Automatic folder synchronization. Quick selection guide (download free programs for synchronizing files and folders)
Having in its arsenal such functions as one-way and two-way synchronization according to a schedule, synchronization Windows folders, databases, etc., the program will help you fully automate file synchronization between multiple computers and servers.
Why do you need automatic folder synchronization?
Duplication of up-to-date information on all media
Today, one computer in the house is a rarity, especially considering mobile devices. Every computer stores important data that you need to have at hand. Synchronizing files across all devices simplifies the user's life by ensuring that the data is up to date.
Speed of operation and elimination of human errors
Synchronizing folders and files not only saves time compared to manually copying the necessary data from device to device, but also eliminates careless errors when copying data. Everything will be synchronized!
You can synchronize folders and files with user data in Windows. Moreover, you can use masks to select files by name or type, and also apply filters to exclude unnecessary folders and files.
How folder synchronization works in Handy Backup
You simply connect one computer to another, run the synchronization task, and after that the program itself determines where and what files should be copied, based on the conditions you specify:
- You can customize one-way synchronization when files are copied from one folder to another, or two-way synchronization when files are copied between two folders in both directions.
- When performing two-way synchronization, if there are files with the same names in both folders, you can specify which file to give preference to: larger or smaller, later or earlier, or skip such files.
- File synchronization can be performed on schedule V certain time, with an interval of 1 minute, when logging in or out of the system, when connecting a USB storage to a PC, etc. You can also configure it to restart all missed tasks.
Support for syncing folders across different versions of Windows
Handy Backup allows you to synchronize local and network folders between different versions Windows including Windows 10/8/7/Vista, as well as server solutions Windows 2016, 2012 (R2) And 2008 (R2). Latest versions The programs also provide directory synchronization in Linux (Ubuntu 16.04/14/04) and in heterogeneous networks.
March 31 is International Backup Day. Apparently because April 1 is the day of those who don’t do it. If in the office the backup problem usually solves system administrator, then for those who work at home, you need to solve it yourself. Perfect for backing up and synchronizing data free program FreeFileSync.
Organizing backups
When organizing a backup, there are two aspects to consider. The first is that the more backups there are, the higher the likelihood of data leakage from them. Second, the farther the copy is stored from the original, the greater the chance of its preservation. A good option is to make backups on remote computer through VPN connection, then they are not afraid of either flood or fire. But not everyone has this opportunity, so let’s consider backup and synchronization on external hard disk.
Do not forget about the relevance of copies, for which periodic synchronization should be carried out. You can, of course, copy the entire amount of data anew each time, but this is only suitable if there is only a small amount of data. For larger volumes this will result in unnecessary wear. hard drive and, in general, a waste of time. Synchronization is much faster than a full copy, but it is very important to configure it correctly. Otherwise, you may lose both the copy and the original data! Before using synchronization, be sure to test it on unnecessary files and folders!
Setting up synchronization in FreeFileSync
After installation, launch the program and select folders for synchronization. On the left will be the original folder, and on the right will be the backup copy on the external hard drive.
Then, go to the file comparison settings and select options. By default, files are compared by date and size. On the "Filter" tab, you can configure the folders and files that you want to exclude from synchronization.
On the “Synchronization” tab we configure the synchronization mode. There are 4 modes in total:
- Both ways - changes are tracked on both sides of synchronization.
- Mirror - only changes on the left side are taken into account, that is, files and folders that do not exist on the left will be deleted during synchronization.
- Update - files are copied from left to right, and if new files are found on the right, user intervention is required.
- Selective - you can configure your own rules for processing files.
Setting up scheduled synchronization
FreeFileSync has useful function- this is saving synchronization parameters in the form batch file. To create this file, click the “save as batch job” button. If necessary, you can enable recording of synchronization logs.
