Copy Only Newer Files: XCopy or Robocopy or Easier Ways

Want to use XCopy to copy only new or modified files 

Xcopy is a command line utility for copying multiple files or entire directory trees from one directory to another and for copying files across a network. Also, you are allowed to copy only new or changed files with it. And it is used in Windows 7/8/10/11/XP/Vista and Windows Server 2003/2008/2012/2016/2019/2022.

Copying only changed files with XCopy saves much time and disk space, thus many users are willing to only copy updated files. Below is an example from it.

“ I copy my files from Windows 7 to Server 2008 with the following command, but it copies everything.

xcopy C:\source X:\destination /s

I just want to use XCopy command to copy only newer files, because these files are very large. It’s time-consuming.

Is there a way to specifically just copy new or updated files without specifying a date? Any suggestion will be appreciated.”

How to copy only newer files in Windows 10 effectively

To copy only newer files in Windows 10, XCopy or Robocopy is a good choice for high-level users to perform batch operations. And It is able to backup only changed files instead of all files, even without booting into Windows. 

But the problem is you need to execute this operation manually every time, which may make you feel tired and time-consuming. And it's not user-friendly to most users for its high requirement. Thus, in this article, I'll introduce you to how to copy only changed files automatically without XCopy or Robocopy.

You need an all-in-one backup software - AOMEI Backupper Server to help you out. All the operations are based on an intuitive interface, so you can easily understand and use it like a professional. It provides you with 2 helpful ways to achieve this goal and you can choose to copy files with its original structure or compress it to an image file.

Use XCopy to  copy only newer files 

Before using XCopy to copy only changed files, you need to learn the syntax and some parameters you will use.

Syntax of XCopy command line:  

Options: 

• /S  Copies directories and subdirectories, unless they are empty. If you omit /s, xcopy works within a single directory.
• /Y Suppresses prompting to confirm that you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
• /I   If in doubt always assume the destination is a folder. e.g. when the destination does not exist.
• /E  Copy folders and subfolders, including Empty folders.
• /D:mm-dd-yyyy  Copies source files changed on or after the specified date only. If you do not include a MM-DD-YYYY value, xcopy copies all Source files that are newer than existing Destination files. 
• For more options, you can type xcopy /? for all the help or refer to xcopy command in Microsoft.

★Tips: To copy only updated files with XCopy, you have two options, namely using /s /d, or /i /d /y. And there are something you need to be aware:

This first option will copy files that does not exist in the destination folder if you use /d parameter without specifying a date. To avoid it, you could add the /u  switch.

The second option will ignore the new directories by default. To copy everything, including new directories, you should add the /e switch.

Now, see below and learn the detailed steps. Note that if there are spaces in your directory names, you need to use quotes.

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and select it.

Step 2. Use XCopy to Copy only updated files with corresponding commands. Please remember to hit Enter after each one. 

#1: Copy only updated files that are not in the destination folder, type the following commands. 

set SourceDir=D:\Source

set TargetDir=K:\Target

xcopy %SourceDir% %TargetDir% /s /d

#2: Copy only changed files without new directories,  type the following commands. Please remember to replace “D:\Source” and ”F:\Target” with the path of your files.

set SourceDir=D:\Source

set TargetDir=K:\Target

xcopy %SourceDir% %TargetDir% /i /d /y

#3: Copy changed files already exists in the destination path, type the following commands: 

set SourceDir=D:\Source

set TargetDir=K:\Target

xcopy %SourceDir% %TargetDir% /s /d /u

#4: Copy everything including the new directory, type the following commands. Please remember to replace the following path “D\My Source\stuff” and ”F:\My Backup\stuff”.

Set SourceDir=”D:\Source\copy files”

Set TargetDir=”K:\Target\files copied”

xcopy %SourceDir% %TargetDir% /i /d /y /e

Step 3. Type exit and hit Enter to leave this window.

Use Robocopy to copy only new files 

Robocopy can also help you copy only new files, but it has more options than Xcopy and is considered as a good alternative. Before you use it, please learn the syntax and options you may use. 

Syntax of Robocopy command line: 

Options: 

• /XO:  is used to exclude older files, and usually done with the parameter"/maxage: n".
• /maxage: n:  indicates that the farthest modification time or the specific date, the file whose modification time or date is older than this will not be copied.
• /XC: Exlude changed files.
• /XN: Exlude newer files.
• /XD dirs [dirs]:  Exlude directories mathcing given names and paths.
• /S: Copy subdirectories, excluding empty ones
• /Z: Restartable mode
• /fft: Make the modify time comparison more tolerant(2 seconds granularity)
• /Mir: Mirror a directory tree
• For more options, you can type robocopy /? for all the help or refers to Robocopy command in Microsoft.

★Tips:

 To copy only changed files with Robocopy, you have two options, namely using maxage: n or /XO /maxage: n. 

Some users say that they don't want to create all the subfolders on the target disk if there is no new files in them. In this case, you need to add extra switch /S to exclude the empty folder.

Then, let's go through the following steps to copy only new files:

Step 1. Open the command prompt with administrator priority.

Step 2. Use Robocop to copy only newer or added files with corresponding commands. Please remember to hit Enter in order.

#1: Copy only newer or added files, type the following commands：

robocopy D:\folder1  E:\folder2  / maxage:7 or robocopy D:\folder1  E:\folder2  /XO /maxage:7

#2: Copy new files while excluding an empty folder, type the following commands.

robocopy D:\folder1  E:\folder2  /s /maxage:7 or robocopy D:\folder1  E:\folder2  /XO /s /maxage:7

Copy only newer files easily without XCopy or Robocopy

Here you will use professional file sync or backup software - AOMEI Backupper Server to copy only newer files automatically and easily. And It provides you with 2 easier ways to complete this task in Windows 7/8/8.1/10/11/XP/Vista, namely using Basic Sync or File Backup features.

