bitsadmin /setpriority MyCustomJob FOREGROUND bitsadmin /resume MyCustomJob Use code with caution.
The is a built-in Windows utility used to manage the Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS). While officially deprecated in favor of PowerShell cmdlets, it remains a "living-off-the-land" staple for system administrators and power users needing to download files asynchronously or in low-bandwidth environments. Quick Start: The Basic Download Command bitsadmin download command
bitsadmin /addfile MyCustomJob https://server/file1.exe C:\temp\file1.exe bitsadmin /addfile MyCustomJob https://server/file2.exe C:\temp\file2.exe Use code with caution. Quick Start: The Basic Download Command bitsadmin /addfile
: The first is the source (web/SMB), and the second is the local destination path. Advanced Usage: Multi-Step Job Management 1. Create the Job Initialize a new download container. bitsadmin /create /download MyCustomJob Use code with caution. 2. Add Files You can add multiple files to one job. Create the Job Initialize a new download container
Unlike standard copy commands, BITS jobs stay in the queue even after the transfer is done. You must "complete" the job to move files from the temporary cache to their final destination.
:: Check status bitsadmin /info MyCustomJob /verbose :: Finalize the job once status is 'TRANSFERRED' bitsadmin /complete MyCustomJob Use code with caution. bitsadmin examples - Microsoft Learn
For most users, the simplest way to download a file is using the /transfer switch. This combines the job creation, file addition, and activation into one line.
