When using Robocopy's /MOVE parameter to transfer files between directories, many administrators encounter an unexpected behavior: the source directory itself gets deleted after the operation completes. This occurs because /MOVE combines /COPY and /PURGE operations.

// Problematic command example:
robocopy "C:\source\folder" "C:\destination\folder" *.* /S /MOVE

To maintain the source directory structure while moving contents, we need to modify our approach:

// Correct implementation:
robocopy "C:\source\folder" "C:\destination\folder" *.* /S /E /COPYALL /DCOPY:T /R:1 /W:1

Here's what each switch accomplishes:

• /S - Copy subdirectories (except empty ones)
• /E - Copy subdirectories (including empty ones)
• /COPYALL - Copy all file information
• /DCOPY:T - Copy directory timestamps
• /R:1 - Retry once on failed copies
• /W:1 - Wait 1 second before retries

After copying, you can optionally remove the contents (but not the folder itself) from the source:

// Remove contents while preserving folder structure:
del /q "C:\source\folder\*.*" /s /f
for /d %x in ("C:\source\folder\*") do @rd /s /q "%x"

Consider this real-world scenario for merging project folders:

@echo off
SET src="D:\Projects\LegacySystem"
SET dst="D:\Projects\CurrentSystem"

:: Copy all contents without removing source folder
robocopy %src% %dst% *.* /S /E /COPYALL /DCOPY:T /R:3 /W:5 /LOG+:C:\Temp\merge_log.txt

:: Verify copy operation
if %ERRORLEVEL% LSS 8 (
    echo Successfully merged contents
    :: Optional: Clear source contents
    del /q %src%\*.* /s /f
    for /d %%x in (%src%\*) do @rd /s /q "%%x"
) else (
    echo Merge operation encountered errors
)

For more complex scenarios, consider these approaches:

// Using PowerShell alternative:
Get-ChildItem "C:\source\folder" | Move-Item -Destination "C:\destination\folder"

// Using xcopy for simpler cases:
xcopy "C:\source\folder\*" "C:\destination\folder\" /E /H /C /I /Y

When dealing with large directory structures:

• Add /MT:16 for multi-threaded copies (16 threads)
• Use /LOG+:path to maintain operation logs
• Consider /Z for restartable mode in case of interruptions
• Add /NP to minimize console output overhead

When using Robocopy with the /MOVE flag, many developers encounter an unexpected behavior: the entire source directory gets deleted after the transfer completes. This happens because /MOVE is essentially a /COPY followed by a /PURGE operation.

Instead of using /MOVE, we can achieve the desired result by combining other Robocopy switches:

robocopy "C:\source\folder" "C:\destination\folder" * /S /E /COPYALL /R:1 /W:1

After the copy completes, manually delete the files (but not the directory) from the source:

del /Q "C:\source\folder\*.*" 
for /D %x in ("C:\source\folder\*") do @rd /S /Q "%x"

Another method involves using a temporary intermediate directory:

robocopy "C:\source\folder" "C:\temp\holding" * /S /MOVE
robocopy "C:\temp\holding" "C:\destination\folder" * /S /E /COPYALL

• Always test with /L (list-only) switch first
• Consider using /LOG+:filename for audit trails
• For large transfers, add /MT for multi-threading
• Use /XJD to exclude junction points if needed

Here's how to move user profile data while preserving folder structure:

robocopy "C:\Users\OldProfile\Documents" "C:\Users\NewProfile\Documents" * /S /E /COPYALL /ZB /R:3 /W:5 /TEE /LOG+:C:\Migration.log