if XXCOPY ended OK last time.
/CB0 Cancels the /CB and /CBQ switches.
/CBQ Same as /CB except suppresses console output to end immediately.
/CE Same as /CBQ/EC (most useful in batch file with @echo off).
/CR<n> Sets the retry period (n seconds, default = 3) on failed copy.

/Y Overwrites existing files without prompt (same as /Po0) (see /BB).
/-Y Prompts you before overwriting existing files (same as /Po).
/Y0 Same as above (also /Po or /-Y).
/YY Suppresses nearly all prompts (good for batch scripts).

—– The following switches control Remove (file delete) —–

/RC Removes files in src after a successful copy (equivalent to move).
/RS Removes files in src which qualify (no copying).
/RD Removes files in dst which qualify to be overwritten (no copying).
/RX Removes files in dst which are absent in src (no copying).
/R0 Cancels overwrite/delete of read-only files.
/RCP Prompts on source-file-remove after successful copy (default).
/RCY Suppresses prompts after a successful source-file-remove.

Note: Whereas /Y and /-Y modify prompting for the copy action
of /RC (Remove after Copy) switch, the suffix ‘P’ or ‘Y’ controls
the prompt for the file remove action after copy.

Note: The suffix ‘P’ or ‘Y’ can also be added to any of /RS, /RD,
or /RX switches which will insert or suppress respective prompt.
For these remove-without-copy switches, the /Y and /-Y switches
also control the prompt for the remove action.

Note: /RX can be thought of a /Z operation without copying files.
In general, the /RS/BB combination (by swapping src and dst)
provides more file-selection controls than the /RX switch.

Note: /PD and /PD0 control additional prompt on each directory.

/RMDIR Removes a directory. Same as /RS/S/H/R/PD0/ED0.

—– The following switch copy files —–

/CoPY Copies files specified in the src specifier to the dst directory
This switch is seldom seen but implicitly set unless overridden by
an action selector such as /L (list), /RS (remove), etc.

—– The following switches control Move operations —–

/MVD Moves directories (the src and dst must be in the same volume).
/MVF Moves files (the src and dst must be in the same volume).
/MVX Moves files, if fails then tries /RC (remove-after-copy).

—– The following switches control empty directories —–

/ED0 Deletes empty directories (default).
/ED Preserves the directory even if it becomes empty.
/ED<n> Preserves n levels of empty directories.

Note: The /EDxx switches are in effect only with file/directory removal
operations (/Z, /RC, /RS, /RD, /RX, and /CLONE cases).

—– The following switches control cyclic directory copy —–

/CC0 Disallows cyclic copy (src includes the dst directory) (default).
/CC Warns a cyclic copy with a Y/N prompt.
/CCY Allows a cyclic copy by excluding the destination from the src.

—– Filename pattern matching —–

/N Uses the short (8.3) name for name matching, and creation.
/N0 Disables the /N feature (default, uses longname when applicable).
/NP Uses precise name matching (default, ignores match in alias).
/NP0 Uses loose name matching (longname or shortname match).
/NX Preserves the shortname when the file is copied.
/NX0 Disables the /NX (shortname preservation) feature.

Note: If src and dst are both local drive, the shortname will be
preserved (/NX) by default, but if either src or dst is
specified by a UNC (starts with \\), /NX0 is default.

/NL Renames longname to match the source (No copy operations).
/NS Renames shortname to match the source (No copy operations).
/NC0 Disables /NCL, /NCU, or /NCX (accepts letters of both cases).
/NCU Uses Uppercase-only name when a new file is created.
/NCL Uses Lowercase-only name when a new file is created.
/NCX Uses Uppercase-only name when a new short-name file is created.
/NoP Performs no ‘regular’ operations (good for /MD, /WS, etc.).
/NW Uses the new (Win32) wildcard matching scheme.
/ND Uses the old (DOS) wildcard matching scheme.
Note: /ND and /NW are mutually exclusive choices.

