You also need to add the backup folder as the destination on the right. You can do so by clicking and dragging the folder from file explorer, or by browsing to the folder with the left “Browse” button. Next, you need to add the folder you want to back up as the source folder on the left. The first step is to start a new configuration by pressing Control+N. Similarly, if a newer version of a document is in the destination, it will be overwritten with the older version from the source folder, so make sure you have things in the right place before you start. Tip: If there are any files in the destination that are not present in the source, they will be deleted. Below are instructions on how to use the different services available with this program.Ī mirror sync copies files in one direction only, this is will leave the source folder unchanged and match the destination to it.

To open FreeFileSync, double-click the icon on your desktop, or press the Windows key, type FreeFileSync and hit enter. Making an optional donation to the developer can get you a few extra features and is a good way to thank them for their work – but it is optional. Continue past the page with the cute animal picture, then, when the installation has finished, click “Finish”. It’s recommended that you keep all of them enabled as is the default, then click “Next”. The third page allows you to choose a number of components. The second option in the installer is the install location, configure where you want FreeFileSync to install (or leave it set to the default), then click “Next”. The first page of the installer is a licence agreement, select “I accept the agreement” then click “Next”.

You may receive a “User Access Control” (UAC) prompt about allowing it to make changes to your computer, if so click “Yes” to continue. To install, double-click the installer EXE after downloading it. Tip: If instead of syncing your files to another hard drive, you want to keep a copy of them in a cloud storage solution, we recommend services like OneDrive, Dropbox and Google Drive which all allow automated cloud syncing.įreeFileSync is a free and open-source tool designed to manage file synchronisation.

Windows compare two directories