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The Simplest Way To Backup / Synchronize Files & Folders

file synchronization

Imagine this scenario: I wanted to backup your photos folder which is 50GB in size, so I copied the whole folder to my external harddisk. Two months later, due to new photos being added, the folder is now 51GB and I wanted to do a backup again.

What did I normally do? Yes, I copied the whole 51GB folder to my external harddisk, went for a coffee break, come back and delete the old 50GB folder!

Troublesome? Here's a freeware for you.

FreeFileSync helps you to compare two folders and synchronizes them automatically. In the scenario above, it will check for the difference between my 50GB and 51GB folder, and synchronizes them automatically by just copying the new photos over!

1) It is also very simple to use. First select the two folders you wish to sync, and click 'Compare'.

     file sync

2) The difference between files & folders will be shown in the list. The next step is important.. click the gear button next to 'Synchronize...' as shown.

     file sync 2

3) A new window will be opened. Select the synchronization method that you prefer. Notice that 'Mirror' will just make the right hand side folder exactly the same as the one on the left one so be careful! Be sure that you know what you're doing. (When in doubt, choose 'Update' method instead which is the safest.)

     file sync 3

4) You may also customize how the program will react when they are conflicts between files using the side panel shown. (Mouse over each icon for tooltip hints on what they do)

     file sync 4

5) Finally click 'Synchronize...' and let the program do the dirty work.

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