GoodSync Manual
To be used with GoodSync ver 11.2.7 and higher.
Applies to both GoodSync for Windows and GoodSync for Mac, unless noted otherwise.
Printable Manual is available in PDF
Preface
This document is intended to serve as a guide for advanced GoodSync users
who are utilizing the many powerful and customizable features of GoodSync.
As this is a Reference Manual, it is not recommended for a new GoodSync user.
GoodSync provides friendly instructional information during installation.
Most users will be able to start syncing data immediately, without needing to reference this document.
If you are looking for an introduction to GoodSync, an overview of how GoodSync works can be found here.
Contents
- Introduction
- Backup vs Synchronization
- Why Synchronization Is Not Trivial
- Chained Synchronization
- Embedded Jobs
- Using GoodSync
- Synchronization Step By Step
- Jobs
- Job Selections
- Groups
- Synchronization Algorithm
- Backup Files Incrementally: One Way Sync
- User Interface Elements
- Job List
- Job Tree
- Browse Dialog
- Account Manager
- Select Multiple Folders to Backup/Sync
- Actions
- Copy File Action
- Copy Time Action
- Copy Name Case Action
- Sync State Action
- No Copy Action
- Error Action
- Conflict Action
- Types of Conflicts
- Managing Time Shifts
- Icon Descriptions
- File Actions
- Folder Actions
- Special Actions
- Central Column
- Job Icons
- Job Direction
- Advanced Topics
- Portable Paths
- Environment Variables in Paths
- Case Sensitivity
- Job Templates
- Filters: Exclusions and Inclusions
- Exclude Filter
- Include Filter
- GoodSync Connect Advanced Topics
- GoodSync Server Components
- User Accounts: Primary and Secondary
- Commands and Keyboard Shortcuts
- Job Selection
- Job Commands
- All Commands
- View/Hide Panel Commands
- Tree View Commands
- Action Commands
- Tools Commands
- Help Commands
- File Systems: Local and Remote
- Windows File System
- Mac File System
- GoodSync Connect
- Windows Net Shares (SMB)
- Apple Filing Protocol (AFP)
- MTP (Media Transfer Protocol)
- Google Drive Files
- Google Team Drive
- Google Docs
- Amazon S3
- Amazon Cloud Drive
- Dropbox
- Box.com
- Backblaze B2
- OneDrive / Office 365 / SharePoint
- SharePoint 2013
- MS Azure Blobs
- MS Azure Files
- Secure FTP (SSH)
- FTP
- WebDAV
- OneFile (encrypted, compressed)
- Job Options
- General Tab
- Filters Tab
- Auto Tab
- Scripts Tab
- Advanced Tab
- Left/Right Side Tab
- Program Options
- General tab
- Auto tab
- Security tab
- Filters tab
- Connection tab
- About tab
- GoodSync UI Command Line
- Windows Installer Options
- Automated Mac Installer
- GSYNC: Command Line version
- Profile and Logging Options
- Run Options
- Global Commands
- Global Options
- Job Commands
- Job Options
- Return Codes
- Gs-Runner: Job Runner with minimal GUI
- TIX: Readable Job Descriptors
- Job Properties
- Connectoid Properties
- Program Options
- Policies
- Syncing Specific Applications
- GoodSync2Go: Portable version
- GSCP: Command Line File System client
Introduction
GoodSync synchronizes two or more folders with files, that is, GoodSync makes sure that folders and all files in them are the same by copying the new or updated files from the folder where they appeared to the folder where they are old or not present and by propagating deletions.
GoodSync can be used in these everyday scenarios:
- Synchronize notebook computer to desktop computer via local network.
- Synchronize folders on two computers not on the same network, via Internet.
- Keep user files in sync on work and home computer via USB key.
- Incrementally Backup all files from main hard drive to portable hard drive or another computer.
In this Section we discuss challenges that synchronization programs face and that GoodSync successfully addresses.
Backup vs Synchronization
- Synchronization ensures that two folders remain in sync while user may change files on both sides. This is achieved by copying changes that have been made on the left side to the right side and changes that have been made on the right side are copied to the left side.
- Backup is one-way synchronization, that is, the changes that have been made on the left side are propagated to the right side but changes that have been made on the right side are not propagated to the left side.
- GoodSync One-Way Forced jobs enforce the backup scenario.
Why Synchronization Is Not Trivial
Synchronization task would appear to be trivial (compare file modification files and let the newer file win) if it was not for deletions that need to be propagated. If you delete file on one side, GoodSync will propagate this deletion to the other side of sync job by deleting this file on the other side. The sophistication of GoodSync algorithm allows us to propagate deletions correctly through multiple chained folders.
Another complication is that user may decide to replace newer version of the file with its older version. GoodSync can handle this situation correctly too, it will propagate the older file version, if it detects that user made such replacement.
Chained Synchronization
Chained syncing is a process when the contents of several folders (e.g., A, B, C and D) are synchronized by performing synchronization of pairs in sequence that results in propagation of changes (e.g., sync A and B, then B and C, then C and D results in changes in A propagating to folder B, then C, then D). GoodSync can perform Chained Syncing correctly.
You can use GoodSync chains to synchronize files between Computers that are not connected to each other.
For instance, you can synchronize files between Work and Home computer using USB disk as an intermediary:
- Insert USB Disk (or any portable disk) into Work Computer.
- Start GoodSync on Work Computer and Sync between Work folder and USB disk.
- Pull out USB disk from Work Computer and insert it into Home Computer.
- Start GoodSync on Home Computer and Sync between USB disk and Home folder.
Embedded Jobs
Several jobs can synchronize one folder to many other folders. In addition to that, you can have yet more jobs that synchronize sub-folders or super-folders of this folder. GoodSync will correctly record file changes in states of all folders in which the changes occurred.
For example, you can have a folder C:\work\project that contains project whose files change often. Folder c:\work contains other projects that are changes less often.
You have a job 'Project to Server' which synchronizes project files to an SFTP server once a day and from this server the files are synchronized by other members of the team.
You also have a job 'Work to PortHD' which synchronizes (backs up) all contents of the C:\work files folder to a portable hard drive once a week.
GoodSync will make sure that all changes performed by the 'Project to Server' job are visible to the 'Work to PortHD' job and vice versa.
Using GoodSync
Synchronization Step By Step
Typical GoodSync user experience consists of these stages:
- Select Folders To Synchronize
- User selects left and right folders to synchronize.
- Done only once when Job is setup.
- Comparative Analysis
- Happens when you click the Analyze buttons.
- GoodSync computes the changes that must be made to make folders the same.
- Proposed Synchronization Actions Reviewed by User
- Results of Analysis are presented to you in a form of file/folder tree.
- Left or Right Arrows point direction of file copy. Circle in the middle means No Copy.
- Crossed Arrow means Propagate Deletion. For instance, Left to Right Crossed Arrow means that GoodSync detected deletion of file on the left side and it wants to propagate it to the right side.
- Current effective direction is indicated by arrow or circle being green and thick.
- Other possible directions are indicated by gray and disabled arrows or circle.
- You can change direction of sync by clicking on the desired arrow.
- Synchronization
- Happens when you click Sync button.
- File actions proposed in Analysis and possibly changed by user are applied to actual files.
- After synchronization folders and all files in them become the same.
Jobs
Job is a fundamental unit of work in GoodSync.
Each Job consists of:
* Job name that allows to tell apart one job from another.
* Left and Right folders -- the two folders that are being synced by this Job.
* General and Advanced Options that control behavior of the Job.
* Auto Options that control how the Jobs is started.
* Script Options that control how results of Job run are reported.
GoodSync memorizes list of Jobs and all their parameters per computer.
Jobs can be created, deleted, renamed, analyzed and synced. All job commands are in the Job menu.
To create a new Job, click New Job button or select Job -> New.
To switch between Jobs, click the Job in the Job list on the left.
To delete a Job, select Job -> Delete.
To rename a Job, select Job -> Rename.
To make Job do its work click Analyze button.
The tree of difference between Left and Right folder is shown.
Examine it and click arrow buttons near the center column to change direction, if needed.
Sync button applies the detected changes.
Job Selections (ver 10 and higher)
All Job commands can be applied to several selected jobs.
To select several Jobs, do the same thing you do in Windows Explorer to select several files:
* CTRL+Click adds to selection.
* SHIFT+Click selects the range of jobs.
* Right Click shows commands that are applicable to selected Jobs.
Groups (ver 10 and higher)
Several Jobs can be grouped into a Group.
All Jobs in a Group can be started or stopped with a single command.
To create a new Group, click New Group button.
To switch between Groups, click the Group in the Group Tree View on the left.
To delete a current Group, select Job -> Delete.
To rename a current Group, select Job -> Rename.
To add a Job to Group, right-click Job and in Groups sub-menu select a Group to which Job will be added.
If Job is already checked in the Groups sub-menu then selecting it will remove it from the Group.
Synchronization Algorithm
This is a general outline of the synchronization algorithm (the actual algorithm is rather complex, it contains several important inventions and trade secrets that cannot be disclosed here):
- Compute difference between current file state and stored file state for the left folder,
- Compute difference between current file state and stored file state for the right folder,
- Propagate changes that appeared on the left to the right side,
- Propagate changes that appeared on the right to the left.
- If change happened to same file on both sides, declare a Conflict.
Backup Files Incrementally: One Way Sync
For GoodSync, backup is a regular synchronization that happens to be one-way. Only changed files and file deletions are propagated to backup folder. This is how you setup a backup:
- Create an empty backup destination folder. Backup destination folder must not be located on the same disk as source folder. It can be on removable disk (USB disk or portable hard drive) or another computer.
- Let GoodSync do the first backup by synchronizing backup source folder to backup destination folder.
- After that, whenever you want to backup, just sync backup source folder to backup destination folder.
- When you need to restore, backup destination folder contains exact copy of the backup source folder, as of last backup.
- To make sure that backup always goes one way (from original folder to backup folder and never in the other direction), go into Jobs -> Options and select One Way Job Type.
User Interface Elements
GoodSync Main Window contains the User Interface these elements:
- Job List pane (left side): show list of all jobs and their status. Always shown in ver 10.
- Sync Tree (right side): this is where modified files and their sync directions are shown.
- Log Window pane (bottom): log of job actions. Hidden by default. To show, select View -> Log.
- Filters pane (right side): displays Exclude/Include filter. To show, select View ->Filters.
- Browse dialog: used to choose Left and Right sync folders.
Mini-Mode is a compressed summary of what is going on in GoodSync.
- It shows only status of all running jobs.
- Select View -> Mini Mode to switch to Mini Mode.
- Double-click Mini Window to switch back to Full Mode.
Tray Icon mode reduce GoodSync GUI to just one icon in system tray.
- Select View -> Tray Icon to switch to Tray Icon Mode.
- Double-click Tray Icon to switch back to Full Mode.
- GoodSync automatically goes into Tray Icon mode, if you close it, but it got Auto jobs to run.
Job List
Ver 10: Click More button in Job Tree view to switch to Job List view.
Ver 9: Select 'View -> Job List' to show Job List.
For each job GoodSync shows these columns in Job List:
- Job Status Icon
- Job Name
- Job Status Text and Progress Bar
- Auto Mode of the Job
- Left Folder path
- Right Folder path
- Last Run Time
- Auto Mode: if not empty, list how job can be auto-started
You can sort by any of these columns by clicking on the column header.
Sorting can be done in ascending or descending order.
Sorting by Left/Right folders will allow you to group files by Source (Left) or Destination (Right) folder,
so you can easily see what jobs do you have working with a particular folder.
Initially Jobs are sorted by Job Name.
