# 📂 Hidden Windows 11 Feature Makes File Copies 94% Faster

**URL:** <https://onehack.st/t/hidden-windows-11-feature-makes-file-copies-94-faster/316616>\
**Category:** Tools & Scripts\
**Tags:** tools, tips-tricks, pc-optimization\
**Created:** [January 10, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/hidden-windows-11-feature-makes-file-copies-94-faster/316616 "2026-01-10T01:40:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aina](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/aina/32/167469_2.png) [@Aina](https://onehack.st/u/Aina)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 1:40am UTC](https://onehack.st/t/hidden-windows-11-feature-makes-file-copies-94-faster/316616/1 "2026-01-10T01:40:04Z")

</div>

# 🏆 Best Free File Copy Tools Tested — FastCopy vs Robocopy vs Everything Else

_📂 Move Huge Files Without the Wait — Tier List of Every Tool Worth Using_

> **🗺 One-Line Flow:** Turn your 10-minute file transfers into 81-second flex sessions using tools Windows doesn’t want you to know about.

* * *

## 💀 Why This Exists (Read This First)

You’re copying 100GB. Windows says “4 hours remaining.” You alt-tab. You forget. You check back. “6 hours remaining.” What.

This guide makes that never happen again. Zero coding skills needed. Just copy commands, paste, feel like a hacker. Your files move at the actual speed your $200 NVMe is capable of — not the speed Microsoft’s 1998 copy dialog allows.

**Real result from this guide:** 115GB moved in 81 seconds. That’s 1,445 MB/s. That’s insane. That’s yours now.

 ![image](https://onehack.st/uploads/default/original/3X/8/9/896277880b54f515b88d523224fb5878678d64aa.png)

* * *

> **⚡ THE CHEAT CODE (Start Here If You're Impatient)**
>
> Open **Command Prompt as Admin** and run this:
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "C:\Your\Source\Folder" "Z:\Your\Destination" /MOVE /E /MT:32 /R:1 /W:1
> 
> ```
> 
> That’s it. You just unlocked multi-threaded file transfers that Windows has hidden since Vista.
> 
> **What each flag does:**
> 
> | Flag | Translation |
> | --- | --- |
> | `/MOVE` | Move files (deletes source after copy) |
> | `/E` | Include all subfolders |
> | `/MT:32` | Use 32 parallel threads (the magic) |
> | `/R:1 /W:1` | Don’t waste time retrying errors |
> 
> **For NVMe-to-NVMe?** Push it: `/MT:64` or `/MT:128`
> 
> **Want to copy instead of move?** Remove `/MOVE`
> 
> You’re welcome.

