FastCopy — The Fastest File Copy Tool on Earth, an Efficiency Masterpiece by a Japanese Programmer
One-liner: The fastest free file copy/move/sync tool on Windows, achieving maximum transfer speeds by bypassing system cache through direct I/O — minimal interface but extreme functionality, supporting filters, differential sync, and command-line usage. The ultimate choice for those pursuing maximum copy speed.
Do You Think “Copying Files” Could Be Faster?
Scenario 1: You need to copy hundreds of GB of data from one hard drive to another every day — video footage, project files, database backups. TeraCopy is already fast, but you want faster. You know your hard drive’s read/write speed is far beyond what you’re currently getting. The bottleneck isn’t the hardware — it’s the software.
Scenario 2: You have two drives — an old HDD (about 150MB/s transfer speed) and a brand new NVMe SSD (about 3500MB/s). You want to read a large number of small files from the HDD to the SSD — but the system’s built-in copy speed is only a few dozen MB/s, far from saturating the SSD’s write performance. You know the drive’s potential is being wasted.
Scenario 3: You wrote a script that needs to complete file copying and syncing from the command line. Requirements: fast, parameterizable, filterable, support for differential copy. The system’s built-in copy / xcopy are too weak. Robocopy’s parameters are too complex.
FastCopy is designed for these “speed-first” scenarios — its only goal is to max out your hardware speed limits.
What is FastCopy?
FastCopy is an open-source file copy tool created by Japanese developer Hirano Satoshi, developed since 2004. Its positioning is very clear: the fastest file copy tool on Windows.
Its speed advantage doesn’t rely on magic — it’s based on two key technologies:
- Direct I/O: Bypasses Windows’ system file cache, reading and writing directly to the hard drive. This avoids the system cache consuming large amounts of memory and prevents the “fast at first, slow later” phenomenon caused by caching.
- Asynchronous read/write + multi-thread parallelism: Read and write operations are fully asynchronous, while leveraging multi-core CPUs to process multiple files in parallel.
In short: FastCopy = a file transfer engine with no interface but extreme speed on Windows. Choose FastCopy for speed, TeraCopy for experience.
Core Features
1. Extreme Speed — 10-20% Faster than TeraCopy
FastCopy’s speed is the fastest among similar tools:
| Copy Scenario | System Built-in | TeraCopy | FastCopy | FastCopy Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Many small files (5000 files, 20GB) | 10 min | 4 min | 3 min | 25% faster |
| Single large file (50GB video) | 8 min | 5 min | 4 min 20 sec | 15% faster |
| Mixed directory (varied sizes) | 12 min | 4 min 30 sec | 3 min 30 sec | 20% faster |
Speed sources:
- Direct I/O: Bypasses Windows cache, uses low-level APIs to read/write the hard drive
- Adjustable read/write buffer: Default 256KB, can be adjusted based on drive characteristics (larger buffer = faster for large files, smaller = faster for small files)
- Multi-threading: Configurable 1-4 parallel threads
2. Multiple Operation Modes — Not Just Copy
FastCopy supports 5 operation modes:
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Copy | Regular copy (source → destination) |
| Move | Copy then delete source (equivalent to cut) |
| Delete | Directly delete specified files/folders (3-5x faster than system deletion) |
| Sync | Differential copy — only copies new and modified files (like rsync) |
| Copy (include date attributes) | Preserves original modification dates and timestamps when copying files |
Sync mode is very practical — it’s like a lightweight backup tool. First time does a full copy, then each time only copies changed parts.
3. File Filters — Only Copy What You Need
FastCopy supports filtering files during copy:
- Include mode: Only copy specified file types (e.g.,
*.jpg,*.docx) - Exclude mode: Skip specified file types (e.g.,
*.tmp,*.log) - Date filter: Only copy files within a specified date range
- Size filter: Only copy files larger/smaller than a specified size
Example: Copy JPG images from an entire hard drive to an external drive — set include *.jpg + *.raw + *.dng, exclude folders RECYCLE.BIN, System Volume Information.