—– The following switches terminate when a quota is met —-

/QF Quits when the quota for the file count has been reached.
/QBL Quits before the byte count exceeds the limit (same as /QB).
/QBT Quits when the total byte count reaches the trigger point.
/QSL Quits before the space dips below the limit (same as /QS).
/QST Quits when the remaining space reaches the trigger point.

—– Miscellaneous switches —–

/NI Becomes nice to other tasks by idling (1000 msec) between actions.
/NI<n> Same as /NI. Specifies n msec as the idle time (0 to disable it).

/CF<fname> Specifies a Command File which provides text as if it were typed
at the position where the switch appeared in the command line.
The Command File is a text file which may have multple lines.
// Starts a comment field. The rest of the line will be ignored.
:: Starts a comment field. The rest of the line will be ignored.

/V Verifies after copy; default (same as /V1).
/V1 Verifies after copy (quick test — file size match).
/V2 Verifies after copy byte-by-byte check (DATMAN 2-pass).
/V0 Disables verify switch (canceling /V, /V1, or /V2).
/ER Emulates XCOPY’s exit code (for ERRORLEVEL check in batch files).

/CLONE Duplicates a directory (volume). This switch is a shortcut for
the following combination: /KS/H/E/R/Q/Y/BI/ZY/ZE/oD0.

/CK Checks remaining space before copy (default).
/CK0 Disables the pre-check of remaining space before copy.

—– The following switches control the progress bars —–

/PB Shows Progress bar for the job (default file progress >= 1M).
/PB<n> Shows Progress bar for the job and another Progress bar for a
single-file progress with file length greater than <n>, which is
specified in bytes (or with a suffix, K, M or G) (default: 1M).
/PBH Enables Progress bar Halt/Abort button (default).
/PBH0 Disables Progress bar Halt/Abort button.
/PBP<x:y> Sets the Progress bar position on the Desktop.
/PBT<txt> Displays a user-supplied text as the title of the progress bar.
/PBZ<n> Sets the total job size (in bytes) manually for a 1-pass run.

—– The following switches control List output —–

/L Same as /LLZ which performs the list operation (no file copy).
/L<items> Customizes the format for List operation (no file copy).

<items> is a string of one or more of the following letters
which selects the combination and the output order.

D file date
T file time
H history (creation, last-write, last-access timestamps)
Z file size in bytes
A file attributes: A(rchive),H(idden),S(system),R(eadonly)
S short name (8.3)
N long name (lastname) without path
L long name with full directory path
P parent path name without the lastname
R long relative (below base directory) name
o owner of the file
J J-thingy object type
, comma as a separator (for a CSV format output)

Note: When S and L are both missing, L is used by default.

Note: The format specified by /FM<items> will be used
for /L output if /L is present without its own parameter.

/LTREE Lists directory tree (without copy or making directories).

Note: with /LTREE, the /DA/DB/DO parameters apply to dir time.

/F Displays full source and destination file names while copying.
/Fo<fname> Saves a list of files selected (use /FM to format) into a file.
/FM0 Cancels the /FM<items> parameter previously set.
/FM<items> Specifies the output line format for /L and or /Fo output.

<items> is a string of one or more of the following letters
which selects the combination and the output order.

D file date
T file time
H history (creation, last-write, last-access timestamps)
Z file size in bytes
A file attributes: A(rchive),H(idden),S(system),R(eadonly)
S short name (8.3)
N long name (lastname) without path
L long name with full directory path
P parent path name without the lastname
R long relative (below base directory) name
o owner of the file
J J-thingy object type

Note: When S and L are both missing, L is used by default.

Note: /L/FM<items> can be combined into a /L<items> switch.

—– Miscellaneous switches —–

/MD<dir> Makes directory before other actions (even with /L).

Tip: make a date-encoded directory with a macro reference.
e.g., /MDc:\Bkup/$DATE$ (even good for log files).

/WHICHX Identifies which program file (XXCOPY.EXE) is being invoked.

