GoodSync Frequently Asked Questions

A printable version is available in PDF

• GoodSync Account and GoodSync Connect
• How do I find and manage my list of licenses?
• How do I synchronize files between two or more computers?
• How can I recover the lost GoodSync Account password?
• How can I change the GoodSync Account password on the device?
• GoodSync Storage
• What is the main advantage of GoodSync Storage?
• How is data encrypted on the way to GoodSync Storage?
• Can my files be encrypted at rest on the GoodSync Storage server?
• How do I get access to GoodSync Storage outside of GoodSync?
• Where are GoodSync Storage servers located, and are they secure?
• Do any 3rd parties have access to my files stored on your servers?
• Installation and uninstallation
• Do I need to uninstall the old version of GoodSync before installing a new one?
• How do I back up and restore my GoodSync settings?
• Where GoodSync settings (jobs, groups, server accounts, options) are located?
• How do I uninstall GoodSync?
• macOS issues
• I am getting the error "Operation not permitted (error 1)." What to do?
• I am getting the error "Read-only file system (error 30)." What to do?
• Windows Shares and GoodSync Connect
• I am getting the error "Logon Failure 0xc000006d" in Windows Shares. Why?
• How to replace SMB (Windows Shares) or AFP (Mac Shares) on a NAS with GoodSync Connect?
• How to make my GoodSync Computer (server) visible to my GoodSync client?
• Synchronization
• How do I create a synchronization job?
• How do I back up my Drive C?
• What type of data can be synchronized?
• Can GoodSync synchronize data files of Outlook, Outlook Express, QuickBooks, Quicken, etc.?
• How does GoodSync decide whether the file has changed and must be synced?
• How do I synchronize RoboForm, Outlook, and other apps' data files?
• What do all of these different icons mean?
• What does a "Conflict" mean in GoodSync?
• How to sync the same files that have different timestamps?
• How do I synchronize or back up several folders in a single job?
• How does GoodSync display the changes when there are a lot of them? It seems to not show them all.
• _gsdata_ folder
• Can I retrieve files that GoodSync deleted or changed during Sync?
• What is the hidden "_gsdata_" folder that appears in my synced folder?
• Why is the "C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\GoodSync\_mirrors_" folder so big?
• Why is the hidden "_gsdata_" folder in the left and right sync folders so big?
• Can multiple GoodSync clients sync against the same directory on a server at the same time?
• What to sync and not to sync
• "Copy Attributes" (Windows to Windows only) - should I do it or not?
• "Copy Permissions" (Mac only) - should I do it or not?
• "Copy ACL" - should I do it or not?
• "Copy Owner" - should I do it or not?
• Why am I having Conflicts and CopyTime if I turn on "Compare Attributes"?
• Why am I having Conflicts and CopyTime if I turn on "Copy ACL"?
• Portable drives and FAT
• How do I synchronize with a unique device when multiple devices share the same drive letter?
• I am getting the bad state files error when syncing with a USB key. Why?
• I am getting the error "Incorrect parameter (error 87)" or "The directory or file cannot be created (error 82)" or "There is not enough space on the disk. (error 112)" when writing files to a disk that has plenty of space. Why?
• Why do GoodSync and Windows Explorer sometimes show file modification times that differ by 1 hour?
• Windows File System
• Why are Hidden and System files and folders excluded from syncing?
• What does the error message "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process" mean?
• Why am I getting errors about the "Shadow Copy"?
• "Copy locked files using VSS snapshots" (Shadow Copy) does not work when I have Acronis True Image installed. Why?
• I am getting the "Locked Files" errors (errors 32 and 33). But my apps did not lock anything. Why?
• I am getting the error "Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service (error 1450)." Why?
• I am getting the "The system cannot find the path specified" error when syncing. Why?
• How can I turn off the "Offline Folders"?
• Windows Network Shares (SMB)
• I am getting the "Access Denied (error 5)" error. What to do?
• What is your recommended way to set up Folder Sharing?
• I am getting the error "The specified network name is no longer available (error 64)." What to do?
• Syncing with servers
• How do I synchronize with my FTP or WebDAV server on the Internet?
• Does GoodSync provide synchronization with cloud storage?
• Will I lose my files if the network connection is dropped during syncing?
• Will GoodSync sync correctly if I upload files manually to my remote server or cloud storage?
• My long FTP sync was interrupted. How do I not resync all files that already got synced?
• I am getting timeouts when uploading FTP files. How can I fix it?
• The IIS 7 web server changes my Office documents after GoodSync uploads them via WebDAV. Why?
• I am getting the error "Proxy Authentication Required (code 407)" in WebDAV HTTPS jobs. Why?
• GoodSync cannot sync files with non-Latin characters in their names. What to do?
• I am getting an S3 error: "S3 server says: The specified bucket does not exist" or "The bucket you are attempting to access must be addressed using the specified endpoint." What to do?
• Automation
• Why did you switch from Windows Task Scheduler to embedded Scheduler?
• My Windows password is empty. How do I use GoodSync Server/Runner?
• Why does an "On Schedule" job not run when scheduled?
• The E-Mail Sync results option does not work. How do I set up automatic emailing of sync results?
• If I execute an existing job from a command line but specify different parameters (e.g., email address to send the log file), which settings will be used by GoodSync?
• Encryption
• Can GoodSync encrypt backups?
• How do I decrypt backups encrypted by GoodSync?
• How can I protect my files en route between my computer and the remote server?
• How can I make GoodSync work with TrueCrypt volume?
• GoodSync Connect
• File transfer is slow in GoodSync Connect. Why?
• How do I make sure that GSTP traffic does not pass through GoodSync servers?
• Support
• What should I do if I haven't found the answer to my question?
• How to properly submit a support ticket?

