"Robocopy: Cloning OneDrive to Another & A Simple Method"

With a graphical user interface application, you can quickly clone hard drives, CDs, disks, and entire systems. But with the Robocopy command, you can rely on the command prompt to clone one disk to another. In this article from our /tools/ section, we'll learn how to use the Robocopy clone disk command and how to clone a disk with just one click.

Robocopy Overview

Robocopy is an internal Windows utility that enables you to copy files from one location to another on your computer. The Robocopy command allows users to copy files from one path to another using the Command Prompt. It can replicate folders, dictionaries, and subfolders, and even synchronize files across different directories.

While Robocopy offers many great features, its syntax can be complex. To perform simple tasks, you need to have a deep understanding of many commands. Typing robocopy /? in the Command Prompt will give you an idea of the number of Robocopy commands, which can be daunting for users and lead to data mess-ups if commands are executed incorrectly. The guide below will help you understand how to use Robocopy to clone a disk.

How can I clone a disk more easily? How can I clone a disk more simply?

Robocopy disk cloning is a neat feature, but it only handles file or folder-level copying. You can't clone multiple partitions on the same drive, nor can you clone the file system. This can take a long time and get complicated. A simpler solution is to use a powerful disk cloning software like the Disk Copy tool to clone your hard drive.

It allows you to clone HDD to SSD with different sizes, and clone a hard drive with bad sectors, which Robocopy or other command lines cannot do. In addition, it lets you migrate data from one hard drive to another computer and transfer data from HDD to SSD without losing data or reinstalling the OS.

Clone an entire disk with merely 3 easy steps. Whether you want to transfer data, clone a disk, upgrade your hard drive, or make a backup, Disk Copy does the job without complicated commands and risks of losing data. Download the tool now and start cloning your disks.

Advance Notice:

• Sector-by-sector copy requires the target disk to be the same size or larger than the source disk. Uncheck this option if you want to clone a larger hard drive to a smaller one. • All data on the target disk will be erased. Proceed with caution.

Step 1: To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, select the disk as the source disk here in Disk Mode, then click Next.

Step 2: Select another disk as the target disk.

Step 3: Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the target disk's layout by choosing "Auto adjust the size of target disk," "The same as source disk," or "Edit disk layout."

When the warning message appears, click OK.

• "Automatically resize partitions" will modify the layout of the target disk so that it runs optimally.
• "Copy disk as is" will not change anything on the target disk, and its layout will be identical to the source disk.
• "Edit partition layout" lets you manually adjust/move the layout of partitions on the target disk.

Check the “Optimize for SSD” box to get the best performance from your SSD.

A warning message will appear, indicating that your data will be lost. Confirm this by clicking OK, and then click Next.

Step 4: Click “Proceed” to perform the task for real.

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How to Use Robocopy to Copy One Drive to Another Robocopy (Robust File Copy) is a powerful file copying utility in the Windows operating system that offers various advanced options for precise copying between drives. Here's how to use Robocopy to copy one drive to another: 1. **Open the Command Prompt**: - Press `Win + R` to open the "Run" dialog. - Type `cmd`, then press `Enter`. 2. **Navigate to the source drive directory**: - In the Command Prompt window, type `cd /d C:` (assuming C: is your source drive), then press `Enter`. Change the drive letter as needed. 3. **Create the target directory on the destination drive** (optional): - If the desired directory on the target drive doesn't exist, create it. For example, if the target drive is D: and the target directory is `D:\Backup`, type `mkdir D:\Backup` and press `Enter`. 4. **Run the Robocopy command**: - Enter the following command to copy the entire drive, including subdirectories and files: ``` robocopy C:\ D:\Backup /S /E /MIR ``` - Explanation of parameters: - `/S`: Includes subdirectories, except empty ones. - `/E`: Includes empty subdirectories. - `/MIR`: Mirrors the source directory to the destination, removing files and directories that no longer exist in the source. 5. **Wait for the copy to complete**: - Robocopy will begin the process and display progress. This may take some time depending on the size of the source drive and system performance. 6. **Confirm the copy**: - After completion, check the target drive to ensure everything has been copied correctly. Please note that the `/MIR` option deletes files and directories from the target drive that no longer exist in the source. Make sure you understand the implications before proceeding. If you want to copy without overwriting existing files, omit the `/MIR` parameter. Additionally, Robocopy can log or provide statistical information by adding extra parameters like `/LOG:C:\log.txt` or `/L` (list mode, which doesn't perform the actual copy). Adjust these options as per your requirements.