—– The following switches control Security Information —–

/SC Same as /SC7 (copies all security info) when file is copied.
/SC0 Cancels the /SC or /SF switch (no security info copied).
/SC1 Copies security info ( DACL) when file is copied.
/SC2 Copies security info ( SACL ) when file is copied.
/SC3 Copies security info ( SACL + DACL) when file is copied.
/SC4 Copies security info (Owner ) when file is copied.
/SC5 Copies security info (Owner + DACL) when file is copied.
/SC6 Copies security info (Owner + SACL ) when file is copied.
/SC7 Copies security info (Owner + SACL + DACL) when file is copied.

/SF Same as /SF7 (fixes up all security info) no file copied.
/SF0 Cancels the /SC or /SF switch (equivalent to /SC0).
/SF1 Fixes up security info ( DACL) (no file copy).
/SF2 Fixes up security info ( SACL ) (no file copy).
/SF3 Fixes up security info ( SACL + DACL) (no file copy).
/SF4 Fixes up security info (Owner ) (no file copy).
/SF5 Fixes up security info (Owner + DACL) (no file copy).
/SF6 Fixes up security info (Owner + SACL ) (no file copy).
/SF7 Fixes up security info (Owner + SACL + DACL) (no file copy).

Note: /SC and /SF work only when src and dst are both NTFS.

/TESTSC Enable On-the-fly Test on the /SC7 or /SF7 function.

—– The following switches control file sharing —–

/SHR Enables file-sharing for read-only with other programs (default).
/SHW Enables file-sharing for write-only with other programs.
/SHRW Enables file-sharing for rd/wr with other programs (same as /SH).
/SH0 Disables any sharing (Exclusive file access only).

—– The following switches control junctions and symbolic links —–

/JS Treats file symbolic links as symblic links (default).
/JS0 Treats file symbolic links as regular files.

/JH Same as /JH1 (checks file for hard link in WinSxS\) (default).
/JH2 Treats file hard links as hard links in any directory.
/JH1 Treats file hard links only in WinSxS\ dir as hard links (dflt).
/JH0 Treats file hard links always as regular files.

/JL Treats directory symbolic links as symblic links (default).
/JL0 Treats directory symbolic links as regular directories.

/JP Treats junction (non-mount) points as junction pts (default).
/JP0 Treats junction (non-mount) points as regular directories.

/JM Treats volume mount points as volume mount points(default).
/JM0 Treats volume mount points as regular directories.

/JJ Shortcut for /JL/JM/JP/JS/JH (default).
/JJ0 Shortcut for /JL0/JM0/JP0/JS0/JH0.

/JR Shortcut for /JL/JM/JP/JS.
/JR0 Shortcut for /JL0/JM0/JP0/JS0.

/JX<mask> Excludes the specified J-thingies from normal processing.
Note: The <mask> specifies one or more J-thingies (FSHDLMP).
/JX0 Processes all J-thingies without being excluded (default).
/JXJ Same as /JXLMPSH (excludes all J-thingies including HLNK).
/JXR Same as /JXLMPS (excludes all reparse points (not HLNK)).

/JI<mask> Includes the specified J-thingies (inverse switch of /JX).
Note: The <mask> specifies one or more J-thingies (FSHLMP).
E.g., /JIM is equivalent to /JXFHLPS (D is not excluded).
/JIJ Same as /JXF (selects <LNK>,<JCT>,<MNT>,[SYM] and [HLK]).
/JIR Same as /JXFH (selects <LNK>,<JCT>,<MNT> and [SYM]).

/PJ Prompts before a different type dst is overwritten (default).
/PJ0 Suppresses the warning for trans-overwrite (different type).

/PR Prompts on removing a file whose path contains reparse pt (default).
/PR0 Does not prompt before removing a filw with reparse point path.

/WR Warns if src or dst specifier contains a reparse point (default).
/WR0 Suppresses warning for src or dst specifier with a reparse point.

/JCYCLIC Scans the src and lists all cyclic links (<LNK><JCN><MNT>).

—– The following switches control hard links and symbolic links —–

/HL0 Cancels the hard link fixup function (/HLE or /HLN) (default).
/HLE Fixes up hard link(s) of the dst file only with existing file(s).
/HLN Copies hard links in src dir to dst with new links as needed.

/MLH Makes a hard link file in dst for each file in the src.
/ULH Unlinks hard link files into regular (non hard link) files.

