How to Do Recursive Xcopy in Batch Script

MD Aminul Islam Feb 02, 2024
  1. the General Method of Using XCOPY in Batch
  2. Use the XCOPY Recursively in Batch
  3. Necessary Flags for XCOPY in Batch
How to Do Recursive Xcopy in Batch Script

If you are looking for some solution to the recursive use of the XCOPY command, then you can follow this article. This article will show the recursive use of XCOPY.

Also, we will use the general use of XCOPY, recursive use of XCOPY, and some flags regarding this command. Also, we will see necessary examples and explanations to make the topic easier to understand.

the General Method of Using XCOPY in Batch

The xcopy makes copying any file from one directory to another easy. The general format for this command is xcopy G:\source G:\destination.

xcopy G:\Capture.jpg G:\Cases\

In the example above, we will copy a file from G:\Capture.jpg to G:\Cases\. But this command is not automatic, so you may need to run the command for each file in the directory.

Use the XCOPY Recursively in Batch

You can make a recursive use of the XCOPY command to copy all the files in a directory at once. The code for our example will look like the below.

xcopy A: B: /s /e

The above example will copy all the files, directories, and sub directories from drive A to drive B. Here, the /S flag indicates all the folders and sub folders, and the /E flag indicates the empty folder as we will copy all the folders, files, directories, sub-directory, and empty folders.

Necessary Flags for XCOPY in Batch

Some other flags with XCOPY are used for any purpose. Let’s discuss them.

/B This flag is used to copy the symbolic link, not the file’s target.
/C This flag is used to continue the process if any error occurs.
/F This flag displays the full source and destination while copying.
/G This flag allows us to copy encrypted files to a destination where encryption is not supported.
/L This flag displays the list of files that would be copied.
/Q This flag will not display file names while copying.
/V This flag will verify whether the new files are readable.
/W This flag will start the process when the user presses a key.
/P This flag will prompt before creating each file.
/Y This flag confirms overwriting a file.
MD Aminul Islam avatar MD Aminul Islam avatar

Aminul Is an Expert Technical Writer and Full-Stack Developer. He has hands-on working experience on numerous Developer Platforms and SAAS startups. He is highly skilled in numerous Programming languages and Frameworks. He can write professional technical articles like Reviews, Programming, Documentation, SOP, User manual, Whitepaper, etc.

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