SyncToy
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SyncToy was a freeware tool in the PowerToys suite that provided a graphical user interface for synchronizing files and folders in Windows versions XP, Vista, 7 and 10. It was written using Microsoft's .NET Framework and used the Microsoft Sync Framework.
SyncToy was a freeware tool in the PowerToys suite that provided a graphical user interface for synchronizing files and folders in Windows versions XP, Vista, 7 and 10. It was written using Microsoft's .NET Framework and used the Microsoft Sync Framework.
Features
Users initially need to create a "folder pair" that represents the two folders ("left" and "right" folders) to be compared and synchronized. These folders can be on the local drive, on an external device such as a flash drive, or on a network share from another computer. SyncToy supports UNC paths. It provides a Browse option to find the folder or network share, or users can type it in directly. SyncToy offers two safeguards to ensure that the user does not lose files permanently when they are deemed unnecessary during a sync. Firstly, a user can preview what is going to happen when the sync takes place, without actually changing anything; secondly, any deleted files are optionally moved to the Recycle Bin. SyncToy defines three different types of operation to synchronize two folders: Synchronize takes the two folders and makes sure they have exactly the same files. To do this, SyncToy may copy files in either direction and may delete or rename files in either folder. In the case that a file has been updated in both the left and right folders, the version with the later modification date is considered the winner. The other version will be overwritten (but can be recovered via the Recycle Bin if one's settings specify that all deletions go to the Recycle Bin). Echo looks for changes (file modifications, new files, renames, deletes) in the left folder and makes the right folder match the left folder in every way. Contribute is like an Echo, but it does not delete any files. SyncToy supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
See also
Comparison of file synchronization software File copying File synchronization OneDrive Robocopy Windows Briefcase Windows Live Mesh, superseded by OneDrive Windows Live Sync, superseded by OneDrive
References
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1291909452 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.