RoboSy

Fast, portable Windows file-management helper for robocopy move/copy workflows, permanent deletion, and move-to-symlink relocation.

Author: Kiaro Sama

GitHub: https://github.com/KiaroSama

Repository: https://github.com/KiaroSama/RoboSy

License: MIT

Platform: Windows

Description

RoboSy is an interactive PowerShell tool built around Windows robocopy. It provides a numbered terminal menu for moving, copying, permanently deleting, and relocating files or folders while leaving a symbolic link or junction at the original path.

It is designed for users who want a simple Windows terminal workflow without manually writing long robocopy, delete, or symbolic-link commands.

Features

• Move files and folders with robocopy.
• Copy files and folders with robocopy.
• Permanently delete files or folders without using the Recycle Bin.
• Move data to a new location and leave a symbolic link or junction at the original path.
• Accept typed, pasted, or drag-and-dropped paths in normal terminal mode.
• Relaunch as Administrator by typing admin at prompts.
• Fall back from directory symbolic links to junctions when symlink creation is blocked.
• Refuse symbolic links, junctions, and other reparse points as Move/Copy sources to avoid accidentally moving the real target's contents.
• Print total elapsed time after each operation.
• Write daily log files next to the script, with fallback to %LOCALAPPDATA%\RoboSy\logs.

Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11
• PowerShell 5.1 or PowerShell 7+
• Windows built-in robocopy.exe
• Administrator rights or Windows Developer Mode for file symbolic links

Safety Notes

RoboSy can move, copy, delete, and relink real files and folders. Test it on a small dummy folder before using it on important data.

Fast Delete is permanent and does not use the Recycle Bin. Always double-check source and target paths before confirming an operation.

RoboSy blocks drive roots, share roots, and protected root paths for destructive operations, but you should still review every path carefully.

Move and Copy refuse source paths that are symbolic links, junctions, or other reparse points. Choose the real target path directly, or use Move + Symlink when you want to manage a link.

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/KiaroSama/RoboSy.git
cd RoboSy

Install the RoboSy command shim:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Install-RoboSyPath.ps1

Open a new terminal and run:

RoboSy

You can also run RoboSy directly by double-clicking one of the launcher files:

File	Use
RoboSy.cmd	Normal non-elevated launcher. Recommended when you need drag and drop.
RoboSy Admin.cmd	Elevated launcher for protected paths and file symbolic links.

Windows blocks drag and drop from Explorer into elevated Administrator terminals. Use normal mode when you need drag and drop.

Usage

Run RoboSy, then choose an option from the main menu.

Option	Action
1	Move a file or folder with robocopy. This is the default option.
2	Copy a file or folder with robocopy.
3	Permanently delete a file or folder without the Recycle Bin.
4	Move an item to a target path, then create a symbolic link or junction at the original path.

Prompt shortcuts:

Input	Action
0	Go back to the previous menu or prompt.
admin	Relaunch RoboSy as Administrator.
exit or quit	Quit RoboSy.

For drag and drop, drop the path into the terminal. Existing paths may be accepted automatically after a short idle; press Enter if your terminal does not auto-accept the dropped path.

Operations

Move

The move operation uses robocopy to move a selected file or folder to a destination path.

Use this when you want RoboSy to transfer data and remove the original copy after a successful move.

If robocopy leaves an empty source folder behind after a directory move, RoboSy attempts to remove that empty source folder.

Move uses /XJ, so nested junctions are excluded instead of being followed.

Copy

The copy operation uses robocopy to copy a selected file or folder to a destination path.

Use this when you want to keep the original item in place.

Copy uses /XJ, so nested junctions are excluded instead of being followed.

Fast Delete

Option 3 permanently deletes the selected path.

Behavior:

• Files are deleted directly with cmd.exe /d /c del /f /q /a.
• Folders are purged with robocopy /MIR /MT:32, then the selected folder itself is removed.
• Drive roots, share roots, and protected root paths are blocked.
• Symbolic links and junctions are removed as links only. Their real targets are not followed.