* * *

> **🏆 TIER LIST: Every Tool Ranked (Updated January 2026)**
>
> ## S-TIER: The Untouchables
> 
> ### 1. FastCopy — THE Speed King 👑
> 
> **Link:** [https://fastcopy.jp/](https://fastcopy.jp/)
> 
> Why it’s broken (in a good way):
> 
> - Bypasses Windows API completely → talks directly to your drive
> - Zero OS cache usage → other apps stay fast while copying
> - Built-in SHA verification → know your files aren’t corrupted
> - Paths longer than 260 characters? No problem.
> 
> **Latest Version:** 5.11.2 (December 2025)
> 
> ```cmd
> FastCopy.exe /cmd=move /speed=full /verify /auto_close "C:\source" /to="Z:\dest\"
> 
> ```
> 
> **Shell Integration:** Settings → Shell Extension → Install  
> Now you get “Copy (FastCopy)” in your right-click menu. Chef’s kiss.
> 
> **License:** Free for personal use. Pro for workplace.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ### 2. Robocopy — Already On Your PC
> 
> Built into Windows. You’ve had this the whole time.
> 
> **Best command for speed:**
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy source dest /E /MT:128 /R:1 /W:0 /NP /NDL /NFL /LOG:NUL
> 
> ```
> 
> **Translation:**
> 
> - `/MT:128` — 128 threads (adjust to your CPU)
> - `/NP /NDL /NFL /LOG:NUL` — shut up and copy faster
> 
> **For network transfers with resume:**
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "\\server\share" "D:\Local" /E /Z /MT:16 /R:5 /W:10
> 
> ```
> 
> The `/Z` flag = restartable mode. Survives network drops like a cockroach.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ### 3. rclone — The Swiss Army Nuke
> 
> **Link:** [https://rclone.org/downloads/](https://rclone.org/downloads/)
> 
> Not just for cloud. Works local too. Multi-threaded. Verifies checksums automatically.
> 
> ```cmd
> rclone copy C:\source Z:\dest --progress --transfers=32 --checkers=16
> 
> ```
> 
> **Jeff Geerling got 4x faster transfers** using `--multi-thread-streams=32` vs rsync. That’s not a typo.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## A-TIER: Excellent Choices
> 
> ### 4. TeraCopy — For Normal Humans
> 
> **Link:** [https://www.codesector.com/teracopy](https://www.codesector.com/teracopy)
> 
> Pretty GUI. Drag and drop. Pause/resume. Skips bad files. Your mom could use this.
> 
> Slightly slower than FastCopy. Much easier to use. Free version is fully functional.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ### 5. Ultracopier — Open Source Champion
> 
> **Link:** [https://ultracopier.first-world.info/](https://ultracopier.first-world.info/)
> 
> **Version:** 3.0.1.5 | **License:** GPL3 (100% free forever)
> 
> Completely replaces Windows copy dialog. Pause/resume. Speed limiting. Error handling. No catch.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ### 6. FreeFileSync — Best For Sync/Backup
> 
> **Link:** [https://freefilesync.org/](https://freefilesync.org/)
> 
> **Version:** 14.6
> 
> Not just copying — intelligent sync. Compares folders first, only copies what changed. Multi-threaded in donation version. Cross-platform.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## B-TIER: Specialized Tools
> 
> ### 7. ExtremeCopy — The Underdog
> 
> **GitHub:** [https://github.com/kevinwu1024/ExtremeCopy](https://github.com/kevinwu1024/ExtremeCopy)
> 
> Open source C++. Auto-optimizes for your hardware. 20-120% faster than Explorer. Pause on locked files, resume later.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ### 8. BITS (Built into Windows)
> 
> ```powershell
> Import-Module BitsTransfer
> Start-BitsTransfer -Source "\\server\file.iso" -Destination "C:\local\" -Asynchronous
> 
> ```
> 
> Survives reboots. Best for network transfers.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## AVOID THESE ☠
> 
> | Tool | Why |
> | --- | --- |
> | RichCopy | Dead since 2009 |
> | Kill Copy | Abandoned |
> | Copy Handler | Last update 2016 |
> | SuperCopier2 | Just use Ultracopier |
> | GS RichCopy 360 | $$$$ enterprise only |

* * *

> **🧠 HIDDEN DISCOVERY: Windows 11 Dev Drive (Up to 94% Faster Copies)**
>
> Microsoft quietly added **ReFS Block Cloning** to Windows 11 24H2. This is Windows Server tech that nobody told consumers about.
> 
> ## What Block Cloning Actually Does
> 
> Instead of copying every byte:
> 
> 1. Creates a metadata pointer to original data
> 2. Both files share the same physical blocks
> 3. Only creates new blocks when you modify one file
> 4. **Result: Copies become nearly instant**
> 
> ## Microsoft’s Own Numbers
> 
> | Operation | NTFS | ReFS Block Cloning | Improvement |
> | --- | --- | --- | --- |
> | 10GB file copy | X seconds | X/10 seconds | **Up to 94%** |
> | Code builds | baseline | -28% | **28% faster** |
> | Delete node\_modules | 24.5s | 9.2s | **62% faster** |
> 
> ## How To Create One
> 
> Settings → System → Storage → Advanced storage settings → Disks & volumes → Create new VHD → Format as Dev Drive (ReFS)
> 
> **Requirements:**
> 
> - Windows 11 24H2+
> - Cannot be boot drive
> - 50GB minimum recommended
> - 16GB RAM recommended
> 
> **Best for:** Source code, node\_modules, build outputs, working copies of large files
> 
> **Caveat:** No compression, no encryption, no quotas. Use for specific workflows, not general storage.

* * *

> **🛡️ Windows Defender: The Silent Speed Killer**
>
> Every. Single. File. Operation. Gets. Scanned.
> 
> For thousands of small files, this adds up to… pain.
> 
> ## Check If It’s Affecting You
> 
> ```powershell
> Get-MpComputerStatus | Select RealTimeProtectionEnabled, IoavProtectionEnabled
> 
> ```
> 
> ## Add Exclusions (Run As Admin)
> 
> ```powershell
> # Exclude folders:
> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "Z:\MyWorkFolder"
> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "C:\Dev"
> 
> # Exclude tools:
> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionProcess "fastcopy.exe"
> Add-MpPreference -ExclusionProcess "robocopy.exe"
> 
> # Check what you've excluded:
> Get-MpPreference | Select ExclusionPath, ExclusionProcess
> 
> ```
> 
> ## Dev Drive Bonus
> 
> Dev Drives automatically get **Defender Performance Mode** — async scanning that doesn’t block file operations. Free 30%+ speed boost.

