Robocopy Not Copying Files in Subdirectories
I Am Having Problems with Robocopy for Whatever Reason. I Have Several Scripts I Use Daily That Utilize Copy, Xcopy, and Robocopy, and They Are All Working...
I am having problems with robocopy for whatever reason.
I have several scripts I use daily that utilize copy, xcopy, and robocopy, and they are all working currently, except for this one. I am using the same, standard switches I use in my other scripts.
robocopy "K:\Some Folder" "H:\Files\1" /e /w:0 /r:2 /MIR
Any files directly in K:\Some Folder get copied. But any files in, say K:\Some Folder\Some Subfolder do not get copied. I looked this up and using either /s or /e should copy all files in sub-directories as well. Why isn't it? If I pause the script, it says "*Extra Files" in some places - that might have something to do with it.
Previously I was using these switches, but it still didn't work after simplifying:
/e /w:0 /r:2 /XO /NFL /NDL /NJH /NJS /nc /ns /np
3 Answers
There's a /S option in robocopy, too. Also a /E that is like /S, but additionally forces empty folders to be copied.
/S: Copy Subfolders.
/E: Copy Subfolders, including Empty Subfolders.
Supposedly, /MIR implies /E…
/MIR: MIRror a directory tree—equivalent to/PURGEplus all subfolders (/E)
…but I have not found this to be empirically true. You should include the /E or /S option explicitly.
I found that the /b (Backup mode) switch works for me. Even though it appeared that I had the proper permissions to copy, robocopy seemed to disagree. /b fixed that issue.
Problem: Any files directly in K:\Some Folder get copied. But any files in K:\Some Folder\Some Subfolder do not get copied.
The solution is to not use robocopy at all, but use xcopy.
Instead of:
robocopy "K:\Some Folder" "H:\Files\1" /e /w:0 /r:2 /MIR
this should be used instead:
xcopy "K:\Some Folder" "H:\Files\1" /c /s /e /y
I don't know why robocopy didn't work, but xcopy with these switches does what needs to be done, quickly and efficiently.
David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.
