Attribute flags:

 

File Selection

 

Supports command dialog, attribute switches, extended wildcards, ranges, multiple file names, and include lists. Use wildcards with caution on LFN volumes; see LFN File Searches for details.

 

Usage:

 

Every file and subdirectory has attributes that can be turned on (set) or turned off (cleared): Archive, Hidden, Not content indexed, Offline, Read-only, System, and Temporary. For details on the meaning of each attribute, see File Attributes.

 

The ATTRIB command lets you view, set, or clear attributes for any file, group of files, or subdirectory.

 

You can view file attributes by entering ATTRIB without specifying new attributes (i.e., without the [+|-[AHIOPRSTUVX]] part of the format), or with the DIR /T command.

 

The primary use of ATTRIB is to set attributes. For example, you can set the read-only and hidden attributes for the file MEMO:

 

attrib +rh memo

 

Attribute options apply to the file(s) that follow the options on the ATTRIB command line. The example below shows how to set different attributes on different files with a single command. It sets the archive attribute for all .TXT files, then sets the system attribute and clears the archive attribute for TEST.EXE:

 

attrib +a *.txt +s -a test.exe

 

When you use ATTRIB on an LFN drive, you must double quote any file names which contain white space or special characters.

 

To change directory attributes, use the /D switch. If you give ATTRIB a directory name instead of a file name, and omit /D, it will append "\*" to the end of the name and act on all files in that directory, rather than acting on the directory itself.

 

NTFS also supports D (subdirectory), V (virtualized), E (encrypted), J or L (junction / symbolic link) and P (sparse file) attributes. These attributes will be displayed by ATTRIB, but cannot be altered; they are designed to be controlled only by Windows.

 

ATTRIB will ignore underlines in the new attribute (the [+|-[ADHIOPRSTUVX]] part of the command). For example, ATTRIB sees these 2 commands as identical:

 

attrib +a filename

attrib +__A_ filename

 

This allows you to use a string of attributes from either the @ATTRIB variable function or from ATTRIB itself (both of which use underscores to represent attributes that are not set) and send that string back to ATTRIB to set attributes for other files. For example, to clear the attributes of FILE2 and then set its attributes to match those of FILE1:

 

attrib -arhs file2 & attrib +%@attrib[file1] file2

 

When ATTRIB encounters a +D or -D in the attribute string it treats it as equivalent to the /D switch, and allows modification of the attributes of a directory. When combined with @ATTRIB, or with ATTRIB's output, both of which return a D to signify a directory, this feature allows you to transfer attributes from one directory to another. For example, to clear the attributes of all files and directories beginning with ABC and then set their attributes to match those of FILE1 (enter this on one line):

 

attrib -arhs abc* & attrib +%@attrib[file1] abc*

 

ATTRIB sets three internal variables:

 

 

Options:

 

 

 

This switch specifies which files to select, not which attributes to set. For example, to remove the archive attribute from all hidden files, you could use this command:

 

attrib /a:h -a *

 

Do not use /A: with @file lists. See @file lists for details.

 

You can specify /A:= to display a dialog to help you set individual attributes.

 

 

attrib /d +h c:\mydir

 

If you use a directory name instead of a file name, and omit /D, ATTRIB will append "\*" to the end of the name and act on all files in that directory, rather than acting on the directory itself.

 

 

 

 

 

A /N with one of the following arguments has an alternate meaning:

 

e        Don't display errors.

j        Skip junctions (when used with /S)

 

 

You may use any combination of the sorting options below. If multiple options are used, the listing will be sorted with the first sort option as the primary key, the next as the secondary key, and so on:

 

 

.

 

 

If you specify a number after the /S, ATTRIB will limit the subdirectory recursion to that number. For example, if you have a directory tree "\a\b\c\d\e", /S2 will only affect the "a", "b", and "c" directories.

 

If you specify a + followed by a number after the /S, ATTRIB will not modify any file attributes until it gets to that depth in the subdirectory tree. For example, if you have a directory tree \a\b\c\d\e, /S+2 will not modify anything in \a or \a\b.