Speed Up File Transfers in Windows 11 with Robocopy

Robocopy speeds up file transfers in Windows 11 by using SMB compression.

Robocopy, which stands for Robust File Copy, is a command-line tool built into Windows for copying files. It lets you move data quickly, especially over a network, and it’s much better for large amounts of files than using a USB drive.

Copying big files using File Explorer with a USB can be slow and might freeze your computer. Robocopy, with its compression feature turned on, offers a more efficient way to move substantial data between networked computers.

Copy files over the network using Robocopy

As mentioned, Robocopy is a command-line tool that lets you copy files faster when SMB compression is enabled. In Windows 11, SMB compression mode is active by default.

Here’s how to get that done.

First, make sure to enable file sharing on both computers. You’ll also need to share the folder containing the files you want to transfer.

Knowing the name or IP address of the other computer is also necessary.

You can find this information in the following article.

• How to enable file and printer sharing in Windows 11
• How to share files and folders in Windows 11
• How to find your computer name in Windows 11

With the required details in hand, let’s move on to copying your files using Robocopy.

Before you start using Robocopy, it’s a good idea to add your account details to Windows 11’s credential manager. This helps Windows remember your login information for the other computer.

cmdkey /add:COMPUTER or IP /user:COMPUTERNAMEUSERNAME /pass:PASSWORD

Replace COMPUTERNAME with the name of the target computer and USERNAME and PASSWORD with the credentials for that machine.

If the machine is part of a domain, you can substitute COMPUTERNAME with the domain name.

You can also use a computer name instead of an IP address if that’s more convenient.

Here’s an example:

cmdkey /add:192.168.1.2 /user:WORKGROUPgeekrewind /pass:password

After running those commands, use the format below to copy your files with Robocopy and SMB compression.

robocopy \source-ip-addresspathtoremotesharedfolder C:local-devicepathtodestinationfolder /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:16 /compress

Here’s an example:

robocopy \192.168.1.2DocumentsRemoteSharedFolder C:UsersgeekrewindDocuments /E /Z /ZB /R:5 /W:5 /TBD /NP /V /MT:16 /compress

Once you press Enter, your files should start copying to the target device.

Here’s a breakdown of the Robocopy options:

• /E — Copy Subdirectories, including empty ones.
• /Z — Copy files in restartable mode.
• /ZB — Uses restartable mode. If access is denied, use backup mode.
• /R:5 — Retry 5 times (you can specify a different number, the default is 1 million).
• /W:5 — Wait 5 seconds before retrying (default is 30 seconds).
• /TBD — Wait for share names To Be Defined (retry error 67).
• /NP — No Progredon’tdon’t display percentage copied.
• /V — Produce verbose output, showing skipped files.
• /MT:16 — Do multithreaded copies with n threads (default is 8).
• /compress — Enables SMB compression to speed up transfers over the network.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Robocopy offers a powerful and efficient solution for copying large files over a network or locally using SMS compression.
• Users can significantly reduce the time and resources required for file transfers by enabling SMS compression, improving productivity.
• The provided step-by-step guide simplifies the process, making it accessible to users of varying technical expertise.
• We welcome your input through the comments section below for any feedback, corrections, or additional insights.