If you want to sort jobs yourself, by dragging and dropping them (default mode in ver 9)
then un-check Tools -> Program Options -> Sort Job Names by Alphabet, and restart GoodSync.
A better idea for forcing preferred order would be to give job name a numeric prefix,
as in '01 - Work File to NAS', '02 - Photos to Dropbox'.
Job Tree (ver 10 and higher)
Jobs and Groups form a 2-level tree.
It is shown by default.
If you are in Job List view, click Less button to switch to Job Tree view.
You can drag and drop Jobs between Groups.
Browse Dialog
Browse dialog is used to choose Left and Right sync folders.
Ver 9: Browse dialog is shown when you click Browse button on the Left or Right side.
Ver 10: Browse dialog is shown when you click Left/Right folder in the toolbar.
You use Browse dialog to specify remote server credentials, browse folders on the server after login, and finally to select a folder that you will be syncing with.
Browse dialog has several stages:
* File System selector: you start with selecting file system (protocol) of your local or remote storage.
* Accounts: This is where you enter credentials (UserId, Password) for your online server.
Entered credentials are memorizes in Account Manager and shown as a list of accounts.
* Folders: Tree of Servers and Folders is shown once you enter a specific Server.
Some stage may be not present in certain file systems.
Local File System has only one account and one server, so these stages are not shown.
Most OAuth online storages have only one server, so Server stage is not shown.
Older file protocols (FTP, SFTP) have multiple servers without discovery.
GoodSync Connect has multiple servers, but with discovery.
Server Account Manager (ver 10 and higher)
What happens when several Jobs refer to the same sync folder and you change credential of the server in one job? It would be nice if changed credentials were automatically used in all other jobs that refer to these folder, without need to change them manually in each job (as was the case in GoodSync ver 9 and before it).
Another nice thing to have would be to have sticky Folder Options. So if Encryption password for a folder changes in one job, it should automatically be changed in all jobs that refer to the same folder.
Server Account Manager introduced in ver 10 achieves both of these goals.
Jobs do not store server account credentials directly.
Instead each Job references Server Account for its Left and Right side, by Server Account Key.
Server Account contains Address of online folder and credentials needed to access it.
When credential's of Server Account change, each Job gets changed credentials automatically.
Its function is mostly automatic and hidden from user's view.
You will see list of Accounts for a file system in Accounts tab of Browse dialog.
Initial Account names are generated from UserId.
You can name the Account and rename it.
You can delete Account if it is not used by any Jobs.
Select Multiple Folders to Backup or Sync (Windows only)
You can select multiple folders to backup or sync, starting with GoodSync ver 9.
Multiple folder selection is turned into Include and Exclude Filters
that enforce copying only the selected folders.
So to understand what the result of your multiple-folder selection is,
look into what Sync Folders are and into Options -> Filters.
In the Browse dialog with Select Multiple Items option checked you will see:
- Bright Green checkbox: means that folder has been Included, it will appear in Include filters.
- Weak Green checkbox: means that folder is a child of Included folder, does not appear in Filters.
- Red Cross (X): means that folder has been excluded, it will appear in Exclude filters.
You can select multiple folders to sync only on one side of the job (usually Left), and on another side of the job (usually Right) you select folder which corresponds to Longest Common Ancestor of all folders selected on the Left side.
Only in 1-way Right to Left job you select multiple folders on the Right (source side) and destination folder on the Left (destination side). In all other types of jobs you select multiple folders on the Left and destination folder on the Right.
Example: 2-way job:
On the Left side you select multiple folders:
~User Name\Documents\My RoboForm Data\Default Profile
~User Name\Documents\Outlook Files
~User Name\Documents\TaxACT 2012
On the Right side you Browse to folder:
sds://d.docs.live.net/account-id/MyBackups
This will result on these pairs of folders being synced:
~User Name\Documents\My RoboForm Data\Default Profile -- sds://d.docs.live.net/acct/MyBackups/My RoboForm Data/Default Profile
~User Name\Documents\Outlook Files -- sds://d.docs.live.net/acct/MyBackups/Outlook Files
~User Name\Documents\TaxACT 2012 -- sds://d.docs.live.net/acct/MyBackups/TaxACT 2012
Note that you cannot have folders from different disks in one job,
because it would force their common parent to be above the disk level.
GoodSync File Tree Sample
Actions
Action is a file/folder operation that is:
- Recommended by GoodSync after Analysis is complete,
- Changed by User (that is, you), and finally
- Executed when you click the Sync button.
Each actions gets an icon in the center 3 columns of the tree.
See the next Chapter for the detailed list of actions' icons.
Copy File action
This is the most fundamental action of GoodSync.
It copies file from Left to Right or from Right to Left.
Copy of file deleted on the Left from Left to Right means that this file will be deleted on the Right.
Copy of file deleted on the Right from Right to Left means that this file will be deleted on the Left.
That is, GoodSync "copy" of the deleted file simply propagates a deletion.
Copy Time / Attributes action
If file has the same length on the left and right side of the sync but modification time is not the same then you can turn Copy File action offered by GoodSync into a Copy Time action. Copy Time action copies file modification time from Left to Right or from Right to Left, but not file contents.
A recommended way of applying it is to select View -> SameLength DiffTime. This will show you all files that have the same length but different file time. If you think that these files are really the same, right-click any of the files and select Copy Time L to R or R to L. You can also right-click the folder and change Copy File into Copy Time for all eligible files in the folder.
Copy Name Case action
If files on the left and right differ only by case of file names then this action is used to propagate name case change.
Sync State action
If file is the same on the left and right side of the sync but the stored state of the file is not the same then GoodSync would recommend a special Sync State action for such files.
The results of the Analyze step will inform you that Sync State will be done, if this is necessary.
You cannot change direction of Sync State action, as it is not directional action.
The following are the potential causes of the CopyState situation described above:
- You synchronized two folders using programs other than GoodSync.
- You copied files manually.
- You did Delete State in GoodSync.
No Copy action
This action tells GoodSync not to do anything for this pair of files, because files are the same on both sides.
Error action
The file or folder cannot be read, see status area for details.
Conflict action
If you changed the file on both sides of the synchronized folder pair then GoodSync cannot determine which version is preferred (because it does not know which set of changes should win and which should be dropped) and GoodSync then declares a conflict.
By default, conflict is a no-copy action. But you can change conflict into LeftToRight or RightToLeft Copy, thus declaring one side a winner.
Types of Conflicts
GoodSync may produce these types of conflicts:
- Modified On Both Sides.
File was modified or deleted by user both on the left and right side.
Resolvable conflict, user may select sync direction.
- Vertical Delete - Change Conflict.
User deleted folder on the left (right) and modified or deleted files in this folder on the right (left).
Resolvable conflict, user may select sync direction. - Case Conflict.
Items (files or folders) on one side differ only by case.
Un-resolvable conflict, user must correct the problem. - ACL/ExtAttr Conflict.
Items (files or folders) on one side differ only by ACL (Extended Attrs), file bodies are the same.
Minor conflict, user may select sync direction.
Managing Time Shifts
FAT file system still used in Windows and some FTP servers have these problems:
- Local file modification time is stored, so moving between time zones makes your file modification shift.
- Modification time is stored with only 2 sec precision in FAT, so copying a file to FAT may give it a slightly different modification time. GoodSync ignores differences of +- 2 sec in modification time.
GoodSync recognizes two types of Time Shifts:
- Old-New Time Shift: Current file modification time differs from stored modification time by whole number of hours for a considerable number of files. Corrected by storing new modification time on the next Sync.
- Left-Right Time Shift: File on the Left and Right have a whole hour difference in modification time for a considerable number of files. This time shift is turned into Copy Time action.
Icon Descriptions
Advanced Topics
Portable Paths
You can specify a portable path in the left or right sync folder like so:
=VolumeName:\folder1\folder2
Here VolumeName is volume label that you can set in volume properties in the Windows Explorer.
If path is specified in the portable format, GoodSync will look for a volume named VolumeName in all portable (removable) drives attached to this computer.
So if this volume gets a different drive letter next time you insert it, GoodSync will still be able to find it.
When you select a folder on a removable drive in the Browse dialog,
GoodSync will offer to record path to this folder in the portable path format.
When you select a folder on GoodSync2Go folder from which you started GoodSync2Go,
drive letter will be automatically replaced with %GSDISK%.
So no matter what computer plug in your removable drive into and no matter what letter you drive gets, GoodSync2Go will find its sync folders, as they will be on %GSDISK% drive.
Related topics:
* Computer Specific Paths are used to refer to a path that is valid only for one computer.
* %GSDISK% can be used in Scripts tab program, then the program is run from the GS2Go disk.
Environment Variables in Paths
You can use any Windows environment variable in folder paths, inserted like so: %VARIABLE%
Environment variable can be put in only by directly editing the folder path, not via Browse dialog.
Popular environment variables are:
%GSDISK% -- disk from which GoodSync.exe was started such as C: or F: .
Use this to refer to folders stored on GoodSync2Go volume, in Portable version.
%USERNAME% -- current window user name
%USERPROFILE% -- current user profile directory.
%COMPUTERNAME% -- windows name of this computer.
Also GoodSync substitutes these special variables:
%YYYY% -- current year.
%MM% -- current month, from 01 to 12.
%DD% -- current day of the month, from 01 to 31.
%DOW% -- current day of the week, from 0 to 6.
%WOM% -- current week of the month, from 1 to 4.
%HH% -- current hour, from 00 to 23.
%II% -- current minute, from 00 to 59.
Case Sensitivity
GoodSync file and folder tree is case-insensitive, that is,
for GoodSync path Folder\File.txt points to the same item as path FOLDER\file.TXT.
But GoodSync is case-preserving, that is,
if you change file (or folder) name from FilE.txt to fILe.txt on one side,
GoodSync will propagate it to the other side.
These design choices reflect realities of the modern operating systems:
- In Windows both NTFS and FAT32 are case-insensitive and case-preserving.
- In MacOS default file system is case-insensitive and case-preserving.
- Some UNIX file systems and FTP/SFTP servers based on them are case-sensitive, indeed.
But if we want to be able to sync case-insensitive Windows and MacOS file systems to them, our tree must remain case-insensitive.
Job Templates (Windows only)
Job Template is an incomplete Job, usually with right folder not set. It is used to save your favorite set of Job options as a Template, so that other Jobs can be easily created from it.
To create a Template from a Job, go to this Jobs and select Job -> Save as Template.
To create a new job from a saved template, select Job -> New.
In the New Job dialog, select From Template option. Then select the template from which Job should be created.
Filters: Exclusions and Inclusions
By default GoodSync synchronizes all files and folders that are not hidden and not system.
Hidden and system files can be synchronized too, if option to exclude them is turned off.
Exclude Filter
You may want to exclude some files and folders from synchronization by using Exclude filter.
For instance, object files *.OBJ and editor backup files *.BAK are usually excluded.
Adding Filters from Context Menu after Analyze.
The easiest way to exclude the file or group of files is to perform Analyze and
then right-click the file or folder and select one of the Exclusion commands:
- Exclude '/FolderName/FileName' file or folder:
Exclude only this file or folder, as specified by its complete path '/FolderName/FileName'. - Exclude All 'ItemName' files or folders:
Exclude all files or folders (in any of subfolders) that are named 'ItemName'. - Exclude All '*.ext' files:
Exclude all files that have extension 'ext', in all sub-folders.
These commands add a line to the list of exclusions in Jobs -> Options -> Filters -> Excluded.
This tab is the only place where you can modify or delete exclusions.
