XCOPY

Since Windows Server 2019 and Windows 10, the command supports a /compress option to optimize throughput across a network. With this option enabled, if the destination computer supports Server Message Block (SMB) compression and the files are very compressible (i.e. not already compressed), there may be significant improvements to performance. {{cite web |title=SMB Compression Lowers Bandwidth and Improves Copy Times in Windows Server and Azure|last=Smith |first=Russell |work=Petri |date=27 November 2020 |url= https://petri.com/smb-compression-lowers-bandwidth-and-improves-copy-times-in-windows-server-and-azure}}Output from xcopy /? in Windows 10 includes "/COMPRESS - Request network compression during file transfer where applicable".

xcopy deployment or xcopy installation describes installing an application via the relatively simply operation of copying files {{endash}} either using {{code|xcopy}} or another file copying facility. In contrast, many Windows application installations include additional and more complicated operations such as modifying the Windows Registry. Even when an application is implemented using files (that can be installed via a copy operation), many common facilities provided by Windows require registration before they are available to an application. Often, specialized installation tools (such as Windows Installer, InnoSetup, InstallShield, and NSIS) are used to coordinate these relatively complex operations.

The command fails with an "insufficient memory" error when the path plus filename is longer than 254 characters.{{cite web |url=http://www.terminally-incoherent.com/blog/2007/02/05/xcopy-insufficient-memory |title=Xcopy: Insufficient Memory|last=Maciak |first=Luke |authorlink=Luke Maciak |date=2007-02-05}} An option "/J" copies files without buffering;{{cite web |url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/xcopy |title=Technet: Xcopy |date=2019-05-01}}

moving very large files without the option (available only after Server 2008R2) can consume all available RAM on a system.

The command will not copy files that are being held open by another process.[https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa363858.aspx CreateFileA function (fileapi.h)] The command does not support the Windows Volume Shadow Copy service which allows processes to access open files. Therefore, the command is not useful for backing up live systems.

Create a new directory by copying all contents of the existing directory, including any files or subdirectories having the hidden or system attributes and empty directories.

>xcopy e:\existing e:\newcopy /e /i /h

If the pathnames include spaces, they must be enclosed in quotation marks.

>xcopy "D:\Documents and Settings\MY.USERNAME\My Documents\*" "E:\MYBACKUP\My Documents\" /D/E/C/Y

Copy entire drive in to a mapped network drive while ignoring any errors in network restartable mode.

>xcopy *.* z:\Netmirror /E /V /C /F /H /Y /Z 1>out.txt 2>err.txt

Copy a single file without prompt if it is a file or a directory

>cmd /c echo F | xcopy "c:\directory 1\myfile" "c:\directory 2\myfile"

• List of DOS commands
• Peripheral Interchange Program
• Software deployment

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|author-last=Cooper|author-first=Jim|title=Special Edition Using MS-DOS 6.22, Third Edition|date=2001|publisher=Que Publishing|isbn=978-0789725738}}
• {{Cite book|author1=Kathy Ivens|author2=Brian Proffit|year=1993|title=OS/2 Inside & Out|publisher=Osborne McGraw-Hill|isbn=978-0078818714}}
• {{Cite book|author=John Paul Mueller|year=2007|title=Windows Administration at the Command Line for Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0470165799}}

{{Wikibooks|Guide to Windows Commands}}

• [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/xcopy xcopy | Microsoft Docs]
• [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/289483/switches-that-you-can-use-with-xcopy-and-xcopy32-commands Switches That You Can Use with Xcopy and Xcopy32 Commands], Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me
• [http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/xcopy.mspx?mfr=true Xcopy], Microsoft Windows XP
• [http://variableghz.com/2008/12/dos-bypassing-the-cyclic-redundancy-check-and-other-errors/ VariableGHz article depicting CRC errors and XCOPY as a solution]
• [http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=92736 XCOPY Command in a post build event does not execute]
• [http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;152134 XP_CMDSHELL Does Not Work with XCOPY]
• See also [https://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/xcopy.mspx?mfr=true Microsoft Product Documentation]
• [https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/326355/how-to-deploy-an-asp-net-web-application-using-xcopy-deployment How to deploy an ASP.NET Web application using Xcopy deployment]
• [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa302347.aspx .NET Development: Determining When to Use Windows Installer Versus XCOPY]
• [http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235291(VS.80).aspx Visual C++ How to: Deploy using XCopy]

{{Windows commands}}

Category:External DOS commands

Category:File copy utilities

Category:MSX-DOS commands

Category:OS/2 commands

Category:ReactOS commands