Move + Symlink

Option 4 asks for two paths:

1. Original path The path where the symbolic link or junction will live.
2. Target path The path where the real file or folder will live.

Behavior:

• If the original path exists and the target path does not exist, RoboSy moves the item to the target path and creates a link at the original path.
• If the original path is missing and the target path exists, RoboSy only creates the link.
• If both paths already exist, RoboSy stops without overwriting either path.
• If directory symlinks are unavailable, RoboSy tries a junction fallback.

Marker File

After a successful Move + Symlink job, RoboSy writes a marker file at the real target so the original link path can be traced later.

Target type	Marker location	Marker name
Folder, for example D:\example	Inside D:\example\	Symlink path_example.txt
File, for example D:\folder\app.exe	Next to the file	Symlink path_app.exe.txt

The marker file contains the original link path, such as:

C:\example

Logs

RoboSy appends operation details to a daily log file:

.\logs\robosy-YYYY-MM-DD.log

If the script folder is not writable, logs are written under:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\RoboSy\logs

The active log path is printed in the header as:

Logging to: ...

Runtime logs are ignored by Git and should not be published.

Repository Files

File	Purpose
RoboSy.ps1	Main interactive PowerShell script.
RoboSy.cmd	Normal launcher.
RoboSy Admin.cmd	Administrator launcher.
Install-RoboSyPath.ps1	Adds RoboSy to the user PATH and installs the command shim.
README.md	Project documentation.
CHANGELOG.md	User-facing release history.
LICENSE	MIT License text.
ATTRIBUTION.md	Standalone attribution notice.
GITHUB_RELEASE_NOTES.md	Draft release notes for GitHub.
.gitignore	Excludes local logs, notes, secrets, cache, temporary files, and generated output.
.gitattributes	Repository text and line-ending settings.

Ignored Local Data

These local paths are intentionally ignored by Git:

Path or pattern	Reason
.Commands/, .Comments/, Commands/, .claude/	Local request notes, AI tool state, and working prompts.
logs/, log/, Logs/, Log/, *.log	Runtime logs.
.env, .env.*, keys, credentials, tokens, cookies, sessions	Local secrets and private configuration.
tmp/, temp/, Temp/, backup files	Temporary local files.
.cache/, cache/, Cache/, language cache folders	Local caches.
output/, downloads/, dist/, build/, processed/, remuxed/	Generated output.
.vscode/, .idea/, *.code-workspace	Local editor settings.
OS metadata files	Local operating-system artifacts.

Troubleshooting

Drag and drop does nothing

Make sure RoboSy is not running as Administrator. Windows does not allow Explorer drag and drop into elevated Administrator terminals.

RoboSy is not recognized

Open a new terminal after running the installer.

If it still does not work, run the installer again:

powershell.exe -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Install-RoboSyPath.ps1

Symbolic link creation fails

Run RoboSy as Administrator, or enable Windows Developer Mode.

For folders, RoboSy may fall back to a junction when directory symlink creation is blocked.

Fast Delete fails

Check for locked files, missing permissions, antivirus interference, or files currently used by another process.

Logs are not written next to the script

If the script folder is not writable, RoboSy writes logs under:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\RoboSy\logs

License and Attribution

This project is released under the MIT License.

You are free to use, copy, modify, publish, distribute, sublicense, and use this project in your own projects, including free or commercial projects.

However, if you copy, modify, publish, distribute, or include substantial parts of this project in another project, you must keep the original copyright and license notice.

Please preserve this attribution:

RoboSy - Copyright (c) 2026 Kiaro Sama
Original author: Kiaro Sama
GitHub: https://github.com/KiaroSama
Original repository: https://github.com/KiaroSama/RoboSy
Licensed under the MIT License.

Donate

If this project helps you, donations are appreciated.

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