Editing Filters in Jobs -> Options -> Filters -> Excluded.
path /folder/file
Line that starts with "path /" (or just "/") matches file or folder path (relative to sync folder)
to wildcard match string in which:
* matches any sequence of characters
? matches an arbitrary single character
[a-z] matches a range of characters, such as a to z,
\c matches characters c, use it when character to match is * or ? or [
/ separates folders (do not use \ as folder separator, not even in Windows)
Examples:
path /folder1/file2.ext -- matches file by its path
path /Al* -- matches all paths whose top level folder starts with Al
path /[a-z0-9]* -- matches all paths whose top level folders starts with characters 'a' to 'z' or '0' to '9'
path /\[Originals\] -- matches all paths whose top level folder is '[Originals]'.
name file-folder-name
Line that starts with "name " matches file or folder name (last member of the path)
to wildcard match string in which:
* matches any sequence of characters
? matches an arbitrary single character
[a-z] matches a range of characters, such as a to z,
/ is not allowed, as match names, not paths.
Examples:
name *.xls -- Excel files,
name *kiss* -- files or folders that contain "kiss" in their name
name *.??? -- all files and folders with 3-character extension
name *.[a-z][a-z][a-z] -- all files and folders with 3-letter extension
name \[Originals\] -- matches all file and folders named '[Originals]'.
size size-spec
Lines that start with "any size" or "all size" allow exclusion of files by file size:
any size<N
means size.left<N OR size.right<N
all size<N
means size.left<N AND size.right<N
any size>N
means size.left>N OR size.right>N
all size>N
means size.left>N AND size.right>N
any size=N
means size.left=N OR size.right=N
all size=N
means size.left=N AND size.right=N
any size!=N
means size.left!=N OR size.right!=N
all size!=N
means size.left!=N AND size.right!=N
any size>=N
means size.left>=N OR size.right>=N
all size>=N
means size.left>=N AND size.right>=N
any size<=N
means size.left<=N OR size.right<=N
all size<=N
means size.left<=N AND size.right<=N
any size[S1,S2]
means S1 <= size.left < S2 OR S1 <= size.right < S2
all size[S1,S2]
means S1 <= size.left < S2 AND S1 <= size.right < S2
where N is a number, possibly with K (Kilo) or M (Mega) suffix.
No spaces is allowed in the "size" match line.
Size of non-file items (folder, link, deleted or not-present file) are considered to be 0 for the purposes of 'size' comparisons.
Examples:
all size>=100 -- files on both sides contain 100 bytes or more
any size<2K -- files that contain less than 2,048 (1K = 1024) bytes on either left or right side, links and deleted files are OK too
all size=3M -- files that contain exactly 3,145,728 bytes (1M = 1024 * 1024) bytes on both sides
time time-spec
Lines that start with "any time" or "all time" allow exclusion of files by modification date:
any time<T
means time.left<T OR time.right<T
all time<T
means time.left<T AND time.right<T
any time>T
means time.left>T OR time.right>T
all time>T
means time.left>T AND time.right>T
any time=T
means time.left=T OR time.right=T
all time=T
means time.left=T AND time.right=T
any time!=T
means time.left!=T OR time.right!=T
all time!=T
means time.left!=T AND time.right!=T
any time>=T
means time.left>=T OR time.right>=T
all time>=T
means time.left>=T AND time.right>=T
any time<=T
means time.left<=T OR time.right<=T
all time<=T
means time.left<=T AND time.right<=T
any time[S1,S2]
means S1 <= time.left <= S2 OR S1 <= time.right <= S2
all time[S1,S2]
means S1 <= time.left <= S2 AND S1 <= time.right <= S2
Where T is date in one of these formats:
YYYY/MM/DD -- year/month/day
-Nd -- N days ago
+Nd -- N days in the future
-Nh -- N hours ago
+Nh -- N hours in the future
-Nm -- N minutes ago
+Nm -- N minutes in the future
No spaces is allowed in the "time" match line.
Only live (not deleted) files are meant to take part in 'time' comparisons.
Modification time of non-file objects (folders, links, deleted files) is considered to be NullTime (Jan 1, 1970).
Examples:
any time>=2008/7/4 -- files modified at 00:00 on July 4, 2008 or later on either side
all time<-5d -- files older than 5 days ago on both sides
time>=+7d -- files modified 7 days in the future or later on either side
is-x
Lines that start with "is" match file and folder attributes:
isfolder
matches a folder
isfile
matches a file
issymlink
matches symbolic link or junction
ishidden
matches files and folders with hidden attribute
issystem
matches files and folders with system attribute (Windows only)
isarchive
matches files and folders with archive attribute (Windows only)
isreadonly
matches files and folders with readonly attribute (Windows only)
isoffline
matches files and folders with offline attribute (Windows only)
iscompressed
matches files and folders with compressed attribute (Windows only)
isencrypted
matches files and folders with encrypted attribute (Windows only, EFS encryption)
By default GoodSync excludes hidden and system files and folders, because these files are not user files and usually they are not worth backing up or syncing. If you want GoodSync to see these files, uncheck "Exclude Hidden Files" and "Exclude System Files" in Job -> Options -> Filters.
exist-x
Lines that start with "exist" match facts of presence and absence of file and folders.
existboth
file or folder exists both on left and right side
existany
file or folder exists on left, right side, or both sides
existone
file or folder exists only on one side.
Exclude Composition.
There is an implicit OR between lines of the Exclude filter.
Each line can contain more than one clause separated by semicolon ";".
There is an implicit AND between clauses in the exclude line.
Example: filter
ishidden; name *.bak; all time <-60d
all size<1k
matches hidden files that have .bak extension that are older than 60 days on both sides or
files whose size on both sides is less than 1024 bytes.
Any and All qualifiers.
File modification times may be different on Left and Right, then
you have to use "any" or "all" qualifier to get the desired result.
Example: exclude filter 'time<-30d' is true for all files
where 'left time < tNow - 30d OR right time < tNow - 30d'.
So if you want to exclude all files older than 30 days (on both sides that is),
you should use exclude line 'all time<-30d' which is
the same as 'left time < tNow - 30d AND right time < tNow - 30d'.
Include Filter
Include Filter includes only files and folders specified in it and it excludes everything else.
Include Filter is applied before the Exclude Filter.
Include Filter with no lines includes everything, that is, it is effectively ignored.
Include Filter is set in Jobs -> Options -> Filters -> Include.
Include Clauses.
Include clauses are the same as Exclude clauses:
- path /folder/file
- name file-folder-name
- size size-spec
- time time-spec
- is-x attr-spec
Note that Include filter 'path /folder' includes /folder itself and all files and sub-folders inside it.
So it equivalent to 'path /folder' plus 'path /folder/*'.
Include Composition.
There is an implicit OR between lines of Include filter.
Each line may contain more than one clause separated by semicolon ";".
There is an implicit AND between clauses in the line.
If both Exclude and Include filters are specified then
the Include filter is used first, then Exclude filter is applied to the Include results.
More specifically, Exclude Filter of
ExcludeLine1
ExcludeLine2
ExcludeLine3
and Include Filter of
IncludeLine1
IncludeLine2
IncludeLine3
computes as
( IncludeLine1 OR IncludeLine2 OR IncludeLine3 ) AND
NOT ( ExcludeLine1 OR ExcludeLine2 OR ExcludeLine3 )
Absolute Paths Only
If all lines in Include filter are absolute path matches ('/folder' or 'path /folder')
then Absolute Paths Only match is applied, so only paths that match filter lines are included.
If any Include line contains non-path match ('name pattern', 'time -Nd', 'size N', etc)
then all folders are included in the match, so that
files inside these folders can be matched against non-path filters.
Use 'Exclude Empty Folders' option to exclude folders
that are considered empty due to lack of matched files in them.
Special "size" and "time" matches work in the Include filters.
Examples.
These are the popular Include filters and context menu items that add them:
* Include Only '/FolderName/FileName' file or folder.
Include only this file or folder, as specified by its complete path '/FolderName/FileName'.
You can select several files and folders (multi-select is done by clicking items while holding CTRL key) and
then they all will be added to the Include list.
* Include Only '*.ext' files.
Include only files that have extension 'ext', in all sub-folders.
Note that if an *.ext line is present in the Include filter then all folders that contains such files are included too,
because GoodSync must include a folder if it includes a file within this folder.
GoodSync Connect
Moved to GoodSync Connect Manual.
Commands and Keyboard Shortcuts
This describes GoodSync commands that can be started by clicking buttons and selecting menu items.
Job commands
Analyze button or Job -> Analyze Alt+A F5
Analyze this Job. Show proposed changes.
Files are considered to be the same if their size and modification time are the same.
Sync button or Job -> Synchronize Alt+S F7
Synchronize this Job.
Execute (commit) changes that Analyze has proposed.
Job -> Analyze and Sync Alt+Y F9
Analyze and then Sync this job.
Stop button or Job -> Stop Alt+T ESC
Stops Analysis or Synchronization of this Job.
Sync can be continued after Stop, Analyze will run anew after Stop.
Clear ESC
In already stopped Job, this command clears Sync Tree, thus saving memory.
Pause / Resume Alt+Z
Pause / Resume Analysis or Synchronization in this Job.
Job -> Options Alt+O
Show Options dialog for this Job.
Job -> Logs On Left Alt+L
Open log file browser for the Left folder of this job.
Logs record all actions that all GoodSync jobs have done to this folder and its sub-folders.
Job -> Logs on Right Alt+R
Open log file browser for the Right folder of this job.
Logs record all actions that all GoodSync jobs have done to this folder and its sub-folders.
Job -> Groups
Add (or Remove) this Job to one of the groups listed in sub-menu.
Job -> (Select Listed Group)
If Group is unchecked in the menu, add current Job to the selected Group.
If Group is checked in the menu, Remove current Job from the selected Group.
Job -> New Alt+N
Create New Job.
First job named 'New Job' is created automatically when you run GoodSync for the first time.
Job -> Delete Alt+D, DEL
Delete current Job.
Job -> Rename... F2
Rename current Job.
Job -> Clone... Alt+C
Clone current Job.
That is, create a new job with a different name that is a copy of this job.
Job -> Advanced -> Swap Job Sides Alt+W
Swap Left and Right folder in this Job.
Job -> Save as Template [Ver 9 only]
Save this job as a template. Templates can be used when creating a New Job.
Job -> Advanced -> Analyze: Compare MD5s Alt+M
Analyze: Compare MD5s
Files are considered to be the same if their MD5 checksums are the same.
File Systems on left and right must support MD5 computation for this to work.
Job -> Advanced -> Analyze: Compare Bodies Alt+B
Analyze: Compare Bodies.
Files are considered to be the same if their bodies are the same.
Files from remote file systems will be downloaded, so this will run slowly.
Job -> Advanced -> List of Changes Alt+I
Show printable list of changes.
Works after Analyze, when changes become available.
Job -> Advanced -> Delete State Files
Delete GoodSync state files on both sides of this Job.
Causes GoodSync to forget state and history info that GoodSync collected on files in sync folders, such as the fact that which files were deleted and when.
Job -> Advanced -> Delete Recycled & History Folders
Delete recycled files located in folder _gsdata_\_saved_ and
history files located in folder _gsdata_\_history_ .
Job -> Advanced -> Delete _gsdata_ Folders
Delete GoodSync _gsdata_ folder and all files contained in them on both sides of this Job.
Removes everything removed by 'Delete Recycled & History Folders' and 'Delete State Files', plus all job log files.
Job -> Advanced -> Cleanup Recycled & History Folders
Cleanup 'Recycle Bin' or history: delete files that are older then prescribed time (one month by default).
The time to keep "Recycle Bin' files is specified in Job -> Options -> General -> Clean _saved_/_history_ after this many days.