GoodSync Account and GoodSync Connect

Q: How do I find and manage my list of licenses?
A: All licensing is done via GoodSync Account:
* Licenses and devices are kept and maintained in the GoodSync Account.
* If you do not yet have a GoodSync Account, create it free.
* Licenses get into Account when you buy them (same email address as Account) or add them by OrderID.
* Devices (desktop) get into Account when you run the command on the device: "Tools" >> "GoodSync Account Setup" on Windows or "GoodSync" >> "GoodSync Account Setup" on Mac.
* Devices (NAS) get into the Account when you enroll them into the Account on Initial Setup.
* The license is activated on the device (assigned to the device) when you run the command on the device: "Help" >> "Activate."
* GoodSync Account login requires a verified email address for increased security and sending notifications.
* GoodSync Account allows validation of all new devices by One Time Password sent via SMS, email, or generated by an Authenticator app.
* Maintenance of devices includes removing old and unused devices, which would free their licenses.
* GoodSync Storage is requested and maintained in the GoodSync Account.

Q: How do I synchronize files between two or more computers?
A: Use GoodSync Connect - a fast and efficient P2P file sync system.

Q: How can I recover the lost GoodSync Account password?
A: You cannot recover a lost password. But you can do a password reset.
You will get a new temporary password to the email address of your Account.
Log in and change the temporary password to the new password of your choosing.
Go to each device enrolled into this Account and change the password using GoodSync Account Setup.

Q: How can I change the GoodSync Account password on the device?
A: If GoodSync activation or any other service says that your Account password is incorrect:
* On a Windows computer: use the "Tools" >> "GoodSync Account Setup" menu item.
* On a Mac computer: use the "GoodSync" >> "GoodSync Account Setup" menu item.
* On a NAS or Linux box: go to
http://local-nas-ip-address:11000
switch to the "Account" tab, and click "Change" next to UserID.

GoodSync Storage

Q: What is the main advantage of GoodSync Storage?
A: Speed. It is much faster than traditional online storage (such as Google Drive or OneDrive), especially on small and medium files.

Q: How is data encrypted on the way to GoodSync Storage?
A: By TLS 1.2, OpenSSL implementation. The same encryption as the one used by modern browsers.

Q: Can my files be encrypted at rest on the GoodSync Storage server?
A: Yes, use the Encryption option on the GoodSync Storage side of the job. The encryption password is known only to you.

Q: How do I get access to GoodSync Storage outside of GoodSync?
A: Use GoodSync Explorer. It is free, and we are committed to keeping it free.

Q: Where are GoodSync Storage servers located, and are they secure?
A: GoodSync Storage servers are located in the Cogent data center in Herndon, VA.
The data center has controlled physical access and live guards (no strangers can get in).

Q: Do any 3rd parties have access to my files stored on your servers?
A: No. We do not index files and do not allow anybody to look at them for any purpose.

Installation and uninstallation

Q: Do I need to uninstall the old version of GoodSync before installing a new one?
A: No. The new version will keep the options and settings of the previous one.

Q: How do I back up and restore my GoodSync settings?
A: The best way is to use the latest version of GoodSync and turn on Account Sync. Then all your jobs, groups, and server accounts will be backed up to our servers and synced between your devices.

Q: Where GoodSync settings (jobs, groups, server accounts, options) are located?
A: Here are the paths for the corresponding platforms and GoodSync editions:
* GoodSync Client Windows: C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Local\GoodSync
* GoodSync Server Windows: C:\ProgramData\GoodSync
* GoodSync Client MacOS: /Users/YourUserName/.goodsync
* GoodSync Server MacOS: /Library/Application Support/GoodSync

NOTE: Credentials stored in GoodSync settings files (your passwords and refresh tokens) are locally encrypted, so you cannot just copy/move these settings files to another computer, they will not be read there.

Q: How do I uninstall GoodSync?
A: On Windows, select "Programs" >> "GoodSync" >> "Uninstall" in the Start menu. On Mac, run the GoodSync installer and click "Remove." Next, follow the uninstaller instructions.

macOS issues

Q: I am getting the error "Operation not permitted (error 1)." What to do?
A: Since Catalina, macOS requires that you explicitly allow GoodSync to access your personal files.

Do the following actions in macOS Catalina and above:

1. Go to System Preferences >> "Security & Privacy" >> "Privacy."
2. Click the lock icon at the bottom to get to elevated (super-user) mode.
3. In "Files and Folders," check the GoodSync entry to allow it "Full Disk Access."

Do the following actions in macOS Ventura and above:

1. Go to System Preferences >> "Privacy & Security" >> "Full Disk Access."
2. Turn on the switch on the right of the GoodSync entry.
3. Confirm your choice by authenticating using the password or Touch ID.

Q: I am getting the error "Read-only file system (error 30)." What to do?
A: Make sure that your drive is NOT read-only to macOS.
This is how to make them appear writable per SeaGate: SeaGate Drive Article.

Windows Shares and GoodSync Connect

Q: I am getting the error "Logon Failure 0xc000006d" in Windows Shares. Why?
A: Since version 11.8.3, GoodSync has a new implementation of the Windows Shares (SMB) file system. That is a native wire-level implementation of SMB-1 and SMB-2 (but not SMB-3) protocols. Its advantages:
* It stores Share credentials in GoodSync Account Manager (Server Accounts).
* So credentials can be synced between computers using Account Sync.
* Credentials would not get stuck in Windows innards as they do with Windows SMB client.
* Our implementation has timeouts on all file operations and will never freeze (unlike Windows client).

However, there is some work to be done. Since GoodSync cannot get credentials out of the Windows credential store, you would need to enter them anew:

1. When you get the error "Logon Failure 0xc000006d" or similar, click "Change Folder" to go into the Browse dialog.
2. In the Browse dialog, drill down to your folder, entering its credentials (UserId and Password) on the way.
3. You enter credentials only once, as they are memorized in GoodSync Account Manager (Server Accounts).
   You can also go back to the old Windows-based SMB client (say, if you have an SMB-3 server): click "Tools" >> "Program Options" >> "General," uncheck the "Use New SMB implementation" option, and restart GoodSync.

