Download FastCopy — The Fastest File Copier for Windows

Yes, FastCopy is completely free for personal use. The standard edition has no trial period, no feature restrictions, and no ads. You can download and use every feature – including differential copy, hash verification, and command-line automation – at no cost. There is a separate FastCopy Pro edition intended for workplace and commercial environments, which adds enhanced verification reports and priority support. The free version and Pro version share the same core engine and speed.

FastCopy is safe to use on Windows 11. The developer, Shirouzu Hiroaki, has been maintaining and updating the software since 2004. Version 5.11.2 includes specific fixes for Windows 11 shell extension behavior, particularly around OneDrive integration. The application does not modify system files, does not require administrator privileges for standard operations, and does not phone home or collect telemetry. It has been reviewed by major download sites including Softpedia, FileHorse, and MajorGeeks, all of which confirm it is clean of malware and bundled software.

Yes, significantly. Official benchmarks from the FastCopy website show throughput 2-3x faster than Windows Explorer on the same hardware. The speed advantage comes from how FastCopy manages disk I/O – it uses overlapped, multi-threaded read/write operations that keep the storage device busy at all times. Windows Explorer processes files more sequentially and relies on the OS cache, which introduces overhead. The performance gap widens with more files: copying 50,000 small files with Explorer might take 20 minutes, while FastCopy could finish the same job in 7-8 minutes.

FastCopy runs on any Windows machine from Windows 7 through Windows 11, including both 32-bit and 64-bit editions. It also supports Windows Server 2012 and later. The minimum hardware requirements are minimal: any x86/x64 processor, 64 MB of RAM, and 10 MB of disk space. There are no external dependencies – no .NET Framework, no Visual C++ runtime, no Java. FastCopy works immediately after installation or extraction, which is one reason IT professionals keep a portable copy on their USB toolkit drive.

Yes. FastCopy supports post-copy verification using SHA-256 or xxHash checksums. When you enable the “Verify” checkbox in the main window, FastCopy computes a hash of each source file and then compares it against the hash of the copied file at the destination. If any mismatch is found, it is flagged in the log as a verification error. This catches silent data corruption, faulty RAM, and unreliable drive sectors. The verification runs in parallel with the copy operation, so it adds relatively little extra time compared to running a separate hash check afterward.

Both are solid file copy tools, but they have different strengths. FastCopy is consistently faster on raw throughput, especially when handling large batches of small files. It uses direct memory-mapped I/O that bypasses the Windows cache layer. TeraCopy offers a more polished interface with drag-and-drop support, pause/resume capability, and better Windows integration for casual users. FastCopy has stronger command-line support for scripting and automation. TeraCopy is freemium with a paid Pro version for queue management; FastCopy is fully free for personal use. If raw speed and automation are your priorities, FastCopy wins. If you prefer a friendlier GUI and pause/resume, TeraCopy is the better pick.

FastCopy has a full command-line interface that mirrors every GUI option. The basic syntax is: fastcopy.exe /cmd=diff /verify /auto_close "C:\Source" /to="D:\Destination". Key flags include /cmd= (copy mode: diff, sync, move, delete), /verify (enable hash verification), /auto_close (close window after completion), /log (write a log file), and /include= or /exclude= for file filters. Combine this with Windows Task Scheduler to create nightly or weekly automated backup jobs. A typical scheduled task might run: fastcopy.exe /cmd=sync /verify /auto_close /log "D:\Work" /to="E:\Backup\Work".

The standard FastCopy edition is free for personal use. For workplace and commercial environments, the developer offers FastCopy Pro, which is a paid license. The Pro version adds features aimed at enterprise use: enhanced verification with detailed integrity reports, silent data corruption detection (bit-rot detection), and commercial support. Many companies use the free version informally, but if you need official support or compliance documentation for your organization, the Pro license is the appropriate choice. Pricing details are on the official site at fastcopy.jp.

Yes. FastCopy 5.11.2 fully supports Windows 11, including the 24H2 update. The shell extension (right-click context menu) works with both the legacy and new Windows 11 context menus. Version 5.11.2 specifically fixed an issue where the Windows 11 shell extension could accidentally trigger downloads on OneDrive placeholder files when right-clicking. Both 64-bit and 32-bit editions are compatible, though 64-bit is recommended on Windows 11 since all Windows 11 installations are 64-bit.

If you used the installer, shell integration is already set up – right-click any file or folder and you will see FastCopy options. If you used the portable version, open FastCopy, go to Help > Shell Extension Install, and click Install. This adds copy, move, and delete options to the right-click context menu. On Windows 11, you may need to click “Show more options” to see the full context menu with FastCopy entries. To remove the shell integration later, go to the same menu and click Uninstall.