Job -> Exit Alt+X Alt+F4
Exit GoodSync.
Job Selection
Click Tab Alt+1 to Alt+9
Select another job, make it current (referred to as This Job).
Most commands in Job menu apply to the current job.
All commands
These commands control All Jobs.
All -> Analyze All F6
Analyze all Jobs.
All -> Synchronize All F8
Synchronize all analyzed Jobs.
All -> Analyze and Sync All F10
For all jobs: Analyze and then Sync each job.
All -> Stop All
Stop analysis or synchronization for all jobs that are running.
All -> Auto Run On/Off F4
If checked, temporarily disable starting of Jobs by Auto options.
Jobs that have been started already, will continue to run.
If unchecked, then AutoRun is enabled.
View/Hide Panels commands
View -> Full Mode
View full GoodSync user interface.
Default view.
View -> Mini Mode
View GoodSync in Mini Mode.
A small window is shown that displays status of active jobs.
View -> Tray Icon
GoodSync is represented only by system tray icon on desktop.
This mode is used for background operations.
View -> Job List [Ver 9 only]
Show/Hide Job List pane.
This pane shows time when the job last ran and current status of the job.
Ver 9: Not shown by default.
Ver 10: Job List is always shown.
View -> Filters
Show/Hide Filters pane. Not shown by default.
It shows all Exclude and Include filters for this Job.
View -> Log
Show/Hide Log pane. Shown by default.
It shows automatically scrolled log for this Job.
View -> Status Bar [Ver 9 only]
Show/Hide Status Bar. Shown by default.
Tree Projection View commands
These commands are enabled after you Analyze the job and click a node in Sync Tree.
All button or View -> All
Show All live files and folders, that is, items not deleted on both sides.
Changes button or View -> Changes Alt+G
Show Changes, that is, only files and folders that are different and to which Copy File command will be applied.
Conflicts button or View -> Conflicts Alt+F
Show Conflicts, that is, files that were changed on both sides of the Job.
Errors button or View -> Errors Alt+E
Show Errors that occurred during Analyze or Sync.
Errors are not conflicts, they are originated by file system.
Example: file is locked, cannot drill into folder.
View -> Included
Show files and folders that are include in the Analyze.
That is, not excluded by Exclude/Include filters.
View -> Excluded
Show files and folders that are excluded by Exclude/Include filter.
View -> New
Show New files and folders.
That is, files and folders that exist on one side and do not exist on the other side and copy action will copy them to this other side.
View -> Overwrite
Show files that will be Overwritten.
That is, files that exist on both sides and copy action will copy file from one side to another.
View -> Delete
Show files and folder that will be Deleted.
That is, files and folders that exist on one side and do not exist on the other side and copy action will delete them on this other side.
View -> Left to Right
Show files that will be copied from Left to Right by Copy File action.
View -> Right to Left
Show files that will be copied from Right to Left by Copy File action.
View -> Copy Time L to R
Show files that whose modification time will be copied from Left to Right by Copy Time action.
View -> Copy Time R to L
Show files that whose modification time will be copied from Right to Left by Copy Time action.
View -> Sync State
Show files that whose states will be synced without copying files themselves.
View -> SameLength DiffTime
Show files that exist on both sides, have the same length but different modification time.
These are candidates for Copy Time action, if you believe that files are actually the same.
View -> AllLive + Dead
Show both existing files and files that were previously deleted.
Tree Node Expand commands
These commands are enabled after you Analyze the job and click a node in Sync Tree.
These commands are available through keyboard shortcuts and are standard for Windows trees.
Gray '+' means '+' key on the numeric side keyboard.
Gray +
Open one level of the tree.Focus must be on the node to open.
Gray -
Close one level of the tree. Focus must be on the node to close.
Gray *
Open all levels of the tree starting from here. Focus must be on the node to open.
Tree Node Action commands
These commands are enabled after you Analyze the job and click a node in Sync Tree.
All Action commands are also available from file or folder context menu.
Action -> Open Left File / Folder
Open file on the Left using Windows Explorer (Shell).
If GoodSync Explorer is installed, then use it to open remote folders.
Action -> Open Right File / Folder
Open file on the Right using Windows Explorer (Shell).
If GoodSync Explorer is installed, then use it to open remote folders.
Action -> Delete Left File / Folder
Delete file (or folder, if selected) on the Left side.
Action -> Delete Right File / Folder
Delete file (or folder, if selected) on the Right side.
Action -> Delete Both Files / Folders
Delete file (or folder) on the Left and on the Right.
Action -> Compare Files
Compare file on the Left to file on the Right using compare diff-like program
defined in Tools -> Program Options -> File Compare program.
It also works for local folders, will run 'diff -r' on Left and Right folders.
Tree Node Filter commands
These commands are enabled after you Analyze the job and click a node in Sync Tree.
All Action commands are also available from file or folder context menu.
Action -> Exclude '/...' File / Folder
Exclude this file or folder from Analyze results.
File or folder will be excluded by its exact path.
Action -> Exclude All '...' Files / Folders
Exclude all files (or folders) that have the same name as this file (folder),
no matter in what folders inside sync folders these files are located.
Action -> Exclude All '*.ext' Files
Exclude all files that have extension .ext, in all folders inside sync folder.
Action -> Include '/...' File / Folder
Include this file or folder into Analyze results.
File or folder will be included by its exact path.
If one or more Include filters are defined then
only files and folders that are Included in this way will be Analyzed, everything else will be excluded.
Action -> Include All '*.ext' Files
Include only files that have extension .ext, in all folders inside sync folder.
Tree Node Direction Change commands
These commands are enabled after you Analyze the job and click a node in Sync Tree.
All Action commands are also available from file or folder context menu.
Action -> As Recommended
Set action to what was recommended by Analyze.
Enabled only after you modified actions proposed by Analyze.
Action -> Left to Right
Set action to Copy File Left to Right.
Action -> Right to Left
Set action to Copy File Right to Left.
Action -> Do Not Copy
Set action to No Copy.
Action -> Copy Time Left to Right
Set action to Copy Time Left to Right.
Action -> Copy Time Right to Left
Set action to Copy Time Right to Left.
Action -> Name Case Left to Right
Set action to Name Case Left to Right.
Action -> Name Case Right to Left
Set action to Name Case Right to Left.
Action -> Copy State Left to Right
Set action to Copy State Left to Right.
Action -> Copy State Right to Left
Set action to Copy State Right to Left.
Action -> Properties
Show current File / Folder detailed information.
It helps you understand how GoodSync made a sync decision for this file.
Tools commands
Tools -> Program Options ...
Show Program Options dialog.
Tools -> GoodSync Connect Setup ...
Run GoodSync Connect Setup dialog.
It sets up GoodSync Client and Server on this computer, for use in P2P sync via GoodSync Connect.
Tools -> Runner Service Setup ...
Run Runner Service Setup dialog.
GoodSync Runner is a Windows/Mac Service that runs Jobs that have Auto Unattended mode in Job Options.
Tools -> Export All Jobs ...
Export all Jobs, Groups, Accounts to a *.TIX file selected by user.
Tools -> Export Selected Jobs ...
Export selected Jobs to a *.TIX file.
If only file Job is selected (Current Job) then export this job.
If Group is selected, export all Jobs in this Group.
Also all Account are written to export *.tix files, as they may be referred by exported jobs.
TIX file comes in a text-based format which is used for export and import, it also can be edited.
Tools -> Import Job List ...
Import jobs from a *.TIX file that was previously written by Export command.
Imported jobs are added to the existing jobs.
If imported job has the same name as existing job, import of this job fails.
Help commands
Help -> Manual
Show this Online Manual from www.goodsync.com.
Help -> FAQ
Show Online Frequently Asked Questions from www.goodsync.com.
Help -> Buy License
Buy GoodSync License from www.goodsync.com.
Help -> Activate License
Activate GoodSync License on this computer, after you purchased it.
You will need Order ID and your name as it appears in the Order.
Help -> Create Support Ticket
Creates ZIP file that contains job logs and other technical information.
Uploads this file to GoodSync support server and creates support ticket.
Help -> Check for Updates
Check for new GoodSync version at www.goodsync.com.
GoodSync also automatically checks for its new version upon start.
Help -> About...
Show About dialog with credits and version info.
File Systems: Local and Remote
GoodSync can synchronize not only disk and net shares mounted on your computer. It can also synchronize with Remote File Systems (FS) accessible through multiple online protocols such as S3, FTP, SFTP, Google Drive.
To select or change your sync folder, click Change Folder (Browse) button on the left or right side of Sync.
The Browse File System dialog appears, both for Left and Right side simultaneously.
To create a new Server Account (Address + Credentials + Options of remote file system) click (+) icon next to File System type.
In the dialog that appears enter your Remote Server Address.
Some File Systems such as Google Drive have only one virtual top server, so it cannot be entered).
Then enter UserID, Password and maybe other connection data.
Then click Test button to connect to the server and test whether the credentials you entered is correct.
If connection is successful, the Home Folder of your User in Remote FS is shown and all folders above it.
Navigate to the folder to sync with in the folder tree.
If folder you want to sync with does not exist, create it:
navigate to its parent folder and select Pie -> New Folder button.
Note that you can have many Server Accounts in one File System, thus allowing multiple remote accounts to be browsed and synced with.
Below we provide detailed description of Local and Remote File Systems that GoodSync supports.
Windows File System (Windows only)
Windows disks mounted directly on this computer (available only in Windows).
Official URL: file:///disk:/folder1/file2.ext, example: file:///C:/folder1/folder2
Display URL or Windows folder path: X:\folder1\files2.ext, example: C:\folder1\folder2
Plus two other naming conventions for Portable and Computer Specific paths, see below.
Since no authentication is required and disks are always connected, the folder tree is shown right away (clicking Go button is not needed).
User Folder
You can specify a user folder as part of folder path like so:
~UserName\folder1
Here UserName is name of Windows User, it is translated to full path of this user profile.
Example: on Windows-7 '~John Smith' is translated to 'C:\Users\John Smith'.
Hidden and System folders are not shown when you Browse inside '~John Smith' folder,
but they are shown if you drill from the root folder to 'C:\Users\John Smith'.
Portable Path
You can specify the disk by its volume name, like so:
=VolumeName:\folder1\folder2
Here VolumeName is volume name that you can set in volume properties in the Windows Explorer.
Use it to designate removable volumes that can be mounted to different disk letters.
Computer Specific Path
You can specify the path that works only on designated computer, like so:
\\=ComputerName\x:\folder1\folder2
This path will only be found on computer named ComputerName.
Use computer specific paths in GoodSync2Go, where the same jobs will run on different computers and
you want some jobs to run only on specific computers, not on all computers.
Compress Files in NTFS
You can compress and uncompress files using Windows NTFS compression ability.
GoodSync will compress files on the side where Compress in NTFS option is specified.
GoodSync will uncompress files on the side where Uncompress in NTFS option is specified.
Music and Media Players
You can also sync with Music and Media Players that show themselves as
a Portable Disk using USB Mass Storage Devices interface.
Such devices will also appear in My Computer tab.
Mac File System (Mac only)
Mac disks available directly on this computer (available only in MacOS).
Official URL: file:///folder1/file2.ext, example: file:///home/user/my-notes.txt
Display URL or Mac folder path: /folder1/files2.ext, example: /home/user/my-notes.txt
GoodSync Connect (GSTP protocol)
Remote GoodSync server, accessed via GoodSync Connect or directly, using GSTP protocol.
Secure Communication (SSL) prefix: gstps://
Plain-text prefix: gstp:// -- has been mostly removed, available only in direct addressing.
