How to copy directories with spaces in the name

Question

I am trying to use robocopy but am unable to make it work because of spaces in the directory names  I am trying to copy 3 directories  My Documents  My Music and My Pictures to  C  test-backup  but want the end result to be  C  test-backup My Documents   C  test-backup My Music   C  test-backup My Pictures     My command does not work  robocopy C  Users Angie C  test-backup  My Documents   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt   No matter what I do  it   s just not happening  Anybody have any suggestions or tricks

User · Answer

If this folder is the first in the command then it won t work with a space in the folder name  so replace the space in the folder name with an underscore

User · Answer

robocopy  C  Users Angie My Documents   C  test-backup My Documents   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt  robocopy  C  Users Angie My Music   C  test-backup My Music   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt  robocopy  C  Users Angie My Pictures   C  test-backup My Pictures   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt

User · Answer

When you specify the last Directory on the path remove the last    for example    server directory with space directory with space    that should do it

User · Answer

There s no need to add space before closing quote if path doesn t contain trailing backslash  so following command should work   robocopy  C  Source Path   C  Destination Path   option1  option2      But  following will not work   robocopy  C  Source Path    C  Destination Path    option1  option2      This is due to the escaping issue that is described here      The   escape can cause problems with quoted directory paths that   contain a trailing backslash because the closing quote   at the end of   the line will be escaped

User · Answer

There is a bug in robocopy in interpreting the source name  If you include a back slash at the end of the path to describe a folder it keeps including the string for the source into the rest of the line  ie robocopy  quot C  back up  quot   destination   e Nothing here will go to the destination string robocopy  quot C  back up quot   destination   e  but this works I may be wrong but I think both should work

User · Answer

After some trial and error and observing the results  in other words  I hacked it   I got it to work   Quotes ARE required to use a path name with spaces   The trick is there MUST be a space after the path names before the closing quote   like this     robocopy  C  Source Path    C  Destination Path    option1  option2      This almost seems like a bug and certainly not very intuitive   Todd K

User · Answer

What s with separating My Documents from C  test-backup  And why the quotes only around My Documents   I m assuming it s a typo  try using robocopy C  Users Angie  C  test-backup My Documents   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt    Edit   Since the syntax the documentation specifies  robocopy  lt Source gt   lt Destination gt    lt File gt          says File  it might not work with Folders    You ll have to userobocopy  C  Users Angie My Documents   C  test-backup My Documents   B  E  R 0  CREATE  NP  TEE  XJ  LOG   CompleteBackupLog txt

User · Answer

You should write brackets only before path   c  program files

[directory] How to copy directories with spaces in the name

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