* * *

> **💾 RAM Disks: When NVMe Isn't Fast Enough**
>
> Yes, this is a real thing. Yes, it’s ridiculous. Yes, it works.
> 
> ## Speed Reality Check
> 
> | Storage | Read | Write | 4K Random |
> | --- | --- | --- | --- |
> | SATA SSD | ~550 MB/s | ~520 MB/s | ~50K IOPS |
> | NVMe Gen3 | ~3,500 MB/s | ~3,000 MB/s | ~500K IOPS |
> | NVMe Gen4 | ~7,000 MB/s | ~5,000 MB/s | ~1M IOPS |
> | **RAM Disk** | **~15,000+ MB/s** | **~15,000+ MB/s** | **~3M+ IOPS** |
> 
> ## Best Free RAM Disk Tools (Benchmarked)
> 
> **🥇 OSFMount** — Best Overall  
> [https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html](https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html)  
> Free, unlimited size, consistent speeds.
> 
> **🥈 ImDisk Toolkit** — Best Features  
> [https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/](https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/)  
> Dynamic memory allocation. Save on shutdown. 100% free, open source.
> 
> **🥉 SoftPerfect RAM Disk** — Best 4K Performance  
> [https://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/](https://www.softperfect.com/products/ramdisk/)  
> Older version free (4GB limit). Excellent for small file operations.
> 
> ## Perfect Use Cases
> 
> - Redirect Windows TEMP folder → instant temp file operations
> - Browser cache → actually fast browsing
> - Build artifacts → compiler goes brrr
> - Photoshop scratch disk → no more disk bottleneck
> 
> ## Redirect TEMP to RAM Disk
> 
> ```cmd
> setx TEMP R:\Temp
> setx TMP R:\Temp
> 
> ```
> 
> (Where R: is your RAM disk)

* * *

> **🔧 NVMe Optimization: Why Your Fast Drive Feels Slow**
>
> ## Problem 1: SLC Cache Exhaustion
> 
> Most SSDs have a small fast cache (~10-50GB). After that fills, speed drops 50-80%.
> 
> **Fix:** Keep 10-20% free. Let drive idle between large transfers.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Problem 2: Thermal Throttling
> 
> NVMe controllers get HOT. They slow down to survive.
> 
> **Check temps:** CrystalDiskInfo or your vendor’s tool
> 
> | State | Healthy |
> | --- | --- |
> | Idle | \<45°C |
> | Load | \<70°C |
> 
> **Fix:** Add heatsink. Improve airflow.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Problem 3: TRIM Not Running
> 
> ```cmd
> # Check status:
> fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
> # 0 = enabled (good)
> # 1 = disabled (fix this)
> 
> # Force optimize now:
> defrag C: /O
> 
> ```
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Problem 4: Write Cache Disabled
> 
> Device Manager → Disk drives → Your NVMe → Properties → Policies → ☑ Enable write caching
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Vendor Tools (Use These)
> 
> | Brand | Tool |
> | --- | --- |
> | Samsung | Samsung Magician |
> | WD | WD Dashboard |
> | Crucial | Storage Executive |
> | Intel | Intel Memory and Storage Tool |

* * *

> **🐧 Sector-Level Tools: Raw Power**
>
> ## dd (via WSL or Linux USB)
> 
> Bit-perfect copies. No filesystem overhead. Pure speed.
> 
> ```bash
> # Clone entire drive (DESTRUCTIVE to target):
> sudo dd if=/dev/nvme0n1 of=/dev/nvme0n2 bs=64K status=progress conv=noerror,sync
> 
> # Create disk image:
> sudo dd if=/dev/nvme0n1 of=/path/to/image.img bs=64K status=progress
> 
> ```
> 
> **Block size tuning:**
> 
> - `bs=64K` — balanced
> - `bs=1M` — faster for large sequential
> - `bs=4K` — better error recovery
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## Clonezilla — Enterprise-Grade Free Cloning
> 
> **Link:** [https://clonezilla.org/](https://clonezilla.org/)
> 
> Boot from USB. Sector-level or filesystem-aware. Compression on-the-fly. Used by actual IT departments.
> 
> * * *
> 
> ## HDClone Free Edition
> 
> **Link:** [https://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html](https://www.miray.de/products/sat.hdclone.html)
> 
> Supports NVMe, M.2, SATA. SmartCopy skips empty sectors. Bootable for offline cloning.