URL format, for mediated servers: gstps://server.user.goodsync/folder1/folder2
URL format, direct addressing: gstps://server.company.goodsync[:port]/folder1/folder2
UserID and Password are always required.
These credentials are created by you when you install GoodSync and setup GoodSync Connect.
GSTP has two addressing schemes:
(1) Mediated Addressing, where GoodSync servers can have dynamic IP addresses which are being tracked by GoodSync Mediator.
Format of the URL is gstp://computerid.userid.goodsync.
Presence of virtual top level domain .goodsync tells GoodSync to lookup real computer IP address via GoodSync Mediator.
Each GoodSync Server checks in to Mediator every several minutes to tell it what IP address it has now.
If there is no direct connection from GS Client to GS Server, then intermediate Forwarder server is used.
(2) Direct Addressing: IP name or IP address, resolved using traditional DNS.
Examples: gstp://server.domain.com or gstp://192.168.1.12
GoodSync RealDisk Online Storage
Remote GoodSync RealDisk online storage server, accessed via GoodSync Connect protocol.
Secure Communication (SSL) prefix: gstore://
This FS has one central Virtual Server, so you need to enter only credentials of your GoodSync Account abd they are prefilled for your main account.
Windows Net Shares (SMB) Sib-Client (all OSes, Ver >= 11)
Windows Net Shares (remotely mounted disk volumes on SMB server) connected thru our own implementation of SMB client.
Official URL: smbd://server/share/folder1 example: smbd://server/share/folder1
Display URL = Windows UNC path \\server\share\folder1 , example: \\server\share\folder1
We use much better combination of discovery protocols than Windows 10, so you will see a lot more SMB servers than Windows Network shows you.
If a Server or a Share need credentials, they will be requested in popup dialog. Enter UserID and Password if credentials are requested.
Note that Sib-SMB-Client disregards authentication data saved (often incorrectly) by Windows. So each Server must have its credentials entered explicitly. This results in predictable and portable SMB client that works in the same way on all computers.
Windows Net Shares OS-client (SMB) (Windows only, up to Ver 10)
Windows Net Shares (remotely mounted disk volumes on SMB server) available through Microsoft networking.
Official URL: smb://server/share/folder1 example: smb://server/share/folder1
Display URL = Windows UNC path \\server\share\folder1 , example: \\server\share\folder1
List of available network shares is shown, then you can drill down to the sync folder.
Enter UserID and Password if your share is password-protected by UserID and Password that is different from UserID and Password of the Windows account you are logged in to.
Note that once you logged in to Share, Windows will cache authentication data. So if authentication data changes on server, you must Logout and then Login to you account on the client to make Windows use new authentication data.
Apple Filing Protocol (AFP) (Mac only)
Apple remote disks available via AFP protocol.
Official URL: afp://server/share/folder1
Display URL is the same as Official URL.
List of available network shares is shown, then you can drill down to the sync folder.
Enter UserID and Password if your share is password-protected and you do not want to answer system prompts to enter share credentials.
Windows shares will also be shown under a separate handling, as MacOS has native facilities for discovering and presenting Windows shares.
Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) [Windows only, Ver 10 and higher]
MTP devices, usually connected via USB.
Plain-text prefix only: mtp://
URL format: mtp://Apple_iPhone/Device/Internal Storage
Device should be physically connected to the computer, usually it is plugged into USB port.
Google Drive [Ver 10 and higher]
Google Drive server, API ver 3.
Secure prefix only: gdrive://
URL format: gdrive://www.googleapis.com/my-folder/my-file.zip
OAuth2 authentication.
To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
Google then will ask you in your default browser whether you allow GoodSync to access it.
You should approve it and then GoodSync will be able to sync with your Google Drive.
Google Files Only.
This file system shows only actual files.
For Google Docs it shows .url file that leads to the doc, as recommended by Google.
Google Team Drive [Ver 11 and higher]
Google Team Drive server.
Secure prefix only: gteamdrive://
URL format: gteamdrive://www.googleapis.com/my-folder/my-word.doc
OAuth2 authentication.
To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
Google then will ask you in your default browser whether you allow GoodSync to access it.
You should approve it and then GoodSync will be able to sync with your Google Drive.
Google Team Files only.
This file system shows files from Google Team Drive.
Google Docs [Ver 10 and higher]
Google Docs server.
Secure prefix only: gdocs3://
URL format: gdocs3://www.googleapis.com/my-folder/my-word.doc
OAuth2 authentication.
To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
Google then will ask you in your default browser whether you allow GoodSync to access it.
You should approve it and then GoodSync will be able to sync with your Google Drive.
Google Docs only.
This file system shows Google Docs only, not Google Drive files.
Google Doc is a document that exists only on Google servers (usually Word and Excel documents).
Google Docs cannot be Uploaded and Downloaded.
They only can be Exported and Imported, each time producing a slightly different result.
Google Docs file system implements Upload as Export, Download as Import.
Also file size is not known for Google Docs, so we show it as (Unknown).
Amazon S3
Amazon S3 server.
Plain-text prefix: s3://
Secure (SSL) prefix: s3s://
URL format: s3[s]://s3.amazonaws.com/bucket/folder
AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key are always required, entered in Browse dialog
Put your AWS Bucket Name into the top folder of the URL, like so:
s3://s3.amazonaws.com/bucket/folder
S3 Storage Model in GoodSync:
S3 does not have a notion of folders and files,
they have buckets, keys and values.
Therefore folders and files model has to be translated to buckets,
keys and values model and different programs do it in a different way.
GoodSync model is rather straightforward:
(i) folder is a key whose name is folder path that ends with '/' and content is empty.
(ii) file is a key whose name is path of the file and content is content of the file.
(iii) bucket is top level folder.
GoodSync and other S3 clients.
While our model is most obvious and rational,
folders and files that GoodSync create may be not recognized by
other S3 client programs that use different model.
Therefore you should create and use folders only with GoodSync and
other programs that support the same model.
Host-based Addressing for Buckets: option
If checked then use host-based addressing for buckets.
Must be checked for buckets hosted in Europe or Japan.
Host-based bucket names may contain only lower case latin letters and digits.
If unchecked then use URL-based addressing for buckets.
S3 hosts
S3 used to have one main host: s3.amazonaws.com.
Not anymore. Now Amazon has several 'super-hosts' based on the region,
but GoodSync finds out which host to use automatically, by asking main S3 server.
Which means that only the main server appears in the URL, per tradition.
Bucket Naming rules
These rules must be followed:
(i) In host-based addressing (option under Browse -> Advanced) bucket names must be lower case and
they can consist only of letters and digits. No upper case of mixed case bucket names are allowed.
(ii) In URL-based addressing (host-based addressing is Off) bucket names can be mixed-case.
(iii) URL-based addressing must NOT be used, except for really old legacy cases.
(iv) You CANNOT use bucket name in host name like so: s3://bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/folder.
Reduced Redundancy (ver 9 and up)
If checked then use bucket with reduced redundancy that is also cheaper.
If unchecked then use regular high-redundancy expensive buckets.
Server Side Encryption (ver 9 and up)
If checked then encrypt files on the Amazon S3 server using S3 mechanism.
If unchecked then store files un-encrypted.
Access Control (empty by default)
Amazon S3 Access Control Policy, can be one of Canned Access Policies:
private (default), public-read, public-read-write, authenticated-read.
All uploaded files are uploaded with the specified policy.
Amazon Cloud Drive [Ver 10 and higher]
Amazon Cloud Drive (ACD).
Naming convention: URL with amazoncd:// prefix,
example: amazoncd://drive.amazonaws.com/folder
DISCONTINUED: Discontinued by Amazon, as of Aug 2019.
Dropbox [Ver 10 and higher]
Dropbox Online storage.
Secure prefix only: dropbox://
URL format: dropbox://api.dropbox.com/folder
OAuth2 authentication.
To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
Dropbox then will ask you in your default browser whether you allow GoodSync to access it.
You should approve it and then GoodSync will be able to sync with your Dropbox.
Box.com [Ver 10 and higher]
Box.com online storage.
Secure prefix only: box://
URL format: box://api.box.com/my-folder/my-file.txt
OAuth2 authentication.
To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
Box.com then will ask you in your default browser whether you allow GoodSync to access it.
You should approve it and then GoodSync will be able to sync with your Box.Com.
Backblaze B2 [Ver 10 and higher]
Backblaze B2 online storage.
Secure prefix only: backblaze://
URL format: backblaze://api.backblazeb2.com/my-folder/my-file.txt
This is a single-server file system, click Servers to see the name of this server.
This file system is somewhat similar to Amazon S3.
MSgraph: OneDrive Office SharePoint [Ver 10 and higher]
OneDrive/Office365/SharePoint by Microsoft.
Secure prefix only: msgraph://
URL format: msgraph://api.onedrive.com/folder
Replaces SkyDrive, OneDrive, Office 365, SharePoint file systems.
OAuth2 authentication.
Authorizing GoodSync to access your OneDrive / Office 365 / SharePoint account (OAuth2):
* To enter credentials in Browse dialog you should simply click Go button.
* Your default browser will open, and you must login into your Microsoft account
(if you were logged in into another account, log out from the old account first).
* Microsoft web page will ask you whether you want GoodSync to access OneFile / Office files. Answer Yes.
* Browser will say: Access granted. You can return to GoodSync now.
* Return to GoodSync Browse dialog and drill down to your folder in OneFile.
Rate Limit Errors.
Old msdrive:// file system (msgraph:// is not affected yet):
Be aware that Office365 servers may be unavailable for many hours per day,
due to Microsoft servers being overloaded or simply broken.
You would see it as 'Rate Limit Error, status code 429'.
SharePoint 2013 [Ver 10 and higher]
SharePoint 2013 by Microsoft.
Secure prefix only: sharepoint://
URL format: sharepoint://xxx.sharepoint.com/folder
DISCONTINUED: SharePoint 2013 is now integrated into Microsoft graph.
Microsoft Azure Blobs
Windows Azure Blob server.
Plain-text prefix: azures://
Secure (SSL) prefix: azures://
URL format: azures://account-id.blob.core.windows.net/folder
This is a single-server file system, click Servers to see the name of this server.
This file system is similar to Amazon S3.
Microsoft Azure Files [Ver 10 and higher]
Windows Azure File server.
Secure (SSL) prefix: azurefiles://
URL format: azurefiles://account-id.blob.core.windows.net/folder
This is a single-server file system, click Servers to see the name of this server.
Secure FTP (SFTP)
Remote SSH server with SFTP capability.
Secure prefix only: sftp://
URL format: sftp://server.domain.com[:port]/folder1/folder2
Works only with SSH-2 servers, not with SSH-1 servers.
Authentication data is always required, and it comes in two different varieties:
* UserID + Password.
UserID and Password are required to log in.
* UserID + Private Key File ( + Password ).
Private Key File is a small (1-2 Kb) file that contains
the "private key" part of the Public - Private Key Pair.
The Public Key is located on the server and only server administrator can put it there.
Private Key may additionally be protected by a password.
Enter this password into the Browse dialog or
use private key caching program such as Pageant.
Private Key format: We accept private key files in OpenSSH and PuTTY formats. PuTTY format looks something like this:
Secure mode (Always On)
In SFTP protocol all communication is encrypted.
UTF-8 file name encoding.
SFTP is a byte protocol too, so encoding non-ASCII (non-latin) characters has the same issues as FTP.
In this option you can select ANSI or UTF-8 encoding.
UTF-8 encoding is recommended and is the default.
See FTP for more details.
Private Key.
See explanation above.
FTP
Remote FTP server.
