What are File attributes in Windows Operating Systems
Operating Systems store non-volatile information as data files in storage devices like Hard Disks (HDDs) or Solid–State Drives (SSDs).
A File System is the part of an Operating System which defines how files are stored and retrieved from the connected storage devices. Two main Files Systems in Windows Server available currently are NTFS (New Technology File System) and ReFS (Resilient File System). File attributes are metadata (data about data) values stored by the File System on non-volatile storage, Hard Disks (HDDs) or Solid–State Drives (SSDs).
A number of different file attributes are there in NTFS File System in Windows Operating Systems. Following table lists some important File attributes and short description about those File attributes.
| Attribute | Short Description |
|---|---|
| Read-only file (R) | An attribute to specify the file as Read-only file. Not applicable for folders. |
| Hidden (H) | An attribute to specify the file as a hidden file or directory. A hidden file is not displayed in an ordinary folder listing command output. |
| System (S) | An attribute to specify the file as an important System file (Operating System file or directory) |
| Directory | An attribute to specify a folder/directory. |
| Archive (A) | An attribute to specify the file is ready for archive (or backed up). Backup apps use archive attribute. Archive attribute turned on a file means that the file needs to be backed up by the backup apps, or archived. |
| Device | Device attribute is reserved for the system use. |
| Normal | No other attributes are set. |
| Temporary (T) | Temporary storage attribute for a file. |
| Sparse file (P) | Sparse file attribute shows the file is a sparse file. Sparce files does not store the large number of empty bytes on the storage disk. Operating System will regenerate those empty bytes if it is a sparse file. A sparse file’s contents can be partially empty and are non–contiguous. |
| Reparse point | Attribute for a file or directory that has a reparse point, or a symbolic link. |
| Compressed (C) | An attribute to specify the file or folder as a compressed file or folder. |
| Offline (O) | Offline attribute shows offline storage. The data of a file is not available immediately. |
| Not Indexed (I) | The file or directory is not to be indexed by the content indexing service. |
| Encrypted (E) | Attribute for an encrypted file or folder. |
| Integrity (V) | Attribute for the folder or user data stream configured with integrity (ReFS File System). |
| Virtual | Virtual attribute is reserved for the system use. |
| No Scrub Data (X) | Attribute for not to be read by the background data integrity scanner (ReFS File System). |
| Pinned (P) | Pinned attribute is used make the file always available offline. |
| UnPinned (U) | Unpinned attribute is used make the file available only in the cloud. |
| Recall on Data Access (M) | Recall on Data Access attribute is used to specify the data is not fully available locally. |
Written by Jajish Thomas.
Last updated on 17th July, 2024.