Q: How to replace SMB (Windows Shares) or AFP (Mac Shares) on a NAS with GoodSync Connect?
A: Indeed, SMB has become harder to use after it was attacked by ransomware and SMB v1 was turned off.
AFP has been discontinued by Apple, and they now tell users to switch to SMB.
GoodSync Connect can replace both SMB and AFP on Windows, Mac, and NAS.
GoodSync Connect is global, it works across the Internet and is not limited to local networks.

Install GoodSync onto your NAS using one of GoodSync NAS installers.
Configure GoodSync for NAS by going to its Web UI at http://local-nas-ip-address:11000
NAS will appear in the GoodSync Connect file system.
Explore it with GoodSync Explorer or sync with GoodSync.

Q: How to make my GoodSync Computer (server) visible to my GoodSync client?
A: For a computer to appear in GoodSync Connect and become visible to GoodSync clients, you must:
* Enroll the computer into your GoodSync Account using GoodSync Account Setup.
* The computer must have the "Serve files to other devices" option checked in GoodSync Account Setup.
* The computer must be on and not sleeping.
* The computer must be connected to the Internet and online.
* The computer must be able to connect to the server mediator.goodsync.com. The gs-server logs show what happens.

Synchronization

Q: How do I create a synchronization job?
A: This is easy:
1. Click on "Job" >> "New" and enter a name for this job.
2. Select Synchronize (2-way) or Backup (1-way) job type.
3. On the left side of the window, click the "Please click here to select folder" button, then select the left folder you want to synchronize (for Backup jobs: folder from which to back up).
4. On the right side, select the right folder you want to synchronize with (for Backup jobs: folder to which to back up).
5. Click the "Analyze" button at the bottom of the screen. That will show you a preview of how the files will be synchronized.
6. Click the "Synchronize" button to complete the process.

Q: How do I back up my Drive C?
A: The correct (but maybe unexpected) answer is: You don't.
Backing up the entire Disk C: is usually wrong, and we will tell you why.

1. Disk C: has a lot of Windows system files, 10 GB at least. If Windows crashes and has to be reinstalled, all these files will be redone and rewritten by the Windows installer. So you must not back them up.
   
2. Disk C: has a lot of temporary files, including all that garbage and cookies you picked up on the Internet. Maybe even some dormant viruses and malware. You want all temporary files to disappear when you reinstall Windows, so backing them up is not only useless, it is harmful.
   
3. The boot sector and certain boot-related files cannot be backed up. Moreover, even if they are backed at some low disk sector level, they may be not good the next time you reinstall Windows because your computer may be physically dead by then (say, due to electrical burnout). Your new computer will require new drivers for its new hardware and the old boot files will be of no use.
   
4. Folder "C:\Program Files" contains executable and graphics files of the programs you installed. The folders inside are huge and totally not worth saving because if you have to reinstall Windows, you have to reinstall all programs you installed on Windows. That will redo all these program files.
   
5. The Registry contains all your program settings and more. Unfortunately, you cannot back it up too, because the registry is the first thing that gets irreparably damaged by malware and other malfunctions. So, often you perform Windows reinstall with a specific goal of getting a new un-corrupted registry.

Conclusion: The only files and folders that must be backed up are your personal files and folders that you created, edited, or acquired. Usually, these files are located in My Documents folders. And this is what you should back up - My Documents folder and other folders that contain your personal files that you modified or otherwise acquired.

Q: What type of data can be synchronized?
A: Any data stored in a file can be synchronized.
But GoodSync syncs only whole files and does not look inside the file.

Q: Can GoodSync synchronize data files of Outlook, Outlook Express, QuickBooks, Quicken, etc.?
A: All these applications (Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Thunderbird, QuickBooks, Quicken, ACT!) store data in a database. So many (hundreds, even thousands) logical units (such as individual email, contact, or calendar entry) will be stuffed into a single database file.

GoodSync does not understand the internal structure of these database files. So GoodSync can sync the whole database files but not individual logical units stored inside these files.

Therefore GoodSync cannot sync two database files on the Left and Right if both files were modified. Not seeing the internal structure of these files, GoodSync will declare a conflict as it sees two files, both of which have changed.
But if database files have changed only on one side, GoodSync can sync just fine.
These are the scenarios in which GoodSync can synchronize database files that it cannot understand:

1-way syncs or backups:
If only one side of the job changes, GoodSync can always propagate these changes to the other side.

2-way syncs where each sync goes only one way:

1. Say you have folders A and B, possibly on different computers.
2. You work on folder A and do not touch folder B (do not even start your application on side B because applications update the database files even if you changed nothing).
3. Once you are done with changes in A, you close your application, call GoodSync, and sync side A to side B, propagating change from side A to side B.
4. Then you start your application on side B and work on side B and do not start the application on side A until you are done with the changes on side B.
5. Once you are done with changes on side B, you call GoodSync and sync back to side A. ... and so on.

Q: How does GoodSync decide whether the file has changed and must be synced?
A: If either file modification time or its size has changed, GoodSync assumes that the file has changed.
GoodSync propagates the changes it found from the folder where they were found to the folder on the other side of the job.

Q: How do I synchronize RoboForm, Outlook, and other apps' data files?
A: Please refer to the Syncing Specific Applications section.

Q: What do all of these different icons mean?
A: Each of the icons GoodSync displays are used to communicate different information about the sync process to the user.
Please look at this link for a detailed list of all icons used in GoodSync.

Q: What does a "Conflict" mean in GoodSync?
A: If a file was altered on both sides since the last synchronization, a conflict will show for that file during the next synchronization.
The user can resolve the conflict by selecting the direction for the file to sync.

Q: How to sync the same files that have different timestamps?
A: Normally, GoodSync considers files to be the same if their lengths are the same and their file modification times are the same.