Plain-text prefix: ftp://
Secure (SSL) prefix: ftps://
URL format: ftp[s]://server.domain.com[:port]/folder1/folder2
UserID and Password are usually required and specified in Browse dialog fields.
If UserID and Password are empty, GoodSync uses UserID "anonymous" and Password "gsuser@someplace.com"
Secure mode (FTPS): Explicit and Implicit
By default your UserID, Password and data are not encrypted when transferred between your client and FTP server.
However if your FTP server supports FTPS (FTP over SSL) then you can encrypt your FTP transfer.
Check Secure Mode box under Browse button and URL prefix will change from ftp:// to ftps://
which means that GoodSync will try to establish encrypted FTPS connection to the FTP server.
FTPS has two modes: Explicit and Implicit.
Explicit is the default and recommended mode.
In Explicit mode GoodSync negotiates with the server about what encryption to use.
In Implicit mode the connection to server is open in SSL mode right away (on port 990) without any negotiation.
Active Mode or Passive Mode.
By default GoodSync uses Passive FTP mode when connecting,
because in this mode no data connections from server to client are
required and these connections are not allowed by most firewalls.
Check Active Mode box only if Passive mode connection is not allowed by server and
if you firewalls allow servers to initiate FTP data connection to the client.
Implicit FTPS.
See Secure Mode explanation.
Use MDTM to get Exact File Modification Time.
By default GoodSync gets file modification time from file listing.
In this listing file modification time will be rounded to the nearest minute or even day and this may create fake changes.
If MDTM (GET) command is available, then GoodSync can get exact down-to-the-second file modification time, but Analyze will take more time.
If MDTM (SET) command is available, then GoodSync will use it to set correct file modification time on server.
Note that newer MFMT is used instead of MDTM set command, if available on server.
WebDAV
Remote WebDAV server.
Plain-text prefix: http://
Secure (SSL) prefix: https://
URL format: http[s]://server.domain.com[:port]/folder1/folder2
UserID and Password are always required, specified in Browse dialog fields
DAV is an upload-enabled extension of HTTP protocol.
Some folders on the server may be HTTP only and some folders will allow DAV uploads. This means that you must type the full path to your DAV folder, you cannot type in just server name, click Go and drill down to the DAV folder. This happens because top folder of the HTTP server is usually not DAV enabled and it will not list folders inside it for security reasons.
If you are given only HTTP read access to folder and no DAV access then you can see this folder in a browser, but you cannot see or modify it in GoodSync DAV.
OneFile [Ver 10 and higher]
Tree of folders and files stored in one file, with compression and encryption.
onefile:// prefix in URL
URL format: onefile://D:|test|DirFileA.ofz
Here D:|test|DirFileA.ofz represents local file D:/test/DirFileA.ofz to which entire folder is compressed/encrypted.
Password specified in connection options is used to encrypt file using AES (if not empty).
File is initially read, decrypted, uncompressed.
All file operations are performed in memory.
When connection closes, file is compressed, encrypted, written to disk.
So encryption is not block oriented and applied after compression, therefore it is very good.
Available in GoodSync ver 9 as a Beta for Ver 10.
Common File System Options
These options appear in most network-based file systems.
Secure mode SSL. (Off by default, except where required)
By default your UserID, Password and data are not encrypted when transferred between your client and DAV server.
However if your server supports SSL protocol (most do) then
check Secure Mode box under Browse button and URL prefix will change from http:// to https:// (or from ftp:// to ftps://, etc)
which means that GoodSync will establish encrypted SSL connection to the server.
Do not Check SSL server certificates. (On by default)
If Secure Mode is ON and this checkbox is un-checked then
GoodSync will check SSL server certificate:
that certificate is on a trust chain that starts with known Certificate Authority,
that certificate is not expired,
that sever name (common name) in the certificate is exactly the same as server name you are connecting to.
If this box is checked then none of these checks are performed.
Check the box if you are using self-signed certificate or
care only about encryption and not about verification of the server identity.
UTF-8 file name encoding. (On by default)
Network protocols are byte protocol, so encoding non-ASCII (non-latin) characters can be done in several different ways.
An original way to encode was ANSI encoding, where ASCII codes from 128 to 255 were used to encode accented characters.
A better, more modern way is to use UTF-8 encoding that can encode any UNICODE character.
Unlike ANSI encoding, UTF-8 encoding does not depend on any off-the-books agreement between client and server.
If checked then use UTF-8 encoding for file and folder names.
If un-checked then use ANSI encoding, language of the encoding being the language of this computer.
Connect Via Proxy. (On by default)
If this box is checked then GoodSync will connect to the server
via HTTP-style proxy specified in Tools -> Program Options -> Connections.
Client Certificate. (Off by default)
If file path is specified, use private certificate from this file to authenticate SSL session.
This option works only for file systems that can do SSL connections and
that allow placing SSL certificate on the server, namely GSTP and WebDAV.
Job Options
Each Job has a set of options that modify the behavior of synchronization algorithm for this job.
General tab
Job Type
Job type can be one of the three choices below.
- Synchronize 2-Way (default)
- Propagate changes from Left to Right and from Right to Left.
- Backup Left to Right (1-way)
- Propagate changes only from the Left sync folder to the Right sync folder.
- Backup Right to Left (1-way)
- Propagate changes only from the Right sync folder to the Left sync folder.
Propagate Deletions (checked by default)
If checked, then deletion made by user on one side of the job is propagated to the other side.
If not checked, then deletions are not propagated, only changed files are propagated.
This modifier applies only to 1-way jobs.
Create left/right Sync folders if they are not found (off by default)
If checked then GoodSync will create left/right sync folders if they are not present.
If not checked, then
error message will be shown on Analyze if sync folders are not present.
Save deleted/replaced files, last version only (checked by default)
If checked, then GoodSync saves a file just before replacing this file with a newer version or deleting this file.
The file is saved to _gsdata_\_saved_ folder on the side of the job
where the replacement/deletion is about to occur.
Only the most recent version of the file (the one just before the current version) is retained.
Note that _gsdata_ is a hidden folder, so you must check Show Hidden Files option
in Windows Explorer if you want to see contents of this folder.
If not checked then the replaced/deleted files are removed once and for all.
Cleanup _saved_ folder after this many days (checked by default, 30 days)
If checked then remove files that were saved to _gsdata_\_saved_ folder,
after they spent there the specified number of days or more.
Cleanup occurs immediately after Sync.
If not checked, then keep files in _gsdata_\_saved_ folder forever.
When job log cleanup process is started, complete rules:
- Cleanup happens after every Sync, never after Analyze.
Save deleted/replaced files, multiple version (off by default)
If checked, then GoodSync saves a file just before it rewrites or deletes this file.
The file is saved to _gsdata_\_history_ folder on the side of the job
where the replacement/deletion is about to occur.
Timestamp is added to file name before its extension, so that multiple versions of the file can be saved.
Directory structure is preserved.
This option cannot be used together with 'Save deleted/replaced files, last version only' option.
Cleanup _history_ folder after this many days (off by default, 30 days)
If checked then remove files that were saved to _gsdata_\_history_ folder,
after they spent there the specified number of days or more.
Cleanup occurs immediately after every Sync.
If not checked, then keep files in _gsdata_\_history_ folder forever.
Total Seconds for Reconnect Attempts (120 by default)
Total seconds allowed for Reconnect attempts,
when file system disconnects or returns connection errors.
Successful file operation after Reconnect causes the reconnect counter to be reset.
If file operation fails after this many seconds of retries,
the file system is declared disconnected and the entire job fails.
Run parallel Threads in Sync (No by default)
If checked then run main pass of Sync in this many parallel threads.
Using this option speeds up file transfer for remote servers that have high latency.
It does not increase speed, if your connection bandwidth is used up by a single-thread sync.
If empty or 1 then run sync in one sequential thread.
Examples of when it helps: many small files uploading to FTP or SFTP server.
Example of when it does not help: several large files uploaded to GSTP or S3 or FTP server.
File Copy Speed Limit in KBytes/sec (0 by default)
If not zero, then limit file copy speed by the speed in KBytes/sec specified in this option.
When average file copy speed in Sync exceeds the specified threshold,
GoodSync suspends (sleeps) jobs for 1 second until
the effective average speed falls below the limit.
100 KBytes/sec is equal to approx 1 Mbit/sec.
Max Time To Run (min) (No Limit by default)
If checked and not zero then limit duration of this Job run to the specified number of minutes.
Analyze, Sync, or Analyze + Sync are limited by the specified number of minutes.
Both manual and Auto runs are subject to this limit, if specified.
Shutdown After Job Finished (Off by default)
If checked then GoodSync will shutdown this Computer after this Job has finished Sync with no errors.
Both manual and Auto job runs are subject to this option, is specified.
You want to have this option only on one job -- the last jobs run in a day, by On Schedule.
Display Balloon messages
This option controls whether and when balloon (system tray) messages are displayed.
- Never
- Do not display balloon messages.
- On Conflicts and Errors (default)
- Display balloon messages only when Conflicts or Errors are detected during Analyze or Sync.
- On Changes and Sync
- Display balloon messages when Analyze detects Changes, Conflicts or Errors.
Filters tab
Exclude (empty by default)
Files and folders that match any line on this list, will be excluded from synchronization.
Details are provided in the Exclude Filters Section.
Include (empty by default)
If not empty then only files and folders whose names match
one of the lines of this Include list and
do not match any lines of the Exclude list,
are included in synchronization.
Details are provided in the Include Filters Section.
It is recommended for the set of inclusions and exclusions to be the same for all jobs that sync with one particular folder. Keeping them different is possible but it is likely to cause confusion as some jobs will not sync files that other jobs would sync.
Exclude Empty Folders (un-checked by default)
If checked then exclude folders that are empty or that contain only empty folders.
Folder are considered empty if they contain no files
or if they contain only files that were excluded by Filters.
Exclude Hidden Files and Folders (checked by default)
Exclude files and folders that have HIDDEN attribute.
Exclude System Files and Folders (checked by default)
Exclude files and folders that have SYSTEM attribute.
Exclude Temporary Files and Folders (checked by default)
Exclude files and folders that are located in your OS user temporary folder:
Windows: C:/Users/UserName/Local/Temp C:/Users/UserName/LocalLow/Temp C:/Windows/Temp
MacOS and Linux: /tmp /usr/tmp /var/tmp
Auto tab
Analyze and Sync can be made to run automatically by using this tab.
If a trigger is checked then Analyze and Sync for this Job will run when trigger condition is satisfied.
One or more triggers may be checked to cause automatic Analyze and/or Sync of the job:
On File Change
Analyze and Sync this job when any file changes in left or right sync folder or its sub-folder.
Our new Real Time Sync mechanism performs On File Change synchronization:
- It Monitors file system for changes,
- It Analyzes only files that were reported changed by file system, no full Analyze.
- It Syncs only files that have changed.
- Full Analyze is performed only on the first iteration of Real Time Sync.
These files systems can do file monitoring, so they can do On File Change Real Time Sync:
- Windows File System, local disks, except root folder.
- Windows shares, except some broken NAS shares that do not report changes.
- Mac file system, local disks.
- Any of the above file systems, remotely accessed via GSTP protocol used in GS Connect.
None of traditional server file systems can be monitored: FTP, SFTP, S3, SkyDrive, etc.
- If only one side of the job can be monitored, then GS will get changes only from one side.
On File Change Delay option:
If not zero then GoodSync will wait this many seconds since the last change detected by On File Change,
before starting the Analyze and Sync.
Note that if you had several changes, the delay countdown will start with the last change that was detected.
