TechTips - How to Quickly Copy and Manage Files Using the XCopy Tool in Windows 7

One of my favorite commands in XP was the XCopy command; it was an easier, cleaner method to move files than the simple drag and drop method via Windows Explorer. In Windows Vista the tool was replaced by RoboCopy (which I hated) and obviously a lot of others hated it as well because in Windows 7 XCopy is back and I have found a great XCopy tool that makes it easier to use than ever. In this guide I will explain why you might want to use the XCopy tool instead of just simply dragging and dropping files in Windows and I will also explain how to use the tool to copy files.

So you might be asking why I would want to use a XCopy tool to copy files when I can simply drag and drop the files and they will copy to a new drive or folder. Well when you do this you have little control over the files and their options, it's a straight copy, and you have no real control over the copy. When you use XCopy you can set switches and define what should be copied and with what attributes, this can be very handy. If you wanted to say copy only files from a certain time period you could do that, instead of having the look through your files and decide which to copy you can set parameters and it will copy the files based on them. That is the main reason you might choose to use XCopy over the simple drag and drop option.

So to use the XCopy tool you will need to download it. You can get it HERE (you have to sign up for a free account but it's a good site that wont spam you)

Once you have the tool downloaded and extracted you will want to follow these instructions to use the tool:

Double-click the XCopy Tool Icon

Click Select Source Button (choose folder you want to copy)

Click Select Destination Button (choose folder you want to copy to)

Next set all switches (read this article to know what each switch does http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289483)

Click OK

Click Yes (check to be sure your source and destination are correct)

Click Yes (check that your switches are correct)

A command line prompt will open and the switches you selected will be applied to the XCopy command you are running. This is just a simple way to setup and run the XCopy command without having to do a lot of typing. Technically you can just open a command prompt and run the XCopy command but you will do a lot of typing. The XCopy tool simply inputs the commands for you.

Well I hope you find the XCopy Tool as useful as I do and I hope this guide helps you to copy files more efficiently and with more options than simple drag and drop.