SyncToy

Choose Folders (Step 1)

On the next page, you select the the folders you want to sync.

Firstly, the “Left Folder” is generally speaking the “base folder”. What this means is that you will make most of your changes in this folder, and have those changes synced to somewhere else. So, in my case my “base folder” is my “Documents” folder.

The “Right Folder” is the folder where you want your data synced to, in my case it is a folder called “Documents” on my external hard drive (H:\).

Sync Action (Step 2)

This next step is the most complex and it will determine how SyncToy will function.

In version 2.0, there are three sync choices available: Synchronize, Echo and Contribute.

Synchronize: This action will mirror two folders (i.e. the Left Folder and Right Folder), keeping the latest changes made to the files in either folder. New and updated files are copied both ways. Renamed and deletes on either side are repeated on the other. New folders and deleted folders are also propagated both ways. In short, this provides the standard “sync” function (like Dropbox). This is most useful in situations where you frequently update your files and folders on two sets of devices.

Echo: This action will mirror the Right folder to be an exact image of the Left folder. Any changes make in the Left folder are synced and reflected in the Right Folder. On the other hand, any changes in the Right folder will be deleted to maintain the image integrity. This is the sync action to use if you wish to merely backup your data from the Left Folder to the Right Folder.

Contribute: This action will add changes from the Left Folder to the Right Folder. New and updated files are copied from the Left Folder to the Right Folder. This is broadly similar to Echo, however the key difference is that nothing is deleted in the Right Folder (unlike Echo).

In summary, if you would like to keep two sets of devices completely in sync, you should use Synchronize. If you wish to ensure that one set of data is backed up, you can use Echo or Contribute.

Name Sync Action (Step 3)

Finally, you must provide a name for your newly created sync action.

Change Settings

Once your sync action is created you can edit the sync action by clicking on “Change Action…”. You can also change the sync options by clicking on “Change Options…”.

You can change a number of options, allowing you to customise a number of settings including specific folders to exclude.

Running the Sync Action

Once the sync action is created you can run it by clicking on “Preview” or “Run” to start the sync action.

Clicking on Preview shows you the changes (deletions, overwrites, renames and creations) that will be made to the files and folders in your Folder Pair and Run will automatically start the process. I would advise clicking on Preview and ensuring that the changes are what you expect.

Since this is the first time I am running the sync there are 6,735 new files and 916 folders will be created. In successive operations there would be more deletions, overwrites and renames.

If you are satisfied you can then click on “Run”.

Depending on the number of files and folders that will be changed this can take quite some time.

That’s it, you can now run this programme as many times as you please to keep your data backed up.

Conclusion

Microsoft’s main revenue source is Office and Windows. However there are numerous gems, such as SyncToy, that are often missed but which provide an easy and free solution to a difficult problem.

SyncToy is a versatile programme that can sync an unlimited amount of data between two sources. In my next article I will outline how I use it to keep my netbook and desktop in sync.