When you run this file, synchronization is performed in hidden mode, without starting GUI. Therefore, Windows can be configured to run this file on a schedule. To do this, open the panel Windows management and find there the item “Task execution schedule”. As an example, let's configure synchronization to start when the computer is turned on. We create a task for all users. In this case, a password must be set on the computer.
We specify “On startup” as the trigger. It's also worth setting a delay so that everything works correctly.
Synchronizing folders - File Synchronizer software handles this operation quickly and easily. This is one of the simplest and most understandable means free comparison and duplication of changes in Windows directories.
For the program described below to work successfully, you must have operating system such important component like Microsoft .NET Framework.
Synchronizing folders with File Synchronizer
There is no need to describe the installation of this program into the system - everything is clear there without unnecessary words. Just a few steps without any " useful additions » — uncheck tricky boxes no reason.
File Synchronizer starts straight to full screen mode . If you don’t like this type of program window, no one forbids you to change it to suit your loved one.
Don't let the English interface scare you - everything is very simple and clear in this folder synchronizer. The algorithm of actions comes down to just a few clicks on the buttons.
So, first you need to select the folders to synchronize in the left section and in the right. I created an empty directory on the disk under the name “Check” and now I am synchronizing it with my favorite album of the magnificent Italian singer Adriano Celentano.
Let's go...
First you need to analyze the contents of the selected folders...
We received a filled catalog in the left section of the window and an empty one in the right. Click on the synchronization icon (in the middle) and receive a notification that the contents of the folders have been successfully synchronized...
Just don’t faint - suddenly empty sections in the program mean that the folders no longer contain different files and are completely the same.
You can make sure that everything is in order and your files are safe and sound by simply opening Windows Explorer. If you have a wonderful system extension installed file manager called Clover, like mine, it will be even more convenient and simpler...
Let's remove the album image from the test folder...
...and let’s analyze again - File Synchronizer will immediately show the file that is missing in the “Check” directory...
Click on the synchronization icon again and restoring justice…
By the way, you can choose another option for the contents of folders - for example, clone it in the specified direction...
I almost forgot - the direction of folder synchronization can be changed. Pay attention to the small triangles at the top and bottom of the main button...
They help “compile” our folders to a common denominator in the right direction.
Download File Synchronizer
Hello dear friends, in this video let's learn how to set up data synchronization (files and folders) via the Internet?
Why do you need data synchronization (files and folders)?
And first, let's decide why this might be needed. In my case the situation was as follows. Let's say you're working on one project per different computers, this is a work computer, home desktop computer and a laptop. And in order for each computer to have up-to-date information at the time of entry latest changes, it makes sense to set up synchronization of files and folders between all these devices.
You can use a flash drive and store all the information on it, but constantly switch between different devices inconvenient, especially since at a certain moment it may not be at hand.
Therefore, synchronizing files and folders via the Internet will help us, especially since the Internet is now almost everywhere, which means you can access your data everywhere.
What programs are there to synchronize files and folders over the Internet?
Personally, I've tried a lot various programs with this function, but they all had certain disadvantages:
- Dedicated IP address required- i.e. It is proposed to make the computer a synchronization server accessible via the Internet and data exchange will be performed through this computer.
- difficulties in setting up- since you have to make a dedicated server, you need to make a bunch of additional settings.
- paid solutions
- suspicious storage servers- there are programs that use own servers, but it is not known how much they should be trusted.
- unstable work - initially I set up synchronization using Acronis programs. WITH backup It does a good job, but they have a lot of problems with synchronization. About once a month everything crashed and had to be set up again. And even new versions of the program still did not solve this problem. Especially, this decision is also paid.
And at some point it occurred to me that an effective and free solution. This is the use free cloud which most provide mail clients(Cloud Mail.ru, Yandex.Disk, Google.Disk)
Therefore, I decided to implement synchronization of files and folders through the Mail.ru Cloud service, which I will talk about in this video tutorial. For other services the principle of operation will be similar!