But if you are sure that your files are the same even though their file times are different, you can make file times the same too, without copying the files:

1. Perform the Analyze.
2. Select "Views" >> "SameLength DiffTime" to view files with the same length and different file modification times.
3. Right-click the middle of the top node in the tree and select "Copy Time L to R" or "Copy Time R to L."
4. Perform the Sync. Only file modification time will be copied in the selected direction, not file bodies.

Q: How do I synchronize or back up several folders in a single job?
A: Click the "Please click here to select folder" button on the Left or Right side to open the Browse dialog.
Select the Left and Right root folders to sync/back up. Then click "Multiple Folders/Files," check the folders you want to include and uncheck the unwanted ones.

NOTE: All checked folders must be on the same disk. Create a new job for folders located on another disk.
You can add/edit/delete the inclusions and exclusions manually by going to "Job" >> "Options" >> "Filters."

For more details, see the Multiple Folders page in the GoodSync Manual.

Q: How does GoodSync display the changes when there are a lot of them? It seems to not show them all.
A: GoodSync shows only the first 5000 items (files/folders) in the tree of Changes shown after Analyze.
If you have more than 5,000 items that changed, then not all folders are open.

To open a folder, click it and then press Gray * to open all levels or Gray + to open one level.
To see all items in the tree, click Gray * in the root (top) node of the tree.
"Gray" here means the corresponding button on the numeric keypad.

After the Sync, you can also use the "Job" >> "Open Left/Right Log" menu item. It will show all the changes that GoodSync did.

_gsdata_ folder

Q: Can I retrieve files that GoodSync deleted or changed during Sync?
A: If the option "Job" >> "Options" >> "General" >> "Save deleted/replaced files to Recycle Bin, last version only" is checked (it is checked by default), then GoodSync saves the last version of every file that it replaces or deletes to the "_gsdata_\_saved_" folder that is located inside your sync folder.

So GoodSync has its own Recycle Bin that works not just on Windows file systems but also on servers.

You can get the deleted/replaced files back by opening the folder "your-sync-folder\_gsdata_\_saved_" in Windows Explorer/Finder and copying the files or entire folders back to where they used to be.

NOTE: The "_gsdata_" folder is hidden, so you should enable showing hidden folders via Windows Explorer >> "View" >> "Show" >> "Hidden items" (in older Windows versions use Windows Explorer >> "Tools" >> "Folder Options" >> "View" >> "Show Hidden Files and Folders").

To get files back from the "_saved_" folder on a server, use GoodSync Explorer.

Q: What is the hidden "_gsdata_" folder that appears in my synced folder?
A: This folder contains:
* Synchronization state file "_file_state._gs," which is required for GoodSync to work properly.
* Job logs (*.log files) for all jobs that sync this folder.
* The last version of each file deleted/overwritten by GoodSync in the "_saved_" subfolder.
* Previous time-stamped versions of files deleted/overwritten by GoodSync in the "_history_" folder.
* Small technical files "_insync.gsl", "_cleanup.gss."

Q: Why is the "C:\Users\MyUserName\AppData\Local\GoodSync\_mirrors_" folder so big?
A: Because you checked the option "Job" >> "Options" >> "Left/Right Side" >> "No _gsdata_ folder here." So now the Recycled Bin is stored in this "_mirrors_" folder, not in the "_gsdata_" sub-folder of your sync folders. Read below on how to reduce the size of the Recycle Bin or how to get rid of it completely.

Q: Why is the hidden "_gsdata_" folder in the left and right sync folders so big?
A: Because the "_gsdata_\_saved_" and "_gsdata_\_history_" folders keep the last or multiple versions of all files that GoodSync deletes or replaces if the option "Job" >> "Options" >> "General" >> "Save deleted/replaced files to Recycle Bin, last version only" or "Job" >> "Options" >> "General" >> "Save deleted/replaced files to History folder, multiple versions" is checked.

If you believe that you do not need these previous versions of files, then:

1. Uncheck the options "Job" >> "Options" >> "General" >> "Save deleted/replaced files to Recycle Bin, last version only" and "Job" >> "Options" >> "General" >> "Save deleted/replaced files to History folder, multiple versions."
2. Delete the "_saved_" and "_history_" folders inside the "_gsdata__" folder in left and right sync folders.

NOTE: Do not delete the "_gsdata_" folder itself. GoodSync keeps the state of synced files there.

Q: Can multiple GoodSync clients sync against the same directory on a server at the same time?
A: The answer to that is Yes and No.
No, because if we allowed such simultaneous folder modification, it would result in data corruption.
Yes, because GoodSync uses the "locks" mechanism to queue sync of competing GoodSync clients.

Every time the Sync (or Analyze + Sync) begins, GoodSync creates a file "lock.gsl" in the "_gsdata_" folder. The presence of this file tells other GoodSyncs not to start the Sync while the first Sync is running. When the Sync ends, the "lock.gsl" file is removed.
GoodSync has an option to automatically wait for lock file removal: "Job" >> "Options" >> "Auto" >> "Wait for Locks to clear."

What to sync and not to sync

The "Job" >> "Options" >> "Advanced" and "Job" >> "Options" >> "Left/Right Side" sections have a lot of things that can be synced for a file - or not.
Here we explain what you should sync and what is better left un-synced.

Q: "Copy Attributes" (Windows to Windows only) - should I do it or not?
A: On Windows, file/folder attributes are System, Hidden, Read-Only, and Archive, and they normally should not be synced by consumers.
System and Hidden are never set for user files, Archive is not really used, and Read-Only is rarely used.

Q: "Copy Permissions" (Mac only) - should I do it or not? A: On Mac, file attributes are rwxrwxrwx, and you should copy them as the "x" attribute makes files executable, and you do not want to manually restore this attribute upon file restore.

NOTE: Both sync folders must support file attributes, but non-HFS (Mac file system) disks usually do not support them. So you should format the disk in macOS or turn off "Copy Permissions."

Q: "Copy ACL" - should I do it or not?
A: On Windows, ACL is a complex File Access grant system that the average consumer should skip completely.
So do not turn on "Copy ACL" unless you are a System Admin in a Big Corp who read the book on ACL.
Copying ACL leads to a substantial slowdown of Analyze, as reading SACL requires elevation.

