How to remove Encrypted flag when copying a file from a HDD to a USB drive?

• RichCopy is a Free utility which can remove encryption on the fly while copying files and folders between NTFS formatted drives. (No need of FAT32 partition to decrypt)
• To access the setting, first Check 'Advanced' from 'View' menu. Then go to 'Copy Options' > Default > File attributes, Error Handling > File atttibutes to remove > Encrypted
• Details http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.04.utilityspotlight.aspx
• Download https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/microsoft_richcopy.html

Perhaps with a batch file you could do something like that :

solution 1

Create a mycopy.cmd file (in your PATH or in your "user profile directory") with the two lines :

COPY %1 %2
CIPHER /D %2

With the Windows+R keys open the execute dialog en type:

mycopy file-to-be-copied target-directory

solution 2

If the target directory is always the same you could simplify the file mycopy.cmd file as this

COPY %1 target-directory
CIPHER /D  target-directory

Putting the file in your SendTo directory (%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo) will provide you a new option mycopy.cmd when you make a right clic on a file (in the send to sub menu)

The thing that worked for me best, using Windows Command Prompt, is below (and the link where it is described). I had to use this because I had a complex folder structure and lots of files deep in the hierarchy that were encrypted, so it was not feasible to do it one at a time manually.

Encrypt/decrypt folders (recursively in Windows) https://www.windows-commandline.com/cipher-command-line-encryption-utility/

Encrypt recursively

cipher  /A  /E / S:directoryname

Decrypt recursively

cipher  /A  /D / S:directoryname

Robocopy will do it with the /A-:E switch (E for encryption "attribute") - but not "on the fly": it does it as an (integrated) two-step process: first it does the copy (or move), then it removes the encryption (sort of like doing a copy followed by cipher /d. So its slow. But I guess you'd spend the time anyway, so if you prefer to do it in one step ...