Robocopy, or Robust File Copy, is a command-line utility that is included in Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and Windows Server editions. It is a powerful file and directory copying tool that has many useful features, including the ability to log its activities. In this article, we will discuss how to enable Robocopy logs so that you can better track and troubleshoot any issues that may arise when using this powerful utility.
Robocopy has the ability to log its activities, but this feature is disabled by default. To enable logging, you will need to use the “/log” command-line switch. This switch takes a single parameter, which is the path to the log file. This parameter can either be a relative path, such as “log.txt” or an absolute path, such as “C:\\temp\\log.txt”.
The log file created by Robocopy will contain detailed information about the actions taken by the utility. The log file will include the command-line parameters used, the source and destination paths, the number of files and directories copied, the amount of data transferred, the elapsed time, and any errors that occurred.
In addition to enabling logging, you can also customize the format of the log file. This is done by using the “/log+” command-line switch, which takes two parameters. The first parameter is the path to the log file, and the second parameter determines the type of log file. The types of log file that you can create are “standard”, “detailed”, or “unicode”. The “standard” log file is the default and contains basic information about the actions taken by Robocopy. The “detailed” log file contains more detailed information, such as the names of each file and directory that was copied, the time it took to copy each file, and any errors that occurred. The “unicode” log file is identical to the “detailed” log file, but uses Unicode encoding, which allows it to support international characters.
Once you have enabled logging and set the type of log file, you can use the “/log” command-line switch without any parameters to make Robocopy append to the existing log file. This is useful if you want to track the progress of a long-running copy operation, or if you want to compare multiple log files.
Robocopy logs can be very useful for troubleshooting issues with file and directory copying operations. They provide detailed information about the actions taken by Robocopy, and can help you identify and resolve any problems that may arise. To enable Robocopy logging, you need to use the “/log” and “/log+” command-line switches, and determine the path and type of log file that you want to create. Once you have enabled logging, you can use the “/log” command-line switch without any parameters to make Robocopy append to the existing log file.
