About File Attributes

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ATTRIBUTES

 

Normal

The file or directory has no other attributes set. This attribute is valid only if used alone

Read only

The file or directory is read-only. Applications can read the file but cannot write to it or delete it. In the case of a directory applications cannot delete it.

Hidden

The file or directory is hidden. It is not included in an ordinary directory listing

System

The file or directory is part of the operating system or is used exclusively by the operating system

Directory

The file identifies a directory

Archive

The file or directory is an archive file or directory. Applications use this attribute to mark files for backup or removal, this is most common attribute.

Encrypted

The file or directory is encrypted. For a file this means that all data streams are encrypted. For a directory this means that encryption is the default for newly created files and sub directories

Sparse file

The file is a sparse file

Reparse point

The file has an associated reparse point

Normal

The file or directory has no other attributes set. This attribute is valid only if used alone

 

 

These attributes are valid only for NTFS volumes

Compressed (NTFS)

The file or directory is compressed. For a file this means that all of the data in the file is compressed. For a directory this means that compression is the default for newly created files and sub directories

Offline (NTFS)

The file data is not immediately available. Indicates that the file data has been physically moved to offline storage

Temporary (NTFS) The file is being used for temporary storage. File systems attempt to keep all of the data in memory for quicker access rather than flushing it back to mass storage. A temporary file should be deleted by the application as soon as it is no longer needed