SyncToy was a

freeware Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines ''freeware'' unambiguously; every publisher defines its own rules for the f ...

tool in

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

's PowerToys series that provided an easy-to-use

graphical user interface The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

for synchronizing files and folders in Windows versions XP, Vista, 7 and 10. It was written using Microsoft's

.NET Framework The .NET Framework (pronounced as "''dot net"'') is a proprietary software framework developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It was the predominant implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) until bein ...

and used the

Microsoft Sync Framework Microsoft Sync Framework is a data synchronization platform from Microsoft that can be used to synchronize data across multiple data stores. Sync Framework includes a transport-agnostic architecture, into which data store-specific synchronization ...

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 A flash drive is a portable computer drive that uses flash memory. Flash drives are the larger memory modules consisting of a number of flash chips. A flash chip is used to read the contents of a single cell, but it can write entire block of cell ...

, or on a

network share In computing, a shared resource, or network share, is a computer resource made available from one host to other hosts on a computer network. It is a device or piece of information on a computer that can be remotely accessed from another comput ...

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 A recycling bin (or recycle bin) is a container used to hold recyclables before they are taken to recycling centers. Recycling bins exist in various sizes for use inside and outside homes, offices, and large public facilities. Separate cont ...

. 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.

History

SyncToy started as a

Powertoy Microsoft PowerToys is a set of freeware system utilities designed for power users developed by Microsoft for use on the Windows operating system. These programs add or change features to maximize productivity or add more customization. PowerToys ...

for

Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...

. Initially releases took version numbers 1.x, culminating in version 1.4. These versions were written in Microsoft's

but contained their own code for folder synchronization. They included the same actions as the present version, plus two additional actions (labelled ''Subscribe'' and ''Combine''): *''Subscribe'' would update any file in the left folder that also exists in the right folder and is found to be older. No new files would be copied, only existing files updated, if needed. *''Combine'' was similar to synchronize except that no files would be deleted between the pairs. If a file on one side is out-of-date it is renamed then the newer file copied, so both the updated copy and the older version are retained in that folder. And any file deleted in either of the paired folders is not deleted in the other folder. Only copy (and rename) operations occur. In November 2008 version 2.0 was released. This was a rewritten version built to use the

. Compared to version 1.4 it included better support for unattended synchronization runs, x64 compatibility, support for synchronizing

encrypted In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can decip ...

files, file and folder exclusion based on both names and file types, renaming folder pairs and detection of drive letter reassignment. SyncToy 2.1 was released on November 10, 2009, and includes several minor enhancements and fixes for several bugs, including a serious issue where data on

NAS Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

would be corrupted, and another where deletes would not be synchronized when in ''Echo'' mode. Version 2.1 was the last version available when its official download was discontinued in January 2021.

References

External links

SyncToy Scheduling Article
- Schedule SyncToy to Run Automatically and Repetitively. {{DEFAULTSORT:Synctoy Microsoft PowerToys Data synchronization Microsoft free software Windows-only free software

Features

History

See also

References

External links