—– The following switches control file-write cache —–

/CA Enables all cache. Same as /CA7 (default).
/CA0 Cache control: src-rd = OFF dst-wr = OFF dst-rd = OFF
/CA1 Cache control: src-rd = OFF dst-wr = OFF dst-rd = ON
/CA2 Cache control: src-rd = OFF dst-wr = ON dst-rd = OFF
/CA3 Cache control: src-rd = OFF dst-wr = ON dst-rd = ON
/CA4 Cache control: src-rd = ON dst-wr = OFF dst-rd = OFF
/CA5 Cache control: src-rd = ON dst-wr = OFF dst-rd = ON
/CA6 Cache control: src-rd = ON dst-wr = ON dst-rd = OFF
/CA7 Cache control: src-rd = ON dst-wr = ON dst-rd = ON

—– The following switches control the console output —–

/EC Echoes the entire command line (after macro processing).
/Q0 Displays all file names.
/Q Same as /Q1. Does not display files which are skipped.
/Q1 Does not display files which are skipped.
/Q2 Does not display directories which are excluded.
/Q3 Does not display file and directory names while copying.
/WI<n> Sets the output line width to n columns (default:auto).
/ZS Disables the sign-on message and statistics output.

—– The following switches control the log output —–

/oA<fname> Appends to a logfile, reporting errors. (does not overwrite log).
/oN<fname> Outputs a new logfile, reporting errors (make a new log) file.
/oQ Surrounds pathname output with a pair of quotation marks.
/o0 Cancels the /oN or /oA switch specified earlier.

/oR Displays the target path of reparse point.
/oR0 No display of the target path of reparse point.

The screen and the log file output can be set by the following:

/oB<n> Brief switch (both specified and default) list.
/oC<n> Displays links (<LNK><JCT><MNT>) that are cyclically referenced.
/oD<n> Deleted-file list (by a /Z or /ZY switch).
/oE<n> Error summary with the system error code
/oF<n> File list (files which were successfully operated on).
/oH<n> Displays the list of hard link(s) to the selected file if linked.
/oI<n> Include-item (alternate file template) list.
/oP<n> Parameter (command switch detailed) list.
/oS<n> Skipped-file list (with the reason why skipped).
/oX<n> Exclude-item list.

The suffix value <n> for /oB/oD/oE/oF/oH/oI/oP/oS/oX works as follows:

0: No output
1: Screen only
2: Log file only
3: Screen and Log file both

Note: It is advised that the log file created by /oA or /oN to be
free from the names of successfully copied files that would
overshadow relatively infrequent lines of error and warning.
Instead, use the /Fo switch to create a separate file for a
list of successfully copied files.

/UT Encodes output file(s) in UTF-8 text.
/UT0 Encodes output file(s) in ANSI text (default).

/DEBUG Shows the command parameters and prompts you to start.
/DEBUGX Shows the command parameters and exits.
/HELP Shows the switches in detail (print this output).
/HELP /X Shows Partial Help (switches starting with letter X).
/HELPA Shows the /HELP listing in alphabetical order.
/HELPE Lists the Exit codes (ERRORLEVEL values) returned by XXCOPY.
/? Shows a summary of the switches on one page.
… /? Shows related switches when entered with other switches.

Note: All XXCOPY command switches are case-insensitive.
The alphabet, O, is rendered in lowercase (o) in this page to
distinguish it from the numeric zero (0).

Note: Virtually all of the switches can be disabled by adding 0 (zero)
at the end (e.g., /A and /A0). Due to space limitation and

their redundant nature, only some of these cases are listed in
the help text.

—– Predefined macros to embed current date and time —-

/$xxxx$ Predefined macros for current date and time which may appear
anywhere in the command argument and other XXCOPY parameters.
Examples below are for the current time, Dec 25, 2002 13:15:30.
/$DATE$ Expands to month and date (equivalent to /$MMDD$) –> «1225».
/$TIME$ Expands to hour and minutes (equiv. /$HHNN$) –> «1315».
/$YYMMDD$ Expands to 2-digit year month day –> «021225».
/$YYYY-MM$ Expands to 4-digit year month –> «2002-12».
/$HHNNSS$ Expands to hour minutes second –> «131530».
/$MON-DD$ Expands to month day –> «DEC-25».
/$II-IWK-K$ Expands to ISO 8601 year-wkno-dow –> «02-W52-3».