On Mac, ACL does exist but is even more exotic than on Windows. So normally, it should not be copied.

Q: "Copy Owner" - should I do it or not?
A: On Windows, it is covered by "Copy ACL," so usually you do both or none.
Consumer users should not do it since all copied files get their single owner anyway.

On Mac, you should copy File Owner if you have more than one user.

Q: Why am I having Conflicts and CopyTime if I turn on "Compare Attributes"?
A: Previously undetected differences in Attributes now come out and are treated as legitimate Changes.
Windows users may just turn off "Copy Attributes," as they usually do not need it.
Mac users should keep "Copy Attributes" on, resolve conflicts, and Sync, then it will stick.

Q: Why am I having Conflicts and CopyTime if I turn on "Copy ACL"?
A: We added the SACL to ACL comparison, it used to be DACL only.
So previously undetected differences in ACL may now come out and are treated as legitimate Changes.

Portable drives and FAT

Q: How do I synchronize with a unique device when multiple devices share the same drive letter?
A: Use the Portable Path that looks like so: =VolumeName:\folder1\folder2.
Here "VolumeName" is a volume label that you can set in volume properties in Windows Explorer.
If the path is specified in the portable format, GoodSync will look for a volume named VolumeName in all portable (removable) drives attached to this computer.

Q: I am getting the bad state files error when syncing with a USB key. Why?
A: Your USB key loses recently written files when you pull it out without stopping it first.
You must tell Windows to Stop the USB key before pulling it out so that Windows can flush its disk cache to USB. Right-click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the System Tray (icon with a green arrow), select "Safely Remove Hardware," and proceed to stop your USB device.

You can also set the USB drive into a mode where the disk cache will not be used, so you can pull out any time without stopping (however, this was reported to not always work):

1. Click the "Safely Remove Hardware" USB icon in the Taskbar.
2. Check "Display Device Components" in the dialog that comes up.
3. Click "USB Flash Disk Device," the middle one in the 3-level tree.
4. Click "Properties."
5. Select the "Policies" tab.
6. Select "Optimize for Quick Removal" and click OK.

Q: I am getting the error "Incorrect parameter (error 87)" or "The directory or file cannot be created (error 82)" or "There is not enough space on the disk. (error 112)" when writing files to a disk that has plenty of space. Why?
A: Your problem is likely caused by FAT file system limitations.
Portable disks and USB devices are often formatted using FAT16 or FAT32 file systems:
* FAT16 is used on smaller removable flash storage (4GB max).
* FAT32 is used on bigger drives, both fixed and removable.
The maximum file size allowed in FAT is 4GB. So your 8GB movie would not fit.
The number of files/folders in the root folder cannot be more than 512 (FAT only).
The number of files/folders in any other folder is limited to 60,000 or less.
Convert your drive to NTFS to get rid of these limitations.

Even if your disk shows in Properties that it is NTFS, this still can be a FAT file system attached to a NAS device that pretends it is an NTFS disk. Real NTFS does not have such limitations, you get it when you attach an actual hard drive (not NAS) to your computer and use Windows to format the drive.

Q: Why do GoodSync and Windows Explorer sometimes show file modification times that differ by 1 hour?
A: Because of a bug in Windows related to Daylight Savings Time (DST) handling. Let us explain:
1. Windows does not show the correct File Modification Time on FAT volumes.
   Say, you have a file modified at 2:00:00 PM on Nov 24, 2008.
   And today is November of 2009.
   Both GoodSync and Windows Explorer show the same file modification time - no problem here.
   Fast forward to the summer season, July of 2010, and this file did not change.
   Now GoodSync still shows the same file modification time: 2:00:00 PM on Nov 24, 2008.
   But Windows Explorer shows time shifted by 1 hour: 1:00:00 PM on Nov 24, 2008.
   So Windows Explorer shows you the same modification time as two different times,
   depending on the current DST setting (is it summer time or winter time).
2. Windows does not know at all what file modification time is when DST changes on FAT volumes.
   As bad as file modification handling is in 1), it gets even worse on the day when DST changes:
   When DST changes from summer to winter or from winter to summer, Windows will show different file modification times for the same file, depending on how you ask:
   * The listing of the directory shows time adjusted for the new DST setting,
   * GetFileAttributes shows time using old DST settings (shifted by 1 hour).
   Only a reboot of Windows fixes the problem 2).
   So between DST change and reboot of the computer, all your file modification times are in a gray zone (they are meaningless), and you must not change any files if you care about their modification time.
   All of the above applies only to the FAT file system and not the NTFS file system.
   Since NTFS stores UTC time, it works correctly.
   Since FAT stores local DST-adjusted time and does not convert it correctly, it shows the wrong time.
   GoodSync always shows the correct file modification time, even on FAT volumes.
   That is because we compute actual UTC file modification time (it is not easy) and
   show it in local format, adjusted to the DST setting of the season when modification happened, not of today's season.

Windows File System

Q: Why are Hidden and System files and folders excluded from syncing?
A: Hidden and System files and folders are usually not your personal files that you want to sync or back up. They are system files that should be backed, as Windows reinstall will restore them.
To turn off this exclusion, go to "Job" >> "Options" >> "Filters" and uncheck the "Exclude Hidden/System files and folders" options.

Q: What does the error message "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process" mean?
A: To maintain data integrity, some applications lock data files and do not allow copying of these files when the application is running. You can simply exit the application and then synchronize those files.
Some applications (ACT!, Outlook with ActiveSync) always lock their data files because they never terminate. Consult a specific application manual on how to fully shut it down.

GoodSync can copy locked files using the Shadow Copy. Be sure to turn on the "Copy locked files using VSS snapshots" option in "Job" >> "Options" >> "Advanced" (Windows only).

