Microsoft officially stopped development on RichCopy around 2011. The reasons included:
Nevertheless, RichCopy remains irreplaceable for those who prefer a GUI without scripting.
Once you have the installer:
Do NOT download from:
Always verify the file hash. For RichCopy 4.0.217 (64-bit), the SHA-256 hash should match known community records. You can verify using PowerShell: Get-FileHash .\RichCopy.exe
RichCopy.exe "C:\Source" "D:\Backup" /threads:10 /verify /resume
Microsoft no longer officially hosts RichCopy (it was an internal tool, later released for free, but support ended years ago). Many third‑party sites claim to offer the “best” download of richcopy40.exe or richcopy.4.0.217.zip.
Risks of random download sites:
✅ Safer approach: Use Robocopy (built into Windows since Vista/7) or a modern alternative like FastCopy, TeraCopy, or GS RichCopy 360 (commercial).
If you still want the original RichCopy 4.0.217, get it only from reputable archival sources (e.g., old Microsoft TechNet archives, MajorGeeks, or FileHippo with verified hashes). Always scan with antivirus before running.
RichCopy was one of the first tools to allow pausing a copy. microsoft richcopy 40 217 download best
Before copying, click the Settings button (gear icon). Here you configure:
| Setting | Recommended Value | Why | |---------|------------------|-----| | Threads | 10-20 (not 40) | Too many threads may bottleneck a single HDD. 10 is ideal for network drives. | | Retry Count | 5 | Allows transient network errors to resolve. | | Retry Wait | 1000 ms (1 second) | Polite to network shares. | | Copy Method | Full or Incremental | Use "Incremental" for backups. | | File Attributes | Preserve all | Keep timestamps, ACLs, archive bits. |