How to Easily Perform Xcopy Mirror Sync

What is Xcopy?

Xcopy is a command line tool that represents extension copy and is used to copy a large amount of data in Windows. Compared with the traditional copy command, Xcopy is much more effective in copying files and xcopy directory. It has more functions to better control copy or move files and folders. The Xcopy command is an excellent solution that synchronizes one folder to another folder. But it does not delete files that exist in the destination but do not exist in the source file, so it is not a mirror synchronization.

What is Mirror Sync?

Mirror sync is a method of file synchronization. The difference between it and other synchronization methods is that the files of the destination are always the same as the source file. In the mirror synchronization, the newly added and modified files in the source directory will be synchronized to the target directory. The files in the target directory will always be exactly the same as the files in the source directory.

If the file in the target directory is inconsistent with the source directory file, it will be deleted or covered. Therefore, you can only add or modify the file in the source directory.

How to Perform Xcopy Sync

Many users use Xcopy to copy the updated content or modify content to another folder to synchronize, because this can effectively save synchronization time, especially when you are syncing xcopy large files. You can operate according to the graphic tutorial below.

Step 1. Press Win + S to open the search box and type cmd. Right-click Command Prompt from the list and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type Xcopy command as below for copying the updates from one folder to another is as follows:

C:\> XCOPY C:/SOURCE D:/DESTINATION /E /D /C /Y

The flags used in the above example define:

• /E: all folders and sub-folders to be copied
• /D: a DATE comparison to be made, only copying items that are newer than the DESTINATION item. If the DESTINATION is older, or does not contain the file, then it will be copied.
• /C: XCOPY to continue if it encounters an error - typically errors occur with read-only files, or files that have protected permissions
• /Y: XCOPY to suppress prompting you for confirmation, which is necessary if you intend to create an automation script or scheduled task

Easier Way to Perform Mirror Sync

Xcopy can help you copy the updated content or modify content, but Xcopy cannot copy all the files, and sometimes there are synchronous failures. More importantly, Xcopy cannot always maintain the target directory exactly the same as the source directory. Some files in the target directory but the files not in the source directory will not be deleted. Therefore, you can’t use Xcopy to mirror folders.

And the command line mode is more suitable for people who are familiar with computer operations such as professional technicians. You can choose a safer and easier method, that is, using professional and reliable Xcopy alternative - AOMEI Backpper Professional. It can easily help you achieve the goal of mirror sync.

• Automatic synchronization: This software does not need to synchronize files every time. It can automatically synchronize data that changes frequently, thereby saving your repetitive work. You can also set a fixed time interval (every day/week/month) for synchronization. The software will automatically synchronize the mirror according to this frequency.
• A variety of devices to save synchronous files: it allows you to use the folder mirror in the source directory to any detected device, such as local disks, external hard disks, flash memory drives, network drives, NAS, cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. Wait).
• Different operating systems: This synchronous software supports different Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8/7/7/XP/Vista, etc.

First, you should download the trial version of AOMEI Backupper Professional. If you are a Windows Server user, AOMEI Backupper Server is more suitable for you.

Step 1. Open this software and click Sync > Mirror Sync.

Notes:

• Basic Sync: It allows you to sync changed files from the source directory to the destination directory.
• Real-Time Sync: This feature can sync changed files from the source directory to the destination directory in real time.
• Two-Way Sync: Any changes in the source or destination directory will be synced to the other side.

Step 2. Click Add Folder to select the local folders you want to sync. If you need to sync multiple folders, you can click the + icon to add more folders to sync.

Step 3. Click the inverted triangle at the right edge of the second bar to choose the destination path.

Step 4. Confirm your operations and click Start Sync to perform mirror sync.

Notes:

• Options: You can write comments to distinguish different sync files or set email notifications for your sync tasks.
• Schedule Sync: It allows you enable schedule sync, and the software can automatically sync local folders based on the fixed intervals you set, such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in.

Summary

This article mainly introduces what is Xcopy sync and what is mirror sync. Xcopy is an excellent synchronization tool, but it won’t mirror sync. Because it cannot always keep the destination folder consistent with the source folder.

To perform mirror synchronization, you can use the safe and reliable sync software AOMEI Backupper Professional to help you. It supports the automatic synchronization of files at a fixed frequency, and you can choose different destination paths according to your needs. It also supports multiple Windows operating systems.

Besides, it is also an excellent backup software. It provides functions such as file backup, system backup, disk backup and partition backup. When you encounter a problem, you don't need to worry about data loss, you can directly use the backup file to restore. You can download this software to explore more functions.