SyncToy
UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT DOES Certainly, you're familiar with the basic idea of a backup right? Most of us are. What if a special kind of backup tool existed? What if this tool backed up ONLY THOSE CHANGES that were made to a folder full of files on a PC? What if it did this regularly? These folders/files would be, "in-sync," just as if they were on a Google drive. All changes to the files/folders would be captured in the cloud as they occur. This is exactly what Microsoft offers us with Syntoy. SyncToy comes from the "Power Tool," series that Mircosoft was issuing a few years back. The user can pre-specify a folder, file or any combination of the two, and whatever the user does to his file will be backed up to the cloud's backup copy! Any changes that are made will then be instantly backed up moving A GLANCE AT SYNCTOY Well, it's a free toy, so any competition should be other free utilities. There are several, but they all lack the stability offered from the free Microsoft tool. This is probably because we are dealing with a tool designed by the company that programmed the OS that said tool is running on. If the user makes it a habit to always use this tool when messing with files, the work does itself. Things literally could not be any easier. This is especially true when considering that the application's work window is slightly richer than Window's own file explorer. An end user will likely grow to PREFER this tool over the traditional file explorer. The program works off of a left and right mirrored folder system. Your backup folder (right,) can either be stored on another physical drive, or in the cloud! There are methods for storing to Microsoft and Google's cloud drives. The application works quickly (when compared to other free options,) and is extremely stable (some might joke, even more so than windows!) It takes up little space and downloads quite quickly. I'm not just saying this because the software is free, but there is plenty to love here. It certainly is a refreshing change of pace to see Microsoft develop such a rich tool for enhancing their OS and then sharing it for no charge. THE
- Syncs files only when changes are made.
- This results in a much quicker backup.
- Automatically does what it is supposed to, so you don't have to think about it.
- You DO HAVE TO USE IT WHEN EDITING FILES THOUGH!
- Several different modes of use that are quite self-explanatory.
- Messing up your files would be quite difficult.
- All features are absolutely free as previously discussed.
- You are never upgraded or upsold.
- It doesn't cost anything to download (it's free.)
- It's flexible and also quite powerful (built by Microsoft.)
- Gets more PC users to begin the habit of backing up. This is great if we're talking about users that might have otherwise not practiced it.
- Great for people that enjoy keeping multiple copies of a file in various stages of completion (think artists or web designers and such.)
- The Cons
- Window's own file explorer. An end user will likely grow to PREFER this tool over the traditional file explorer.
- The program works off of a left and right mirrored folder system. Your backup folder (right,) can either be stored on another physical drive, or in the cloud! There are methods for storing to Microsoft and Google's cloud drives.
- The application works quickly (when compared to other free options,) and is extremely stable (some might joke, even more so than windows!) It takes up little space and downloads quite quickly.
- I'm not just saying this because the software is free, but there is plenty to love here. It certainly is a refreshing change of pace to see Microsoft develop such a rich tool for enhancing their OS and then sharing it for no charge.
- Might not need if you use another backup utility.
I used to love Synctoy for its simplicity and ease of use but I am much saddened by the fact that it does not work with Windows 10, even though the reports, including Microsoft's site claim that it does. I wasted several hours with microsoft technician to come to thid opinion. Such a shame
SyncToy work fine for me in Win 10 pro
simple and practical. without bullshit. The best!!
Toysync is by far the best backup program I've ever used and it being free has nothing to do with my review. I love that it will check your selected files and only backup those files that are newer since the backup. Is is a pretty basic feature but a lot of backup programs don't do this. My only complaint is that sometimes I will select the program on the Windows 7 platform and it just sits there, and if I select the program again I get two error messages saying another selection of the program was made. Recovery is simple enough, I delete the dialogue boxes and reselect the program.
I keep all my digital photos on several hard drives and after adding/deleting/editing files I find Synctoy too slow under Win10 to backup the changes.... It takes many hours. I am looking for an alternatiove
I love this app, its only as slow as the available storage speed, reliable and simple to use.
Alternatives to SyncToy
Beyond Compare
Rsync
Uranium Backup
Allway Sync
Compare++
GoodSync
Bvckup 2
Synkron
DirSync Pro
Syncovery
ChronoSync
FBackup
TeraCopy