If you want to use Robocopy to copy from one disk to another, you can do so in one of two ways: Robocopy copyall or Robocopy move.

Example 1: Use Robocopy to copy the C:\src directory to D:\dst, including subdirectories, and copy all file attributes. The command is: robocopy C:\src D:\dst /E /COPYALL

The first method is to use the COPYALL command. With this command, you can copy all NTFS permissions, subfolders, file owners, and all file attributes from the source to the destination. The parameter /E allows you to copy empty folders and their subfolders when cloning a disk. Replace C:\src with the path of the source drive and D:\dst with the path of the destination drive. To execute the COPYALL syntax, follow these steps: 1. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator: - Press `Win + X` and choose "Command Prompt (Admin)" or "Windows Terminal (Admin)" if available. 2. Type or paste the following command, adjusting the source and destination paths accordingly: ``` xcopy C:\src\* D:\dst\ /E /H /K /O /X /I ``` 3. Press `Enter` to start the copying process. This command will preserve the NTFS permissions, file attributes, ownership, and folder structures while copying all files and folders, including empty ones. Please note that this method does not perform a sector-by-sector clone but rather a file-based copy, which may not be suitable for disk imaging purposes.

Step 1: Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: Now, paste the command in CMD. Change the source and target drive details as per your requirement, and then execute the command.

Note: If you run the COPYALL command, you might see an Invalid parameter error, as shown here:

Case 2: robocopy C:\src D:\dst /MOVE

The MOVE command moves all the files from the source drive to the target drive. It is similar to the COPYALL command, but does not require any other commands to be explicitly used. With the MOVE command, after the files have been moved to the destination, all files in the source directory are deleted. This is akin to a "cut" and "paste" operation, as the /MOVE command specifies that the files should be deleted after copying is complete.

You can run this command in an Administrator Command Prompt, making sure to change the source and target drives as needed.

Note If you run the Robocopy MOVE command, you might receive an error message that states that the parameter is invalid, just as with the COPYALL command.

More articles about cloning disks from the command line:

In summary

You can perform the operation using the Robocopy Disk Clone feature, with two options: COPYALL and MOVE commands. Both will clone a disk to another disk. Please note that the MOVE command will delete all files from the source disk after moving them. However, if you encounter errors during the Robocopy disk cloning process or find the operation too complex, you can use a Disk Copy Tool that easily clones the disk with just one click.

Aside from cloning disks, it can also serve as your full backup and recovery solution. You can safely clone your disk, migrate data from one drive to another, and create local backups. Give this tool a try for your disk cloning needs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Robocopy and Drive Cloning

Here are some frequently asked questions about using Robocopy to clone a drive/disk.

1. How to use Robocopy to copy files and directories? You can use the Robocopy (Robust File Copy) command-line utility to copy files and directories in the Windows operating system. Here's a basic example of how to use Robocopy: ```cmd robocopy SourceDirectory DestinationDirectory [file(s)/directory(s)] [options] ``` Where: - `SourceDirectory`: The path of the directory you want to copy from. - `DestinationDirectory`: The path of the target directory where files will be copied. - `[file(s)/directory(s)]`: Optional parameter to specify particular files or directories to copy. If not specified, the entire directory and its contents will be copied. - `[options]`: Optional parameters to control Robocopy's behavior, such as `/S` for copying subdirectories (excluding empty ones), `/E` for including empty directories, `/MIR` to mirror the source directory to the destination, and so on. For instance, if you want to copy everything from `C:\Source` to `D:\Destination`, you would run the following command: ```cmd robocopy C:\Source D:\Destination /S /E ``` This will copy all files and non-empty subdirectories under `C:\Source` to `D:\Destination`. For more options and detailed information, refer to the official Robocopy documentation or use `robocopy /?` for help.

The basic syntax for using Robocopy to copy files is: robocopy source destination [files [files]...] [options]. You can replace "source" and "destination" and add options to copy files and directories.

2. Can Robocopy clone a drive?

Yes, Robocopy provides the COPYALL and MOVE commands to clone a drive. These commands create a similar file structure on the target drive as the source drive.

Is Robocopy faster than regular copying?

Yes, Robocopy is much faster than the standard copy command. Robocopy relies on threads running simultaneously to copy files from one location to another.

4. How do I clone a disk?

Yes, to create an exact clone of a disk, you need to perform a bitwise clone. Bit-by-bit cloning ensures that every bit from the source disk is replicated onto the target disk. You can download a disk cloning tool to execute a bitwise clone of the disk.