Q: Why am I getting errors about the "Shadow Copy"?
: The "Copy locked files using VSS snapshots" feature is implemented using Windows' Volume Shadow Copy, and it has several limitations:
* It can only copy from a locked file but not to a locked file.
* It can only copy from a file on a local drive, not from a file on the network.

Q: "Copy locked files using VSS snapshots" (Shadow Copy) does not work when I have Acronis True Image installed. Why?
A: Because Acronis True Image replaces (or some might say breaks) the Windows Shadow Copy service as described here at the Acronis site.
Acronis goes on to suggest a registry change that fixes the problem.

Q: I am getting the "Locked Files" errors (errors 32 and 33). But my apps did not lock anything. Why?
A: The Kaspersky AV program has been reported by users to lock files when it scans them.
So you should turn off scanning of files being synced or otherwise make KAV behave.

Q: I am getting the error "Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service (error 1450)." Why?
A: This is a Windows error described here: MS KB 304101.
Looks like Windows runs out of buffers or handles or something of this nature.
Also, free space on C: should be at least twice as big as the biggest file you will copy.

Q: I am getting the "The system cannot find the path specified" error when syncing. Why?
A: If you are getting this error and all involved files and folders are actually present, then this is caused by
Offline Files (Cached Net Share files). Turn off Offline File Caching and the problem will go away. You do not need it anyway, as you use GoodSync to sync files, which replaces Windows Offline folders.

Q: How can I turn off the "Offline Folders"?
A: Follow the instructions for the corresponding Windows version below.

Windows 7/10/11:

1. Open Sync Center from the Taskbar or select Start button >> "All Programs" >> "Accessories" >> "Sync Center," or search for "Sync Center" in the Taskbar/Start menu search box.
2. Click "Manage Offline Files" in the left navigation tab.
3. Click "Disable Offline Files."
4. Click "OK" and reboot.

Windows XP:

1. Double-click on "My Computer."
2. Click "Tools" >> "Folder Options."
3. Click on the "Offline Files" tab.
4. Uncheck the "Enable Offline Files" check box.
5. A reboot may be needed to complete the operation.

Windows Network Shares (Sib-SMB and Win-SMB)

Q: I am getting the "Access Denied (error 5)" error. What to do? A: The error message "Access Denied (5)" comes from Windows. GoodSync just relays it. It means that GoodSync cannot write a file (or create/delete/read a file or a folder) because it is prohibited disk, folder, or file permissions.

If you are writing to a Windows share, then do this:

Share on Windows 7/10/11 (read-only by default):
Allow authenticated users to make any changes to the share:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the folder or disk you want to share and select "Share…" or right-click the folder, select "Properties" and switch to the "Sharing" tab.
2. Click the "Advanced Sharing" button and agree to proceed.
3. Check the "Share this folder" checkbox.
4. Click "Permissions," and in the "Allow" column, click "Full Control."

Share on Windows XP:
Allow authenticated users to make any changes to the share:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the folder or disk you want to share and select "Sharing and Security."
2. Click "Share This Folder" and enter Share Name.
3. Click "Permissions," and in the "Allow" column, click "Full Control."

Share on a NAS
Use instructions supplied with the NAS device. Usually, it is done in the device's web-based GUI via a browser.

If you are writing to a Windows disk attached directly to your computer:

In most cases, GoodSync will be able to write. It runs an elevated server automatically called to perform file operation that requires elevation. So the "Access Denied" error will not result, and no user interaction (such as in UAC elevation) is required.

If your permissions are too hard, even for an elevated GoodSync server, then
You should set permissions so that GoodSync can change files and folders on the server computer:
1. Files inherit permissions from their folders, and folders inherit permissions from their parent folders. So you need to find the folder that controls the permissions of your folder. Usually, it is the top folder.
2. Right-click this folder in Windows Explorer, select "Properties," and go to the "Security" tab.
3. Select the group or user for which you want to change permissions.
4. If you want to give permission to everyone, then select the "Everyone" group.
5. Check the "Full Control" box in the Allow column. That would allow you to do anything with the folder.
6. Click "OK" and agree to change the permissions of all files and folders inside.
7. If you cannot set permissions from Windows Explorer, you must take ownership of the file/folder first.

An easy way to verify that you set permissions correctly is to use Windows Explorer running on the client to modify/rename/delete files served by the server. Once you can modify/delete files using Windows Explorer, GoodSync will be able to do the same. Note that you should be able to do this operation in non-elevated mode, that is, there should be no shield next to the operation that you do in the context menu. A shield next to the operation means that elevation to super-user mode is required.

Q: What is your recommended way to set up Folder Sharing?
A: Windows Folder sharing is somewhat confusing and Vista/7/10/11 made things even more complicated.
We have found one setup that is easy to do, yet you get decent security:
* Only users having an account on your server computer will be able to see any shared resources.
* Everybody else will be denied access.
That is how to proceed:

Step 1. Ban users who do not have an account on the server computer.

Windows 7/10/11:

1. In the Start menu, right-click "Computer" and select "Manage" or right-click the Start button and select "Computer Management."
2. Select "Local Users and Groups" >> "Users" >> "Guest."
3. Right-click "Guest" and select "Properties." In there, check "Account is disabled."
   In Windows Home editions: Use Control Panel >> "User Accounts" to disable the Guest account because "Manage" may be disabled.

Windows XP:
1. Right-click the "My Computer" icon on the Desktop, and select "Manage."
2. Select "Local Users and Groups" >> "Users" >> "Guest."
3. Right-click "Guest," and in "Properties," check "Account is disabled."

Step 2. Allow authenticated users to make any changes to the share.

Windows 7/10/11:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the folder or disk you want to share and select "Share…" or right-click the folder, select "Properties" and switch to the "Sharing" tab.
2. Click the "Advanced Sharing" button and agree to proceed.
3. Check the "Share this folder" checkbox.
4. Click "Permissions," and in the "Allow" column, click "Full Control."