Setting up synchronization of files and folders via the Mail.ru Cloud.
In fact, everything is set up easily and simply:
1) You need to have mailbox on the Mail.ru service;
2) You need to download and install the program to work with Cloud.Mail.ru on a desktop computer;
3) Install the program on all computers with which synchronization will be performed;
5) Specify the folder with which files in the cloud will be synchronized.
The only negative we end up with is the volume of the cloud itself. But, it can be used as a temporary container; once all the work is completed and the project is closed, you can move it to a permanent storage location and remove it from the cloud so as not to take up extra space.
After the article oh exclusively manual method folder synchronization requests poured in to find and describe a “lazy” solution to this issue. Hold - free program for automatic synchronization folders called Allway Sync.
Why do you need folder synchronization?
Some users in the comments and mail surprised me with this question - I answer them. She may need...
- if you want to be safe after the transfer any system folder or temporary data to another drive
- if you don’t have enough time to finish some project at work/at home (you come home/to work, plug in a flash drive and work with automatically updated data)
- if you need to store backup copy important data on external media information ( hard drive, SSD drive, flash drive...)
- if you need to quickly and losslessly exchange data between several computers
- to make it easier and faster manual copying data between folders and drives
Automatic folder synchronization
The Allway Sync program, as the manufacturers themselves assure us, “uses innovative algorithms for synchronizing your data between desktop PCs, laptops, USB drives, remote FTP/SFTP and WebDAV servers, various online data storage etc. Data compression and encryption are supported. It combines bulletproof reliability with an extremely simple interface."
Well, they managed to intrigue us, didn’t they? Let's put their claim to the test.
Installing Allway Sync
There is nothing scary or confusing about it. Only two nuances - NOT uncheck installation special service (needed to automatically track changes in folders)…
...and also decide whether you need desktop shortcut and are you installing the program for all users of your computer...
Setting up Allway Sync and working with it
Immediately after installing the program, you need to teach it your language...
I'll show you the rest of the program settings as I test it. So, by default, we already have some kind of task called “New Job 1” - right-click on the tab and create your own personal new task...
After this, you can rename or delete any task in the same way. We've sorted this out - let's move on and specify the folders for synchronization...
…we decide on the direction of synchronization (the “Change” link between the arrows in the middle)…
(default is general synchronization)
If you, like me, in this case, the second folder lives on a flash drive - I recommend clicking the “Configure…” button and checking the box to link the program to the characteristics of the drive...
As you can see, everything is explained to us competently and clearly at literally every step in this wonderful program.
Primary manual synchronization
I press the “Analyze” button, read the warning and ignore it...
...after which I finally synchronize the folders...
Opening in explorer tabs both experimental folders at once, checked the result of the Allway Sync program - everything is clear and without errors (as many files in one folder as there are in the second).
All this is good, but it was ordinary manual synchronization— where is the automatic one? I'm telling you.
Automatic data synchronization
Let's go to the settings of our task, which can be accessed in several ways...
- "View" item in the program menu and "Settings..."
- right-click on the task tab and in context menu"Properties" item
- in English keyboard layout click hot keys Ctrl+O (sequentially, without plus)
(by the way, here and program autorun can be turned on)
...at the very bottom of the list of settings on the left side of the window, look for your task and go to “Automatic synchronization”...
...and then you customize it for your loved one, however you like - when connecting the drive to the computer, after a certain period of time, when starting the application, before exiting...
The variety of conditions for automatic folder synchronization in this program is simply amazing - the authors foresaw most of the users’ desires.
I set the first condition (“When connecting removable device") and pulled out the flash drive from the laptop and deleted three photos in the test folder. After connecting the drive to the computer, the data was automatically synchronized instantly...
...and three photos disappeared from the folder on the flash drive - which is what was required from the automatic synchronization program.
By the way, if you suddenly get confused in the synchronization directions and accidentally “lost” necessary files, then don’t be upset - you can return them...