* * *

> **⚡ Advanced Robocopy Commands (Copy-Paste Ready)**
>
> ## Maximum NVMe Speed
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "C:\Source" "Z:\Dest" /E /MT:128 /R:1 /W:0 /NP /NDL /NFL /NS /NC /LOG:NUL
> 
> ```
> 
> ## Network With Resume
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "\\server\share" "D:\Local" /E /Z /MT:16 /R:5 /W:10 /LOG:transfer.log
> 
> ```
> 
> ## Mirror Mode (Make Destination = Source)
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "C:\Source" "Z:\Mirror" /MIR /MT:32 /R:1 /W:1
> 
> ```
> 
> ⚠ `/MIR` deletes files in destination that don’t exist in source
> 
> ## Copy + Progress Only
> 
> ```cmd
> robocopy "C:\Source" "Z:\Dest" /E /MT:32 /ETA
> 
> ```

* * *

> **📊 Quick Decision Matrix**
>
> | Situation | Use This |
> | --- | --- |
> | Just need fast copy, don’t care how | FastCopy with shell integration |
> | Already know command line | `robocopy /MT:64` |
> | Thousands of tiny files | RAM Disk → FastCopy |
> | Development/builds | Dev Drive (ReFS) |
> | Regular backups/sync | FreeFileSync |
> | Full drive clone | Clonezilla or vendor tool |
> | Network transfers | rclone `--transfers=16` |
> | Don’t want to think | TeraCopy |

* * *

> **🧪 Benchmark Your Setup**
>
> ## CrystalDiskMark
> 
> [https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/](https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/)
> 
> Tests sequential and random I/O. Compare to your drive’s specs.
> 
> ## DiskSpd (Microsoft’s Tool)
> 
> ```cmd
> # Sequential read:
> diskspd -b1M -d30 -o4 -t4 -W0 -r -L -w0 C:\testfile.dat
> 
> # Sequential write:
> diskspd -b1M -d30 -o4 -t4 -W0 -r -L -w100 C:\testfile.dat
> 
> ```
> 
> ## Measure Your Copy Speed
> 
> ```powershell
> Measure-Command { robocopy "C:\Test" "Z:\Test" /E /MT:32 }
> 
> ```

* * *

> **🏁 The Ultimate Setup (If You're Extra)**
>
> 1. **Boot Drive:** NVMe Gen4+ with good sustained writes
> 2. **Dev Drive:** Second NVMe as ReFS Dev Drive
> 3. **RAM Disk:** 16GB ImDisk for temp/cache
> 4. **Defender Exclusions:** Dev folders, RAM disk, tool executables
> 5. **Tools:**
> - FastCopy (shell integration) for manual copies
> - Robocopy scripts for scheduled copies
> - rclone for cloud/network
> - FreeFileSync for sync workflows
> 
> Each layer removes a bottleneck. Stack them all = basically instant.

* * *

## 📎 Quick Links

| Tool | Link |
| --- | --- |
| FastCopy | [https://fastcopy.jp/](https://fastcopy.jp/) |
| TeraCopy | [https://www.codesector.com/teracopy](https://www.codesector.com/teracopy) |
| Ultracopier | [https://ultracopier.first-world.info/](https://ultracopier.first-world.info/) |
| FreeFileSync | [https://freefilesync.org/](https://freefilesync.org/) |
| rclone | [https://rclone.org/downloads/](https://rclone.org/downloads/) |
| ImDisk Toolkit | [https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/](https://sourceforge.net/projects/imdisk-toolkit/) |
| OSFMount | [https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html](https://www.osforensics.com/tools/mount-disk-images.html) |
| Clonezilla | [https://clonezilla.org/](https://clonezilla.org/) |
| CrystalDiskMark | [https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/](https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark/) |

* * *

_Windows Explorer copy dialog is just a progress bar for your patience dying._

_Robocopy has been free since 2008. You’re 17 years late. Start now._

`robocopy /MT:32` — shorter than your WiFi password, saves more time.

_Your NVMe cost $200. Make it act like it._

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![S0me1](https://onehack.st/user_avatar/onehack.st/s0me1/32/134654_2.png) [@S0me1](https://onehack.st/u/S0me1)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2026, 12:45pm UTC](https://onehack.st/t/hidden-windows-11-feature-makes-file-copies-94-faster/316616/2 "2026-01-10T12:45:30Z")

</div>

> [@Aina](#):
>
> ```auto
> # Check status:
> fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify
> # 0 = enabled (good)
> # 1 = disabled (fix this)
> 
> # Force optimize now:
> defrag C: /O
> 
> ```

@Aina - Amazing Share! Moved things all over now, so much improvments. I considered myself an expert on all of this stuff, but some great “tips & tricks” here. Much Props for the share! 🫡