We recommend to set it to at least 20 seconds,
so that GoodSync does not start syncing until files were stable for at least 2 minutes.
Maximum possible value of this Delay is 300 sec (5 min).
Things to know:
- If changes occur during Analyze/Sync, they are still detected and sent to the next Analyze.
- If these changes are result of our own sync, they will produce no new changes to be synced.
- On File Change initiates Analyze and Sync, which results in locking of sync folder by GS lock files.
- GoodSync checks for new changes approximately every 3 seconds, this time quant is configurable.
- If changes keep on coming, then Sync will start after 5 minutes of non-stop changes, even with Delay option.
On Folders Connect
Analyze and Sync this job when both folders of the job become
connected, after they were previously disconnected.
GoodSync checks every 3 minutes for status of left and right folders for a job with this option.
The following events speed up detection of connected/disconnected status:
* Insertion or Ejection of Portable Volume: detachable folders may connect or disconnect.
* Network Connect or Disconnect: FTP, SFTP, DAV folders may connect or disconnect.
* Windows Mobile device (phone) Connect or Disconnect.
Should not be used together with On File Change mode, as On File Change overrides it.
On GoodSync start
Analyze and Sync this job when GoodSync starts.
You can also specify delay in seconds:
when GoodSync starts, it will wait this many seconds before starting this job.
Should not be used together with On File Change mode, as OFC overrides it.
Does not work in Unattended mode, as GoodSync Runner always runs.
Periodically (On Timer)
Analyze and Sync this job periodically, every HH hours and MM minutes.
Can be used together with On File Change mode, if you desire a Full Analyze from time to time.
If GoodSync is close and reopened, it still memorizes Last Run Time of the job in registry.
On Logoff
Analyze and Sync this job just before Logoff from Windows.
Note that Windows may try to kill GoodSync on Logoff.
Normally Windows sees that GoodSync is performing file operations
and responds to messages and it would let GoodSync finish.
However this cannot be guaranteed.
Does not work in Unattended mode, as GoodSync Runner runs outside of user space.
On Schedule
Analyze and Sync this job periodically, on a Schedule set by Configure button.
Schedule causes running of the job when all specified time unit values match current time.
These time unit values can be specified:
- Minute (0 to 59),
- Hour (0 to 23),
- Day of Month (1 to 31),
- Month (1 to 12),
- Day of Week (0=Sun to 6=Sat)
Empty time unit value means that this time unit is not fixed in the schedule.
n1-n2 range matches range of values from n1 to n2.
n1-n2/n3 stepped range matches range n1 to n2 with step n3.
A list of values or stepped value ranges can be specified for each time unit, separated by comma.
Example 1: Minute=15 Hour=03 Month=3-10/3 DayOfWeek=1,3,5
will run job at 03:15 AM every Mon, Wed, Fri in Mar, June, Sept.
Example 2: Minute=02, Hour=04, DayOfWeek=1,3,5
means that job will be run at 04:02 AM every Monday, Wed and Friday.
If your computer goes to Sleep/Standby then GoodSync can wake it up for the On Schedule job, given that 'Control Panel -> Power Options -> Change Plan Settings -> Change Advanced Power Settings -> Sleep -> Allow Wake Timers' is enabled. Note that setting is usually disabled on notebooks.
Run without User Interface (Unattended)
This option applies to *all* Auto modes, except for On Start and On Logoff.
If checked, then this job will run in GoodSync Runner Service, without User Interface.
So the job will auto-start and run even when you are logged off.
If GoodSync GUI is running, it will report on status of Unattended job,
but you will not see sync tree, nor will you be able to change sync direction.
- Windows Account password will be requested when you setup GoodSync, right after install.
Do enter it, as GoodSync Runner will need it to access your files and not get Access Denied.
If your Windows Account does not have password, create one, Service will not start without a password.
- To see logs of jobs run in Unattended mode by Runner use Job -> Open Left/Right Log Files.
Misc Auto Options
Option: Do Not Sync if too many files changed (50% by default)
Automated Sync is not performed if more than
the specified (in percent) fraction of files in the Job has changed.
Unusually high number of changed files indicates that
something may be wrong and manual intervention is required.
Set to 100% to Sync no matter how big the changes are.
This option applies both to 1-way and 2-way jobs.
Option: Automatically Resolve Conflicts
When job is about to be Synced automatically,
use this option to automatically resolve conflicts:
- Do Not Copy (default value)
- Leave Conflicts in unresolved (Do Not Copy) state.
- Left to Right
- Resolve to Left to Right propagation.
- Right to Left
- Resolve to Right to Left propagation.
- Newer File Wins
- File with the most recent modification date wins.
- Stop Sync
- Stop Sync when Conflict is detected.
You must not use this option for backup jobs, use 1-way job instead:
Backup job must be 1-way job, not 2 way job with AutoResolve conflicts.
Option: Conflict Resolution: Rename Losing File, Not Delete
If Automatically Resolve Conflicts option is enabled then
do not delete file that loses as a result of conflict resolution.
Instead rename it to 'FileName (Conflicted Copy from COMPUTER on DATE).ext'.
Note however that if winning side of the conflict deletes file and this option is enabled then both files remain the same. If we renamed the file to '(Conflicted Copy)' then we would get no file on winning side and renamed file on losing side, so after 2nd sync files will become the same, only now renamed. Instead we just let them remain the same, without renaming.
Wait for Locks to clear (checked by default)
If checked then auto jobs wait for lock files to clear instead of producing an error.
Lock file is present in the sync folder when a Sync is running in this folder.
This way two GoodSync on different computers cannot sync to the same folder at the same time, to avoid data corruption.
If not checked then presence of lock file in sync folder produces error.
You can also specify length of waiting in minutes. Zero means default value of 20 minutes.
Option: Auto Clear on Sync or Analyze with no changes (un-checked by default)
If checked, then
GoodSync automatically deletes the Changes tree after successful Sync or
after Analyze that did not detect any changes.
Deleting big Changes tree allows you to save memory.
You will not be able to see sync results after Changes tree has been deleted,
because the changes are stored in the tree,
but you will be able to check sync log and see what has been done.
Attended Auto Options work Only if GoodSync Runs
GoodSync must be running for job to be started by Auto mode
when Unattended option is not checked.
You can turn on these global program options to keep GoodSync GUI running:
- Start GoodSync when Windows starts.
- Hide to System Tray when Main Window is closed.
Unattended mode jobs will run even if GoodSync GUI does not run.
Job Scheduling Rules
- Each event that has just occurred flags the job as ready-to-run.
- Ready-to-run jobs are run from left to right, sequentially, until all ready-to-run jobs have been run.
- If several jobs do not intersect by their sync folders, they can be auto-run in parallel,
up to value of Auto Job to Run in Parallel option, in Tools -> Program Options.
- If job is ready-to-run and another trigger event occurs for the same job then this 2nd event is ignored.
- Full GUI GoodSync process runs all jobs in Attended mode.
- GoodSync Runner Service runs all jobs in UnAttended mode.
Auto Trigger Priority
The new On File Change (OFC) mode overrides most other Auto triggers:
- On GoodSync Start: OFC does full analyze on start already.
- On Folder Connect: OFC will retry job after connection has been lost.
- On Logoff: if files are in sync all the time, there is no need to sync them on logoff.
In general, triggers are checked in the order they appear in the Auto trigger list:
- If On File Change runs then only On Timer and On Schedule triggers can be effective.
- All other triggers (except OFC) can appear together, one does not exclude the other.
- If one trigger has scheduled a job to start then the other triggers cannot schedule it.
- If a job is running already, then auto triggers cannot start it.
Scripts tab
Option: Pre Analyze E-Mail or Program
If the option is not empty, then take the action specified in it, just before Analyze begins.
Use this option to connect your folders (say, start VPN) or to otherwise prepare for Analyze.
If the program returns non-zero return code or fails then do not start Analyze.
If the program succeeds and returns zero return code, then proceed with Analyze.
Option: Post Analyze (No Changes) E-Mail or Program
If the option is not empty, then take the action specified in it, just after Analyze finishes.
Action is taken only if Analyze finishes with No Changes and Sync will not occur after Analyze.
Use this option to take a custom action after Analyze With No Changes, such as disconnecting your VPN.
Option: Post Sync E-Mail or Program
If the option is not empty, then take the action specified in it, just after Sync finishes.
Action is take when Sync finishes, and Sync follows Analyze that detected Changes.
So either Analyze With no Changes or Sync With Changes will happen, but not both of them.
Use this option to take custom action after Sync, such as notifying system administrator.
Scripts: Sending Emails
If the Scripts option value contains '@', then GoodSync sends e-mail to address(es) specified in the option.
Multiple email addresses must be separated by comma or semicolon: user1@server.com; user2@hotmail.com
If just emails are specified then default email text is sent.
To specify your own custom email, put its text after ':' that follows email addresses like so:
[noattach: ] [errors: ] email-addr-1 [, ..., email-addr-N] [: email-text-with-parameters]
Example:
noattach: user@siber.com: Synced %SYNCOK% items, changed items were %CHANGED%
Here 'noattach" ' specifies that:
sync log must not be attached to email,
that email will be sent to user@siber.com,
that email will contain parameters %SYNCOK% (number of files/folders synced OK) and %CHANGED% (number of changed items synced OK).
Scripts: Calling Programs
If the Scripts option value contains no '@', then GoodSync
runs the program specified in the option and arguments passed to this program:
program-name %ARG1% %ARG2% %ARG3% ...
where arguments can be one of the following (all variable names are case-sensitive):
| %JOBNAME% | job name |
| %RESULT% | Result: "" for OK or "terminal error message" |
| %LOGPATH% | Log file path in "..." |
| %LF% | Left folder path in "..." |
| %LF_ACT% | Resolved (=VolumeName\folder -> f:\folder) Left folder path in "..." |
| %RF% | Right folder path in "..." |
| %RF_ACT% | Resolved (=VolumeName\folder -> f:\folder) Right folder path in "..." |
| %CHANGED% | Number of Changed Items in Post-Analyze |
| %ERRORS% | Number of Errors in Post-Analyze or Post-Sync |
| %CONFLICTS% | Number of Conflicts in Post-Analyze or Post-Sync |
| %SYNCOK% | Number of Synced-OK items in Post-Sync |
| %TSTART% | Time when Job started |
| %TFINISH% | Time when Job finished |
| %TELAPSED% | Elapsed Job time, in minutes, from Start to Finish |
Program-name can be .BAT file, .EXE file or any executable file.
If program-name is not absolute, it should be on your executable PATH.
If program name contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes like so:
"C:\Documents and Settings\John Smith\My Documents\myscript.vbs"
Program name may contain %GSDISK% variable replaced with the disk GoodSync was started from, like so:
"%GSDISK%\folder1\folder2\program.bat"
if you want to start this program from the disk on which GoodSync2Go resides.
Example: call Notepad to show log file:
notepad %LOGPATH%
GoodSync waits for the program to finish before proceeding.
However, if program name is prefixed with "nowait: ", then GS does not wait.
If program name is prefixed with "errors: ", then it is started only if:
- Terminal Errors occurred in Analyze or Sync, OR
- Non-Terminal Errors occurred in Analyze or Sync, OR
- Conflicts occurred in Analyze.
Advanced tab
Sync-time Options
Advice on what to check and what not: FAQ on What To Sync
Copy File Creation Time (un-checked by default)
If checked then copy Creation Time of the file or folder, in addition to copying Modification Time.
If unchecked then copy only file/folder Modification Time.
Copy original file system names (Mac only, un-checked by default)
If checked then Copy original file system names, even if they differ only in name case between sides.
