{"id":80511,"date":"2026-03-18T14:24:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:54:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/?p=80511"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:27:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T08:57:34","slug":"copy-this-file-without-properties-prompt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/copy-this-file-without-properties-prompt\/","title":{"rendered":"“Are you sure you want to copy this file without its properties” Prompt when Copying Files"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you copy one or more files to a FAT32 partition on any disk (USB, HDD, or SSD), you’re prompted to copy without preserving the properties. Here’s the full message:<\/p>\n

Are you sure you want to copy this file without its properties?\r\n\r\nThe file <filename> has properties that can't be copied to the new location.\r\n<\/pre>\n
\"Are<\/p>\n
You wonder why the above prompt appears and whether it’s okay to lose the “properties” of the copied file(s)?<\/p>\n
Explanation<\/h2>\n
The above prompt occurs if the source file contains NTFS Alternate Data Streams (ADS). ADS allow files to contain hidden metadata or additional data streams ($DATA attributes) beyond their primary content, without altering the file size in Explorer.<\/p>\n
For example, when you download a file from the internet, the source URL of the downloaded file and the internet zone ID will be stored in the NTFS ADS. We’ve seen that in the articles Determine where a File was Downloaded from<\/a> and\u00a0 Bulk Unblock Files Downloaded from the Internet.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
The most common use of ADS is to store “zone” data. However, if a custom application wants to store metadata in the NTFS ADS, it’s possible but rare.<\/p>\n
Related links<\/h4>\n
https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/tutorials\/windows-alternate-data-streams\/
\nhttps:\/\/www.winitor.com\/pdf\/NtfsAlternateDataStreams.pdf<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
So, when you copy the file to a non-NTFS partition (e.g., FAT32 or exFAT), you can click Yes<\/strong>. The NTFS ADS will be lost because it’s not supported in non-NTFS partitions. You’ll lose the NTFS Alternate Data Streams, but the file contents and the timestamp will be intact.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you copy one or more files to a FAT32 partition on any disk (USB, HDD, or SSD), you’re prompted to copy without preserving the properties. Here’s the full message: Are you sure you want to copy this file without its properties? The file <filename> has properties that can’t be copied to the new location. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-windows"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":75762,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/find-where-file-downloaded-from\/","url_meta":{"origin":80511,"position":0},"title":"How to Determine where a File was Downloaded from","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 1, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"You may have downloaded a file weeks ago and want to find out where it was downloaded from. You may determine that by reading the alternate data streams for that file. When you download a file and save the file in an NTFS volume, the zone information for the file\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"zone identifier open in notepad","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/where-as-a-file-downloaded-from-notepad.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/where-as-a-file-downloaded-from-notepad.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/where-as-a-file-downloaded-from-notepad.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/where-as-a-file-downloaded-from-notepad.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10509,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/how-to-copy-folder-structure-without-copying-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":80511,"position":1},"title":"Copy Folder Structure without Copying Files in Windows","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"There are situations where you want to copy a folder structure without copying the files in that folder and sub-folders. For instance, you may want to replicate the directory structure of your expenses or accounting folders in order to organize them year-wise. I have the following directory structure to store\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Windows"","block_context":{"text":"Windows","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/microsoft\/windows\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"directory list structure batch file powershell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/dir-list-to-bat-powershell-replicate.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3410,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/bulk-unblock-files-downloaded-internet\/","url_meta":{"origin":80511,"position":2},"title":"How to Bulk Unblock Files Downloaded from Internet","author":"Ramesh","date":"July 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Files downloaded from the internet are marked with the Zone identifier (\"Mark of the Web\" stored as Alternate Data Streams) to trigger the application reputation check by Windows SmartScreen in Windows 8 and higher. 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Zone Identification tagging\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Utilities"","block_context":{"text":"Utilities","link":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/category\/utilities\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"zoneid and hosturl - ntfs alternate data streams","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/zoneid-hosturl-streams.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/zoneid-hosturl-streams.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/zoneid-hosturl-streams.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/zoneid-hosturl-streams.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68125,"url":"https:\/\/www.winhelponline.com\/blog\/cant-change-default-app-svg-files\/","url_meta":{"origin":80511,"position":3},"title":"[Fix] Cannot change default app for .SVG files","author":"Ramesh","date":"December 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On your Windows 11 computer, you may be unable to change the default app for .SVG files. 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