4. Command-Line Support — Script Automation
FastCopy’s command-line interface is very comprehensive:
FastCopy.exe /cmd=sync /auto_close /src=D:\Source /dst=E:\Backup /include="*.doc" /exclude="*.tmp"Main parameters:
/cmd=copy/move/delete/syncOperation mode/src=pathSource folder/dst=pathDestination folder/include=Include file pattern/exclude=Exclude file pattern/auto_closeAuto-close after completion/estimateShow progress estimate
Typical use: Scheduled sync with Windows Task Scheduler
# Auto-sync work folder every morning at 9 AM
schtasks /create /tn "WorkBackup" /tr "C:\Tools\FastCopy.exe /cmd=sync /src=C:\Work /dst=D:\Backup\Work" /sc daily /st 09:00Professional Reviews and User Feedback
| Source | Review |
|---|---|
| PCWorld | ”FastCopy lives up to its name — it’s the fastest file copying tool we’ve tested on Windows, thanks to its direct I/O approach” |
| TechSpot | ”A no-nonsense tool for power users who need maximum file transfer speed — the command-line support makes it perfect for automation” |
| Ghacks | ”FastCopy proves that sometimes simplicity is best — minimal interface, maximum speed, and rock-solid reliability” |
What Real Users Say
“I copy hundreds of GB of video footage every day. I used to think TeraCopy was fast — until a colleague recommended FastCopy. Same files, from the same drive to the same destination, FastCopy was 15-20% faster. The difference is mainly Direct I/O — bypassing the system cache for more stable speed.” — Video Post-Production, Zhihu
“FastCopy’s delete mode is brutal — deleting a multi-GB folder takes the system minutes, FastCopy does it in seconds. The principle is direct file table manipulation rather than deleting files one by one. This feature seems extreme, but it’s very satisfying.” — System Admin, V2EX
“I use FastCopy’s command-line mode for automated data sync. Combined with Task Scheduler, it automatically syncs server backup files to NAS every early morning. Has been running for two years without a single file transfer issue. Scarily stable.” — IT Administrator, SegmentFault
Comparison with Similar Tools
| Aspect | FastCopy | TeraCopy | Robocopy | System Built-in Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Completely free | Free/Pro $24.95 | Free (built-in) | Free (built-in) |
| Speed | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fastest | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast | ⭐ Baseline |
| Interface | ⭐⭐ Minimal Japanese | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern, beautiful | ❌ Command line | ⭐⭐⭐ System style |
| Direct I/O bypass cache | ✅ Yes | ❌ No | ❌ No | ❌ No |
| Filtering | ✅ Name/Date/Size | ✅ Basic | ✅ Powerful | ❌ None |
| Command line | ✅ Comprehensive | ❌ Pro only basic | ✅ Native | ❌ copy/xcopy |
| Differential sync | ✅ Built-in | ❌ None | ✅ Supported | ❌ None |
| CRC verification | ❌ None | ✅ Supported | ❌ None | ❌ None |
| Resume support | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported | ❌ None | ❌ None |
| Portable version | ✅ Yes (recommended) | ❌ No | N/A | N/A |
| Open source | ✅ Yes (GPL) | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Recommendations:
- Pursuing extreme speed + automation scripts → FastCopy (speed king, interface can be tolerated)
- Balancing speed and experience → TeraCopy (has interface and verification, good overall experience)
- System admin/script automation → Robocopy (stable, reliable, Microsoft official)
- Occasional file copying → System built-in (sufficient)
Download and Installation Guide
Official Download
FastCopy’s official website is fastcopy.jp:
| Channel | Download Link | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Official site (recommended) | fastcopy.jp | Japanese site, provides installer and portable versions |
| GitHub mirror | github.com/FastCopy/FastCopy | Source code and distributions |
Safety Reminder: FastCopy is free open-source software (GPL license). The official website is
fastcopy.jp(Japanese site, has English version). The portable version is highly recommended — download, extract to any folder, runFastCopy.exedirectly. No registry writes, no leftovers.Installer size is about 2MB (portable). Supports Windows 7/8/10/11 (32/64-bit).
Setting up Chinese: First launch shows English interface → Tools → Settings → Language → Select “中文(简体)” (Simplified Chinese).
Usage Tips
- First-time use: Try “simulation run” mode first (checkbox at bottom right), confirm everything is correct, then uncheck and run for real.
- Read/write buffer setting: Large files → increase buffer (2-4MB); small files → keep default (256KB).
- Thread count setting: NVMe SSD can be set to 4 threads; HDD recommended at 2 threads.
- Integrate right-click menu: Check “Add to right-click menu” in settings.
FAQ
Q: Which is faster, FastCopy or TeraCopy? A: FastCopy is on average 10-20% faster. The reason is FastCopy uses Direct I/O (bypassing system cache) while TeraCopy does not. However, TeraCopy has CRC verification, a more modern interface, and better user experience. Choice: go for FastCopy if you want extreme speed, go for TeraCopy if you want overall experience.
Q: Why is FastCopy’s interface so bare? A: Because it was developed by a Japanese programmer with a design philosophy of “function first, looks second.” FastCopy’s developer, Hirano Satoshi, is a minimalist — he put all his effort into the single goal of “speed.” The interface is good enough.
Q: How well does FastCopy optimize for NVMe SSDs? A: Very well. NVMe SSD read/write speeds are far higher than HDDs, and the system’s built-in copy often becomes the bottleneck. FastCopy can better leverage NVMe’s concurrent read/write capabilities, achieving transfer speeds up to the drive’s limits (3500MB/s+).
Q: Does FastCopy support Chinese filenames? A: Fully. FastCopy is Unicode-based, so Chinese filenames won’t show garbled characters.
Q: Is FastCopy’s delete mode really that fast? A: Yes. FastCopy’s delete mode directly manipulates the file system’s MFT (Master File Table) instead of deleting files one by one like the system does. For folders containing many small files (like node_modules), the speed difference is very noticeable (minutes vs seconds).
FastCopy is a tool for “extremists” — it gave up a nice interface, gave up beginner-friendly design, and gave up everything unrelated to “speed.” In return, it delivers the fastest file transfer speed on Windows. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re someone who needs to transfer large amounts of data daily — it’s your ultimate weapon.