Introduction
In this article, we will cover the equivalent Windows command to launch the CMD shell and use the built-in Robocopy utility. Robocopy, short for Robust File Copy, is a command-line file replication tool in Windows. It is well-known for its ability to handle long file paths, maintain file permissions, and log copied files.
CMD Shell - Command Line Interface
The CMD shell, or Command Prompt, is a command-line interface for interacting with the Windows operating system. It allows you to execute commands and programs using text-based input.
Launch CMD Shell
To launch the CMD shell, use the following command:
cmd or cmd.exe
You can also combine the command to launch CMD shell while executing a specific command, like Robocopy, using the following format:
cmd /k "robocopy C:\ x:\y /njh /njs /ndl"
-
/k: Carries out the command specified by string and remains.
Robocopy Utility - Robust File Copy
Robocopy is a powerful and flexible utility for copying files and directories in Windows systems. It has many advantages over standard copy and xcopy commands, such as:
- Multithreaded copying
- Mirroring directories
- Persistent network drive connections
- Ability to preserve timestamps, file permissions, and auditing information
- Error handling and recovery
- Ability to handle very large files and long directory structures
Robocopy Command Line Parameters
The following are some of the widely used and important command-line options or switches for Robocopy utility.
robocopy "source" "destination" /njh /njs
/ndl [additional-options]
-
/njh: No Job Header - Excludes job header from log (for use in batch files). -
/njs: No Job Summary - Excludes job summary from log. -
/ndl: No Directory List - Excludes directory list from log. - Additional options - Customize the specific behavior of Robocopy. For a full list of parameters and options, see the official Microsoft documentation.
Robocopy Command Example
robocopy C:\Users\User C:\OtherUsers\User
/njh /njs /ndl
The above example will copy the content from the source directory C:\Users\User to the destination
directory C:\
< OtherUsers\User, excluding the header, summary, and directory list from the log.
- To launch the CMD shell with a specific command-line utility, like Robocopy, use the
cmd/k "command" format. - Robocopy is a powerful, flexible, and robust file copy utility for Windows systems, capable of handling large files, long paths, and maintaining file properties.
- Refer to the official Microsoft documentation to