Windows XP:
1. In Windows Explorer, right-click the folder or disk you want to share and select "Sharing and Security."
2. Click "Share This Folder" and enter Share Name.
3. Click "Permissions," and in the "Allow" column, click "Full Control."

Step 3. Add share to GoodSync job:
1. Open GoodSync and go to the job that syncs with the server computer.
2. Click the "Please click here to select folder" button on the server (remote) side of the job to open the Browse dialog.
3. Drill down to your server and then share on it.
4. If the server does not appear, click "Add Unlisted Server" and enter your server name like so: \\ServerName
5. If ServerName does not take, try the local IP address (it may be dynamic). Example: \\192.168.1.22
6. Enter the share's UserID and Password (same as your UserID and Password on the server) when prompted and click "OK."

Q: I am getting the error "The specified network name is no longer available (error 64)." What to do?
A: This is a Windows networking error that has been noted and discussed in numerous forums, not a GoodSync problem.
It means that your client computer lost connection to the server computer. Often reboot of the server and client is required.
It is known to happen when you try to read/write files on a Windows share that has the files locked by an application on this server.

The SMB protocol used by Windows shares does not work well across wide-area networks.
Use GoodSync Connect instead, it works well over the Internet.

Syncing with servers

Q: How do I synchronize with my FTP or WebDAV server on the Internet?
A: GoodSync can sync with FTP, WebDAV, and Secure FTP (SFTP) servers.
For more information on supported servers, check out the following page.

Q: Does GoodSync provide synchronization with cloud storage?
A: Yes, GoodSync can sync and back up to a variety of cloud storage providers. Among them are: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive/Office365/Sharepoint, Box.com, MEGA, Google Docs, Google Photos, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, Amazon S3, Windows Azure, Backblaze B2, and more.
Learn more about supported cloud storage providers on this page.

Q: Will I lose my files if the network connection is dropped during syncing?
A: Your files will not be lost. When GoodSync replaces a file, it copies it to a temporary file in the destination folder. Then, it replaces the target file with the temporary one when copying is complete.
So, if the connection fails, only the temporary file will be affected, but the destination file will remain. Simply synchronize again when the connection is restored.

Q: Will GoodSync sync correctly if I upload files manually to my remote server or cloud storage?
A: No. You must upload all files only using GoodSync and never use other clients.
Why? Remote servers cannot store the correct file modification time, so GoodSync has to translate the file modification time on the server to the actual time.
So if you upload to this server using a non-GoodSync client, then the time translation table is not updated, and GoodSync will not be able to detect changes correctly.

Q: My long FTP sync was interrupted. How do I not resync all files that already got synced?
A: Since FTP servers do not store file modification properly (it is the time of upload, not the file modification time), GoodSync has to store the actual file modification time in a state file. This file is uploaded at the end of the sync.
So if sync gets interrupted, the state file is not uploaded, and during the next Analyze, GoodSync will see that file modification times are different.

That is how to tell GoodSync not to resync files that are already in sync, except for their file mod time:
1. Perform the Analyze.
2. Select "Views" >> "SameLength DiffTime" to view files with the same length and different file modification times.
3. Right-click the middle of the top node in the tree and select "Copy Time L to R" or "Copy Time R to L."
4. Perform the Sync. Only file modification time will be copied in the selected direction, not file bodies.

Q: I am getting timeouts when uploading FTP files. How can I fix it?
A: FTP protocol uploads files on a separate data connection, whereas the main control connection sits idle, waiting for the data connection to finish.
Some servers perceive this as inactivity, and they drop the control connection after approx. 5 mins.
The only way to fix it on the server is to disable such inactivity timeout, as they are plain wrong.
Another rare possibility is you use a proxy or a firewall that is not fully compatible with the FTP protocol.
Some users reported that it is fixed by enabling Microsoft Firewall Client or by otherwise fixing your proxy.

Q: The IIS 7 web server changes my Office documents after GoodSync uploads them via WebDAV. Why?
A: SharePoint DAV server (part of IIS 7) adds additional XML data to the files, which are Office documents such as .PPT, .DOC, .XLS.
That is not something GoodSync is doing and not something that GoodSync can change.
You should find a setting in IIS 7 to turn off this feature or ask Microsoft support how to turn this off in IIS 7.

Q: I am getting the error "Proxy Authentication Required (code 407)" in WebDAV HTTPS jobs. Why?
A: This means that your computer is connecting to the Internet via proxy, and this proxy requires authentication.
Enter the UserID and Password of your proxy via "Tools" >> "Program Options" >> "Proxy" ("GoodSync" >> "Preferences" >> "Proxy" on Mac).

Q: GoodSync cannot sync files with non-Latin characters in their names. What to do?
A: GoodSync uses UTF-8 to encode the file and folder names synced to FTP and SFTP servers. Modern WebDAV and FTP servers use UTF-8 encoding of file names. However, some servers keep using older ANSI encoding.

So, make sure that your server is using UTF-8 for file name encoding. If not, switch it to UTF-8 encoding mode.

If you must use ANSI encoding, click the "Change Folder" button to go into the Browse dialog, locate your server configuration in the device list, right-click it, and select "Properties." In the server configuration window, click "Advanced Options" and uncheck the "UTF-8 file names" option.

Q: I am getting an S3 error: "S3 server says: The specified bucket does not exist" or "The bucket you are attempting to access must be addressed using the specified endpoint." What to do?
A: You are having a problem with Amazon bucket naming or addressing:
* All European, Asian, and other non-US buckets must use host-based addressing (option under "Change Folder" >> "Amazon S3" >> "Advanced Options"), which means that they must have lower-case names.
* In host-based addressing, bucket names must be lowercase, and they can consist only of letters and digits. No upper case of mixed case bucket names are allowed.