Basic Sync: It allows you to keep files just as in the original folder, and you can easily access or use them after syncing. By default, the Basic Sync does not sync deleted files from source folder to destination folder automatically. And you can choose to sync files in real-time, or use mirror sync or two-way sync mode.

File Backup: It will compress all the files into an image file and you need to restore files from backup before using it. This greatly reduce data loss due to any unwanted access and the risk of files being corrupted or modified.

Then, which one should you use? 

>> If you are more concerned about file availability, you could use File Sync.

>> If you feel that file security is of paramount importance, you could use File Backup. 

Afterward, copy files and its new changed files with Sync or Backup feature.

• Sync only new or modified files just as it was
• Copy only new or modified files safely

Sync only new or modified files just as it was 

Here you will use the Sync feature to sync only changed files. It has 4 sync options and comes along with helpful features, such as, daily, weekly, month schedule sync. And all of them has their own features, you can check details in the following box. 

	Basic Sync	Real-Time Sync	Mirror Sync	Two-Way Sync
Sync newly added or changed files.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sync deleted files from source folder to destination folder automatically.	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sync changed files in real time.	No	Yes	No	No
Deleted newly added files or undo changes made in the destination folder.	No	No	Yes	No
Sync changes from source folder to destination folder, and vice versa.	No	No	No	Yes
Support schedule sync: daily, weekly, monthly, event triggers, USB plug in.	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Then, go to the Sync tab and copy only newer files with one of them. Here Take Basic Sync as an example. 

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper Professional, install and launch it. Then, prepare an external hard drive or other storage as sync destination and connect it to your computer.

(PS: The free trial version can only be used within 30 days, to continuously protect data, please upgrade server trial now! 100$ off per one server computer.)

Step 2. Go to the Sync tab and select Basic Sync.

Step 3. Click Add Folder to select folders containing all the files you want to sync. Then, select the sync destination by clicking the folder-shaped button below.

Step 4. Click Schedule and Enable Schedule Sync, then select Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. To set the sync task more precisely, you can specify the backup time or intervals in the following.

In addition, you can still enjoy other helpful features:

• Event triggers: It helps when you want to sync files at system shutdown, system startup, user logon or user logoff. 
• USB plug in: It makes syncing files between computer and flash drive flexibly, you just need to connect the USB drive when you want to sync changed files.
• Wake the computer to run scheduled tasks: It allows you to wake up computer 2 minutes before the scheduled task start, without human intervention required.
• Reconfigure the operation after the scheduled tasks: You can shut down restart your computer after syncing, or simply put it into sleep or hibernate mode.
• Sync the deletions in source directory to destination: By checking it in the Options, you can sync the deleted files as well.

Step 5. Confirm the operation and click Start Sync to sync all the files to the destination folder. Then, it will sync changed files at the next time.

Safer way to copy only new or modified files

Except for Sync feature, you still can complete this task with the help of File Backup. It comes along with daily/weekly/monthly schedule backup as well as incremental or differential backup. By using it, you can still set precise backup time and intervals. 

They are based on full backup, but not exactly the same. For differences, you can see from the comparison chart below.

	Full Backup	Differential Backup	Incremental Backup
Backup Speed	Slowest	Moderate	Fastest
Storage Space	Most	Moderate	Least
Restoration Speed	Fastest	Moderate	Slowest

Also, if you want to backup files during off-peak hours, you can wake computer from sleep or hibernate mode before the scheduled tasks start. And you can Reconfigure the operation after scheduled tasks, to shut down or restart your computer or put it into sleep or hibernate mode.

In the long run, you may worry about the backup disk full oneday. Fortunately, you can avoid this issue by deleting old backup image regularly with its Backup Scheme feature. Normal or High compression level, Intelligent sector backups also help with this. Then, see below and learn the specific steps.

Step 1. Go to the Backup tab and select File Backup.

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders you want to backup and then click OK. Then, select the prepared storage device to store your image.

Step 3(Required). Click Schedule and select Daily, Weekly, Monthly. Then, click Backup Scheme and select Incremental Backup or Differential Backup under the backup method option. 

In addition, you can manage the backup task with more helpful features.

• USB plug in: To backup your files flexibly and take them everywhere, you can create a schedule backup with "USB plug in" feature. It does not require any human interference.
• Normal or High compression level: It is able to compress image file with a smaller one, thereby saving disk space. Note the high compression level requires more backup time.
• Intelligent sector backup: It only backs up the used sectors of the file system,
• Backup Scheme: It offers you 3 options to delete backup files, including By quantity, By time, and By daily/weekly/monthly. 

Step 4. After that, confirm all the selected settings and click Start Backup. It will backup your files immediately and then backup only changed files at the next time.

Important tip: With either the Sync or Backup feature, you are able to copy files to multiple locations automatically. Among them, cloud drives are one of the most popular choices, but paradoxically almost cloud drives only offer a few gigabytes of free cloud storage, while users need to sync or back up a large number of files or folders. In this case, try Cloud Backup, you will get 1TB of cloud storage, with a trial period of 15 days.

Bonus tip

You can copy only newer files with XCopy or Robocopy, but it is really more suitable for technical people. For others, it's suggested to use professional file sync or backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. With it, you just need to click a few times with its prompted screen. 

It allows you to make this task automatically with its daily, weekly, monthly event trigger or USB plug in schedule settings. And you can choose to keep its original structure or compress them to an image file to avoid any unwanted access and maliciou file corruption. 

Believe me, it's one of the most powerful software to protect your data with its complete solution. To copy files from server to server within one company, you could use AOMEI Backupper TechPlus. Please download it to have a try right now!