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7. Files & Folders

What & why

Most batch scripts exist to move files around: copy build output, archive logs, clean temp folders. This lesson covers the file commands, their failure modes, and when to reach for robocopy instead.

Making and removing folders

md "C:\work\output"            &rem make; creates intermediate folders too
mkdir "C:\work\a\b\c"          &rem md and mkdir are the same

rd "C:\work\output"            &rem remove — only if empty
rd /s /q "C:\work\output"      &rem /s recurse, /q no "Are you sure?" prompt

rd /s /q is irreversible

It does not use the Recycle Bin. There is no undo. Double-check the path — especially if it's built from a variable that could be empty (rd /s /q "%target%\" with empty %target% becomes rd /s /q "\" = the drive root). Guard it: 

if not defined target ( echo target not set & exit /b 1 )
if not exist "%target%\" ( echo not a folder & exit /b 1 )
rd /s /q "%target%"

Copying

copy "src.txt" "dst.txt"                 &rem single file
copy "src.txt" "C:\backup\"              &rem into a folder (keep name)
copy "*.log" "C:\archive\"               &rem multiple files
copy /y "src.txt" "dst.txt"             &rem /y = overwrite without prompting
type a.txt b.txt > combined.txt          &rem concatenate

copy does not create missing destination folders and does not recurse.

xcopy — folders and trees

xcopy "C:\proj\src" "C:\proj\bak" /E /I /Y
Switch Meaning
/E copy all subfolders, including empty ones (/S skips empty)
/I assume destination is a folder if it doesn't exist
/Y overwrite without prompting
/D only copy files newer than the destination
/EXCLUDE:file skip paths listed in file

robocopy — the good one

For anything nontrivial (mirroring, retries, logging, large trees), use robocopy:

robocopy "C:\proj\src" "C:\proj\bak" /MIR /R:2 /W:5 /NP /LOG:"%~dp0copy.log"
Switch Meaning
/MIR mirror: copy new/changed, delete extras in destination
/E subfolders including empty (safer than /MIR — no deletes)
/R:2 retry 2 times on a locked file (default is 1 million — set this!)
/W:5 wait 5 seconds between retries
/NP no per-file percentage spam
/LOG: / /TEE write a log / also show on console
/XD /XF exclude dirs / files

robocopy exit codes are not 0/1

robocopy returns a bitmask: 0 = nothing to do, 1 = files copied, 2 = extra files, 3 = 1+2, ... anything ≥ 8 is a real error. So: 

robocopy ...
if %errorlevel% geq 8 ( echo robocopy failed & exit /b 1 )
A plain if errorlevel 1 treats a successful copy as failure.

Moving and renaming

move "old\report.txt" "new\report.txt"
move /y "*.tmp" "C:\trash\"
ren "report.txt" "report-2026.txt"      &rem rename in place; ren cannot move
ren "*.txt" "*.bak"                       &rem bulk rename by extension

Deleting files

del "temp.txt"
del /q "*.tmp"                &rem /q quiet (no wildcard confirm prompt)
del /f /q "readonly.txt"      &rem /f force read-only
del /s /q "C:\build\*.obj"    &rem recurse

del removes files, not folders. It does not use the Recycle Bin.

Listing

dir                          &rem full listing
dir /b                       &rem bare: names only, one per line
dir /b /s "*.txt"            &rem bare + recurse = full paths, great for for /F
dir /a:d /b                  &rem directories only
dir /a:-d /b                 &rem files only
dir /o:-d                    &rem sort by date descending
dir /b /s *.log | find /c /v ""   &rem count matching files

dir /b /s piped into for /F is the standard "find all files matching X" idiom.

Checking existence and attributes

if exist "report.txt" echo present
if exist "C:\logs\" echo folder present

attrib "file.txt"                    &rem show attributes
attrib +r "file.txt"                 &rem set read-only
attrib -r -h "file.txt"              &rem clear read-only and hidden

Common mistakes

  • rd /s /q with an empty variable wiping a drive root. Always guard the path.
  • Trusting robocopy exit codes like a normal command — use if %errorlevel% geq 8.
  • robocopy without /R:n — one locked file = a million retries = your script hangs "forever."
  • copy not creating folders — md the destination first.
  • del *.tmp prompting in a scheduled job with no console — add /q.
  • ren to move a file — it can't; use move.
  • move overwriting silently without /y in scripts, or prompting and hanging with a console — decide and be explicit.
  • Wildcards matching more than you think — del log* also deletes login.config. Be specific.

Exercises

  1. Write mkbak.bat SRC that copies SRC to SRC.bak (use %~1), overwriting if it exists, and prints Backed up or an error if SRC doesn't exist.
  2. Write a script that creates demo\a, demo\b, demo\c, drops an empty .txt in each, then lists them with dir /b /s.
  3. Mirror demo to demo-mirror with robocopy /E /R:1 /W:1 and report success/failure using the >= 8 rule.
  4. Bulk-rename every .log in a folder to .log.old with one ren command.
  5. Recursively delete every .tmp under %TEMP%\myapp (create some first), quietly, and print how many were left (dir /b /s *.tmp | find /c /v "").
  6. Guard a rd /s /q "%target%" so it refuses to run when target is empty or not an existing folder.

Recap

  • md creates (with intermediate dirs); rd /s /q removes recursively with no undo — guard the path.
  • copy = single files/no recursion; xcopy /E /I /Y = trees; robocopy = anything serious (/R:2 /W:5, check errorlevel >= 8).
  • move moves/renames, ren renames only, del removes files only — none use the Recycle Bin.
  • dir /b /s pattern → for /F is the find-files idiom.

Next: Redirection & pipes →