Automation

Q: Why did you switch from Windows Task Scheduler to embedded Scheduler?
A: Several reasons why GoodSync Scheduler (GSS) is better than Windows Task Scheduler (WTS):
* You must enter the Windows Account password for every change in WTS, only once in GSS.
* Renaming tasks cannot be done in WTS API, easily done in GSS.
* One cannot run an "On File Change" job in WTS, all continuous jobs can run under GSS.
* We cannot follow the progress of the task in WTS, but GoodSync GUI follows jobs running in GS Runner.
The same Schedules will be used in GoodSync on Windows, Mac, and UNIX.
It is still possible to use WTS to run GoodSync jobs using GSYNC. Only you will have to configure the tasks yourself.

Q: My Windows password is empty. How do I use GoodSync Server/Runner?
A: GoodSync allows empty Windows passwords to be specified for Impersonation.
But Windows does not (can be changed by policy), it produces an error message.
So you should change your Windows Account password to non-empty.

If you want to auto-login to Windows, it can be arranged too (Windows 7):
1. Click the Start button and then enter this in the search box: netplwiz
2. Press the Enter key.
3. This loads the "User Accounts" wizard.
4. Uncheck the "User must enter a user name and password to use this computer" checkbox.
5. Click the "OK" button to apply changes.

Q: Why does an "On Schedule" job not run when scheduled?
A: Check these things that usually go wrong:
* Make sure you entered time units correctly. We use the 24-hour time format, so 11 PM is Hour=23. Click the "Test" button to see the actual run times produced by the schedule.
* If your computer goes to Sleep or Standby, make sure that Control Panel >> "Power Options" >> "Change plan settings" >> "Change advanced power settings" >> "Sleep" >> "Allow wake timers" is enabled. Note this setting is usually disabled on notebooks.

Q: The E-Mail Sync results option does not work. How do I set up automatic emailing of sync results?
A: The "Job" >> "Options" >> "Scripts" >> "Post Sync" feature uses SMTP or Simple MAPI protocol to send an email with sync results.

If using SMTP, specify an SMTP server address and port in "Tools" >> "Program Options" >> "SMTP" ("GoodSync" >> "Preferences" >> "SMTP" on Mac) and check the "Use SMTP server to send emails" box there.

We do not recommend using MAPI for sending emails. It is outdated and has many problems preventing the automatic sending of emails.

Q: If I execute an existing job from a command line but specify different parameters (e.g., email address to send the log file), which settings will be used by GoodSync?
A: Command line parameters will override the settings of the job. Depending on which command is used, these settings will or will not be saved to the job.
For more details, please read the Command Line section of the manual.

Encryption

Q: Can GoodSync encrypt backups?
A: Yes. GoodSync has at-rest Encryption configured via "Job" >> "Options" >> "Left/Right Side."
It uses AES with a 256-bit key. All blocks of the file are chained for maximum security.
The encryption key is derived from a user-entered password by applying SHA1 hashing at least 512 times.
You can encrypt file paths and/or file bodies. When encryption file bodies, a random salt is used.

Assuming that the Left folder of job is Source of backup and Right folder of the job is Destination, this is what you should do to produce an encrypted backup:
1. Go to "Job" >> "Options" >> "Right Side" and set "Compression and Encryption" to "Encrypt File Bodies and Names."
2. Enter a complex password that you still can memorize.
3. Go to "Job" >> "Options" >> "Left Side" and check that "Compression and Encryption" remain set to "Do not use."

Encryption on backup happens when GoodSync copies files from Left to Right.
Decryption on restore happens when GoodSync copies files from Right to Left.

Q: How do I decrypt backups encrypted by GoodSync?
A: By syncing back from the encrypted folder to the unencrypted folder.
In GoodSync, you specify encryption options on each side of the job.
So if the Left sync folder is not encrypted and the Right sync folder is encrypted, then
copying from Left to Right will cause encryption of files when they do copy.
Copying from Right to Left will cause the decryption of files encrypted on the Right side, with decrypted files coming out on the Left side.

Q: How can I protect my files en route between my computer and the remote server?
A: All connections are now done in Secure mode, with TLS 1.2 protocol. Plain-text connection may be allowed oinly ax exception, on a special option.

Q: How can I make GoodSync work with TrueCrypt volume?
A: Make TrueCrypt changes the modification time of its main file when the file changes.
This way GoodSync will know that the TrueCrypt encrypted file has changed and can back up/sync it.

GoodSync Connect

Q: File transfer is slow in GoodSync Connect. Why?
A: The speed of file transfer is limited by the slowest link in the chain from your client computer to your server computer.
Usually, the slowest link is the upload link of the computer doing the upload.
Note that for two computers to perform a file transfer, one of them is doing an upload.
The speed of upload is typically 10 times slower than the speed of download.
So on your 5 Mbit/sec cable ISP the upload speed would be 500 Kbit/sec to 1 Mbit/sec.
And you have to remember that a byte consists of 8 bits, plus 2 bits average for overhead.
So your 500 Kbit/sec upload speed would display in GoodSync as 50 Kbytes/sec.
Direct connection is the fastest, while the connection via Forwarder will be much slower.
Read the GoodSync Connect manual on how to achieve a direct connection.

Q: How do I make sure that GSTP traffic does not pass through GoodSync servers?
A: If you use Direct IP addressing (example: gstp://server.company.com) and not mediated .goodsync addressing (example: gstp://myserver.myuser.goodsync), then GSTP protocol will work directly between your GSTP client and GoodSync server, without involving GoodSync Connect Mediator and Forwarder.

To completely turn off global discovery, go to "Tools" >> "Advanced" >> "Server Advanced Options" ("GoodSync" >> "Server Advanced Options" on Mac), log in to the GoodSync server, click "Settings," select "Do not register with Mediator, I will specify IP address to reach this computer," and click "Apply" to restart the GoodSync server.

support

Support

Q: What should I do if I haven't found the answer to my question?
A: Please visit our in-depth GoodSync Manual, or contact us.

Q: How to properly submit a support ticket?
A: Start GoodSync and select "Help" >> "Contact Support."
That will assemble a ZIP file with the diagnostic info, submit it to the GoodSync server, and open a new support ticket page in your web browser.