File Transfer Speed: SCP vs. Robocopy vs. Copy-Item
When I need to move large files between Windows systems, I do not pick a tool by habit. LAN copies, WAN copies, and PowerShell remoting copies behave very differently. This post compares SCP (OpenSSH), Robocopy (SMB), and Copy-Item (WinRM) for the kinds of transfers I actually run. The short version: Robocopy is usually best on a LAN, SCP or rsync is usually safer across untrusted or unstable networks, and Copy-Item is convenient for small files inside an existing PowerShell remoting workflow. ...