SHIFT--Notes How the SHIFT command works The SHIFT command changes the values of the replaceable parameters %0 through %9 by copying each parameter into the previous one. In other words, the value of %1 is copied to %0, the value of %2 is copied to %1, and so on. This is useful for writing a batch file that performs the same operation on any number of parameters. :m567 Working with more than 10 command-line parameters You can also use the SHIFT command to create a batch file that can accept more than 10 parameters. If you specify more than 10 parameters on the command line, those that appear after the tenth (%9) will be shifted one at a time into %9. Shifting parameters back There is no backward SHIFT command. Once you carry out the SHIFT command, you cannot recover the first parameter (%0) that existed before the shift.