How to use robocopy to copy a file

To copy a specific file with Robocopy:

Basic Syntax:

robocopy "<SourceFolder>" "<DestinationFolder>" "<FileName>" <Options>

Example:

robocopy "C:\Users\John\Documents" "D:\Backup\Documents" "report.pdf"

Essential Options:

• /COPYALL – Preserves all attributes, permissions & timestamps
• /Z – Enables restartable mode for large files
• /R:3 /W:5 – Retries 3 times with 5-second waits on errors
• /LOG:copy.log – Creates detailed log file
• /MT:8 – Uses 8 threads for faster transfer

Complete Command:

robocopy "C:\Source" "D:\Destination" "largefile.iso" /COPYALL /Z /MT:8 /R:3 /W:5

Critical Notes:

• Folder Structure: You specify source/destination FOLDERS, then the filename
• Auto-create: Destination folder is created if it doesn’t exist
• Smart Copy: By default, only copies if source file is newer/different
• Force Copy: Add /IS to copy even if files are identical

Warning: Always test with /L (dry run) first to preview what will happen.