The free edition and Pro edition share the same core copy/sync engine and achieve identical speeds. The Pro version adds: (1) Enhanced verification with detailed SHA-256 hash reports exported as CSV/text files for audit compliance, (2) Silent data corruption detection that identifies bit-rot on aging drives, (3) A commercial-use license suitable for workplace deployment, and (4) Priority email support from the developer. For home users and personal backups, the free version has everything you need. Pro is aimed at IT departments, server administrators, and organizations that require verification audit trails.

FastCopy does not have a built-in pause/resume function like TeraCopy. However, you can achieve a similar result using the “Diff (size/date)” copy mode. If a transfer is interrupted – whether from a power outage, network drop, or manual cancellation – simply run the same job again with Diff mode. FastCopy will scan both source and destination, skip files that already match, and only copy the remaining or changed files. For large transfers where interruptions are likely (e.g., copying over a flaky network), this approach effectively provides resume functionality.

Yes. FastCopy works with network drives (mapped or UNC paths), NAS devices, and any storage accessible through Windows file sharing (SMB/CIFS). You can use paths like \\NAS01\SharedFolder directly in the Source or DestDir fields. Keep in mind that network transfer speeds are limited by your network connection – a 1 Gbps Ethernet link maxes out at around 125 MB/s, so FastCopy will not exceed that ceiling over the network. For NAS backups, the “Diff (size/date)” mode is especially useful since it avoids re-copying unchanged files over the slower network link.

FastCopy used to be distributed under an open-source license (BSD-style) in earlier versions. However, more recent versions are distributed as freeware with the source code available for reference but not under a permissive open-source license. The developer, Shirouzu Hiroaki, publishes the source code on the official site for transparency, but commercial redistribution without permission is not allowed. For all practical purposes, FastCopy remains free to download and use for personal purposes, but it is technically “source-available freeware” rather than open source in the OSI-approved sense.

Use Windows Task Scheduler combined with FastCopy’s command-line mode. Open Task Scheduler (search “Task Scheduler” in the Start menu), click “Create Basic Task,” give it a name like “Nightly Backup,” and set the trigger to your preferred schedule (daily, weekly, etc.). For the action, select “Start a Program” and enter the FastCopy executable path. In the arguments field, enter something like: /cmd=sync /verify /auto_close /log "D:\Work" /to="E:\Backup". This creates an automated sync job that runs on schedule, verifies all copied data, writes a log, and closes when done – no manual intervention required.

Robocopy ships with Windows and is a powerful command-line tool for file replication. FastCopy provides both a GUI and command-line interface and is generally faster for single-machine transfers due to its multi-threaded I/O engine. Robocopy excels at network-level file replication with features like per-file retry logic, bandwidth throttling, and multi-threaded copies (/MT switch). If you need a visual interface and maximum local speed, use FastCopy. If you are scripting server-to-server replication across a network and want granular retry control, Robocopy is the stronger option. Many sysadmins use both: FastCopy for local disk-to-disk work and Robocopy for network shares and domain migrations.

If FastCopy crashes or fails to start, try these steps in order: (1) Make sure you are running the latest version (5.11.2) – older versions may have bugs fixed in newer releases. (2) If the shell extension causes Explorer crashes, open FastCopy and go to Help > Shell Extension Uninstall, then reinstall it. (3) Try running FastCopy as administrator (right-click > Run as administrator) if you are copying to system-protected folders. (4) Reduce the buffer size in Edit > Settings if your system has limited RAM – a 256 MB buffer on a system with 4 GB total RAM can cause memory pressure. (5) If the issue persists, delete the FastCopy.ini file in the installation directory to reset all settings to defaults. (6) Switch to the portable version as a test – if portable works but the installed version does not, the issue is likely a corrupted shell extension registration.

Set the copy mode dropdown to “Diff (size/date)” in the main window. This mode compares each file at the source against the destination by file size and last-modified timestamp. Files that already exist at the destination with matching size and date are skipped. Only new or changed files get copied. This turns FastCopy into an efficient incremental backup tool – the first run copies everything, and subsequent runs only transfer what changed. For an even stricter approach, use “Diff (size/date) + Verify” which also hash-verifies the copied files. Combine this with a scheduled task for hands-free daily backups.

The official download source is the developer’s website at fastcopy.jp. This site is maintained directly by Shirouzu Hiroaki, the creator and sole developer of FastCopy. You can also download FastCopy from our download section above, which links directly to the official release files. Avoid downloading FastCopy from random third-party sites that may bundle adware or modify the installer. Reputable mirrors include Softpedia, FileHorse, and MajorGeeks, but the safest source is always the official site or a trusted direct link to the official file.

If you used the installer: Open FastCopy first, go to Help > Shell Extension Uninstall to remove context menu entries. Then close FastCopy and use Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps to uninstall it normally. If you used the portable version: Just delete the folder. There are no registry entries or system files to clean up. Portable FastCopy stores its settings in a FastCopy.ini file in the same directory as the executable, so deleting the folder removes everything. If you previously installed the shell extension from portable mode, open FastCopy and uninstall it via the Help menu before deleting the folder.