/TM0 Cancels the time offset set by /TM+ or /TM-.
/TM+<n> Adds an offset to the current time of macro reference.
/TM-<n> Subtracts an offset to the current time of macro reference.

Note: The offset value <n> for /TM+ and /TM- is specified in hours
unless it is appended with a one-letter suffix (D, H, M, or S
which stand for Days, Hours, Minutes, or Seconds respectively).

—– Environment Variables in XXCOPY command files —-

/%xxxx% Environment variable (E-Var) reference in command files
(/CF and /EX). Like the macro reference counterpart,
the string value which correspoinds to an E-Var can be
brought in the command line text using the /%xxxx% syntax.
Note that this syntax should be used only inside the
external file text for XXCOPY (/CF and /EX) which cannot
be processed by the OS’s command processor. That is, in
the regular command line, the E-Var reference is already
supported (without a leading slash as the prefix).

—– Installation of XXCOPY —-

/INSTALL Installs the XXCOPY software package on your computer.
/INSTALL:<dir> Installs XXCOPY in a user-specified directory.
/SKIPIC Skips the creation of XXCOPY Desktop Icon (used with /INSTALL).
/SKIPXC Skips the installation of XXConsole (used with /INSTALL).
/UNINSTALL Uninstalls XXCOPY from your computer.
/LICENSE Displays the XXCOPY license status on your computer.
/HOSTS Displays the names of remote hosts accessed by XXCOPY.
/ADDHOST:<id> Add a new computer name in the host list.

—– Environment variables that affect XXCOPY—–

COPYCMD Specifies file-overwrite prompting.
/Y suppresses the prompt (always overwrite)
/-y prompts you for a Yes/No/All option for a file overwrite
(This feature is for the COPY/XCOPY compatibility.)
XXCOPY Specifies XXCOPY’s command argument. This argument string
is evaluated first and therefore the user-typed command line
can override it. The syntax is the same as regular argument.
XXCOPYX Specifies a list of exclusion specifiers (xspec).
Do not use switch prefix (/X). See the /X switch for details.

/ZE Disables the use of all Environment Variables for XXCOPY.
/ZX Disables the use of the Environment Variable XXCOPYX.
/ZX0 Enables the XXCOPYX settings. Good for /CLONE and /RMDIR.

Summary XXCOPY switches that check two directories: ——-
/ src \
Files are classified into four groups; | —+—
——————————————— | A / B | \
A files in src which do not exist in dst | | | |
B files in src which also exist in dst \ | C / D |
C files in dst which also exist in src —+— |
D files in dst which do not exist in src \ dst /
——-
/BB all files in A (none in B) Venn diagram
/BI all files in A plus files in B that are different in filetime or size
/BA all files in A plus files in B that are diff. in filetime, size or attr
/BX all files in A plus files in B that are different in filetime
/BZE all files in A plus files in B that are the same size
/BZL all files in A plus files in B that are larger
/BZS all files in A plus files in B that are smaller
/BZX all files in A plus files in B that are different in size
/BN all files in A plus files in B that have newer filetime
/Bo all files in A plus files in B that have older filetime
/BE all files in A plus files in B that have exactly the same time and size
/BS (none in A) files in B that have exactly the same time and size
/U (none in A) all files in B (subject to other switches)
/U/BI (none in A) files in B that are different in filetime or size

Note: all the variations in the backup switches (/Bx) include the files in A
with the exception of /BS to be consistent with the spirit of BACKUP.
As shown in the example (/U/BI), adding /U eliminates the files in A.

/RS files in A and/or B that satisfy other specified switches (for remove).
/RC same as /RS (for remove-after-copy).
/RD (none in D) files in C that would be overwritten (for remove).
/RX all files in D (for remove).

Note: /BS for copy usually accomplishes nothing but is useful as /RS/BS.

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