If unchecked then Copy/Rename files with the same content, only if file name changed in case-insensitive way.
Copy Attributes (Windows only, checked by default)
If checked then copy file/folder Attributes (ReadOnly, Hidden, System) when it is being copied by GoodSync.
If not checked then Normal Attribute is assigned to copied files.
Copy Permissions (Mac and Unix only, checked by default)
If checked then copy Permissions (rwxrwxrwx) of the file or folder when it is being copied by GoodSync.
If not checked then default Permissions are assigned to copied files, see separate options for that.
Copy Owner (un-checked by default)
If checked then copy file/folder owner, when file is being copied.
If not checked then Current Owner is assigned to copied files.
Current Owner for Local Windows FS is the Windows user into which you are logged in now.
Current Owner for Local Mac FS is the Mac user into which you are logged in now.
Current Owner for GS Server is defined when you setup GoodSync Connect, in Configure Mac User page.
Copy ACL (un-checked by default)
If checked then copy file/folder Access Control List (ACL) when file is being copied.
If not checked then Empty ACL is assigned to copied files.
Copy Extended Attributes (Mac only, un-checked by default)
If checked then copy file/folder Extended Attributes (custom icons, Finder tags) when it is being copied.
If not checked then empty Extended Attributes are assigned to copied files.
Move Mode: Delete Source File after Copy
After file is copied from source folder to destination folder, delete it.
This is equivalent to Moving file from source to destination.
Works only for 1-way jobs.
To be used only by advanced users.
Move Mode: Delete Empty Folders after Copy
After 'Move Mode: Delete Source File after Copy' did its work,
also delete folder if it became empty.
To be used only by advanced users.
Copy Locked Files (checked by default)
If On then copy from locked files using Volume Shadow Service (VSS).
If Off then return Cannot Copy Locked File error for locked files.
Available on Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 and later.
Does not work in GoodSync2Go, must have installed GoodSync.
GoodSync can copy only FROM a locked file and never TO a locked file.
GoodSync can copy only from locked file on local disk, never from a network-mounted locked file.
Uber-Unlocked Mode (un-checked by default)
If checked then Source files may be deleted or moved during upload, as GoodSync does not lock them in any way during upload.
Also GoodSync would notice right away that such deletion/move have occurred and it will not continue uploading deleted file.
If un-checked then use operating system unlocked mode for uploads, but this mode still locks source files against move or delete.
Even if OS appears to allow you to delete/move the source file, GoodSync will continue uploading the file, and
only when GoodSync finishes, the file will actually be deleted.
Analyze-time Options
Compare Checksums of All Files (slow) (un-checked by default)
If checked then compare MD5 checksum of all files on the Left and Right.
If MD5 checksum of the file differ whereas File Size and File Mod Time are the same, declare a conflict.
Also after Sync verify that checksum of copied file is the same on both sides.
If unchecked then file is considered to be changed if its File Size or File Mod Time have changed.
Detect File and Folder Moves and Renames (checked by default)
If checked then detect file and folder Move or Rename and execute them as such and not as Copy New File + Delete Old file.
Folder move is detected when all files inside the folder are moved to the same destination folder.
Note that if a folder contains two or more files that are exactly the same per file size and file mod time,
then rename/move of such files or their parent folders cannot be detected.
If un-checked then Moves/Renames are not detected and all file sync operations are Copy File or Delete File.
Estimate disk space required for Sync (checked by default)
If checked then Compute how much free disk space is needed to complete the Sync.
Keep it On for jobs that write to drives with limited free space.
Turn it Off for jobs that are unlikely to overflow disks, because free space is plentiful on both sides.
Symbolic Links Processing (Copy As Is by default)
This option determines how symbolic links to file and folders are processed.
* Ignore. Symlinks are ignored and not copied in any way.
* Copy As Is. Symlink to file/folder is copied as the same Symlink in the destination folder.
* Drill Down. Target file/folder of symbolic link is copied to the destination folder.
Windows: symbolic link itself knows whether it is to file or folder.
UNIX: symbolic link does not know whether it is to file or folder, so drilling to target is required to find out.
Left/Right Side Options
These are options specific to Left or Right sync folder, not to job as a whole.
That is, if Job A syncs folder X to folder Y and Job B syncs folder X to folder Z and
if you change Folder Options of folder X in Job A then
folder options of folder X in Job B will automatically change to the same values as in Job A.
Which effectively means that Folder Options are attached to a Folder, not a Job.
What Makes Files Differ
Compare Checksums when needed (slower) (un-checked by default)
If checked then compare MD5 checksum of Old to New file, when file size did not change but file mod time changed.
If MD5 checksum of the file differs whereas File Size and File Mod Time are the same, declare a conflict.
Also after Sync verify that checksum of copied file is the same on both sides.
If unchecked then file is considered to be changed if its File Size or File Mod Time have change.
Compare Attributes (Windows only, un-checked by default)
If checked then changes in file/folder Attributes are detected even when file body does not change.
If not checked then Attributes are copied only when changed file is copied.
Compare Permissions (Mac and Unix only, un-checked by default)
If checked then changes in file/folder Permissions are detected even when file body does not change.
If not checked then Permissions are copied only when changed file is copied.
Compare Owner (un-checked by default)
If checked then changes in File Owner are detected even when file body does not change.
If not checked then File Owner are copied only when file body has changed.
Compare ACL (un-checked by default)
If checked then changes in ACL are detected even when file body does not change.
If not checked then ACL is copied only when file body has changed.
Compare Extended Attributes (Mac only, un-checked by default)
If checked then changes in Extended Attributes are detected even when file body does not change.
If not checked then Extended Attributes are copied only when changed file is copied.
Exotic options (Do Not Change!)
These are options that you should not normally change.
No _gsdata_ folder here (un-checked by default)
If checked then do not create _GSDATA_ folder in the sync folder on Left/Right side of the job,
instead create _GSDATA_ folder in the GoodSync profile folder on this computer.
If not checked then create _GSDATA_ folder in the sync folder.
This option should be used only in situations where writing to sync folder is not possible or undesirable (read-only source side of 1-way job).
Use this option only for sync folders that are not synced with any other folder (by any other job on this or another computer).
Do Not List Folders During Analyze (un-checked by default, formerly Fast Pre-Analyze)
If checked then do not list folders to see what's in them during Analyze,
instead trust GoodSync state file to provide file listings.
If not checked, perform full Analyze, with listing all folders inside sync folder.
This option can be used if only GoodSync (not you and not other program)
changes files in folder and sub-folders on this side.
Do Not use this option unless you really KNOW what you are doing.
Safe Copy using temporary files (checked by default)
If checked, then Sync does not copy source file directly to the
destination file on this side, as it would result in corruption of destination file
is copy operation is aborted mid-way.
Instead Sync copies source file to temporary file in destination
folder and once copy operation is finished, temporary file is renamed
to the destination file.
You may uncheck this option if you are doing 1-way backups and
destination volume has small free space, so that keeping two copies
of one big file may overflow it.
This option is available only for file systems that do not have atomic upload
(atomic upload means that until upload is complete, interrupting will revert to previous version of a file).
Client Side Encryption options
These options control file name and file body encryption that GoodSync performs on client side, with key derived from password provided by you, so server has no way of decrypting your files.
Encrypt File Bodies and Names (un-checked by default)
If checked then Encrypt file bodies and names before uploading them to this Left/Right folder.
AES with 256-bit key is used for encryption, with all file blocks chained.
Random salt is applied, so different encryptions of the same file will produce different results.
Note 1: File size will increase by exactly 32 bytes.
Note 2: Encrypted file names are Base64-d to readable strings.
Note 3: This option would ignore up to 3 file names decrypted incorrectly.
Encryption Password (empty by default)
Password used to Encrypt File Bodies and/or Names.
You must memorize this password, or use RoboForm to store it in a Safenote.
Test Encryption
Click this button to Test Encryption of the Left/Right folder using Encryption Password you entered.
GoodSync will show you a list of decrypted file names and you should make sure that it is readable.
Then you know that you entered a correct Encryption Password.
Empty Sync Folder
Click this button to remove all contents of Left/Right folder, without trying to decrypt them.
This button must be used when you forgot Encryption Password and need to start from scratch.
Also use it when you change Encryption Password and need to re-encrypt the folder -- wipe it out before syncing to it with the new password.
More on Encryption and Decryption
This how to encrypt all files in a backup:
Assuming that Left folder of the job is Source of backup and Right folder of the job is destination,
this is what you should do to produce encrypted backup:
* Job -> Options -> Right Side: check Encrypt File Bodies and Names.
* Enter password that is complex, but you still can memorize it.
* Job -> Options -> Left Side: Encrypt File Bodies and Names remain un-checked.
* Encryption on backup happens when GoodSync copies files Left to Right.
* Decryption of restore happens when GoodSync copies files Right to Left.
If you change Encryption Password, Encrypt File Bodies or Encrypt File Names option,
use Empty Sync Folder button to delete all files on the side of the job where these options were changed
and then resync Encrypted Folder from the un-encrypted Source.
File Systems specific options
Compress (Windows only, un-checked by default)
If checked then Compress file bodies using file system facilities, if the other side is not compressed.
Works only in NTFS, compression will be done by Windows, Compressed attribute will be set.
Uncompress (Windows only, un-checked by default)
If checked then UnCompress file bodies using file system facilities, if the other side is compressed.
Works only in NTFS, compression will be done by Windows.
FAT file system that does not reveal itself (Windows only, un-checked by default)
If checked, use special time adjustment designed to neutralize FAT time storage problems.
If not checked and if FAT is not reported by FS, assume that file system stores file mod time in UTC.
Program Options
General tab
These global options apply to all jobs, to the entire GoodSync program.
They are called by Tools -> Program Options command or ALT+P on Windows.
On Mac they are called by 'GoodSync -> Preferences' or by pressing CMD+,
User Interface
Language (default: English)
Select user interface language for GoodSync.
You must restart GoodSync for the language change to become effective.
Supported languages are listed on the Translations Page.
Tree Display Density (Low by default) [ver 10 and higher]
You can make Sync Tree more dense by selecting Medium or High density.
No Animations on Analyze (off by default) [ver 10 and higher]
If checked, do not show animations when Analyze is running.
Sort Job Names by Alphabet (on by default) [ver 10 and higher]
Checked: Sort Jobs by Job Name in Job List and Job Tree views.
Unchecked: When not sorted by columns, Jobs have user-controlled order, changed by dragging and dropping.
Show Backup / Sync Jobs groups (restart required) (off by default) [ver 10 and higher]
If checked, then show system-generated Backup Jobs and Sync Jobs groups.
If not checked, do not show these groups.
Windows Integration
Show GoodSync icon in system tray (on by default)
If checked then:
When GoodSync runs, it shows its icon in System Tray.
If not checked, then:
GoodSync does not show anything in System tray when it runs.
Hide to System Tray when Main Window is closed (off by default)
If checked then:
When you Close GoodSync, it will run in the background and it will show System Tray icon.
To access GoodSync, double-click GoodSync icon in System Tray (desktop lower right corner).
If not checked, then:
When you close GoodSync, it unloads from memory.
Start GoodSync when Windows starts (off by default)
If checked then
Windows starts GoodSync automatically when you log in to your Windows account.
Started this way, GoodSync shows only taskbar icon and no main window.
You can double-click the icon to call up the main GoodSync window.
Turn this option on if you run jobs automatically,
that is, if you checked any boxed in Job Options -> Auto tab.
Add GoodSync shortcut to Desktop (on by default)
Checked: Add GoodSync and GoodSync Explorer shortcuts to desktop.
Unchecked: Remove GoodSync and GS Explorer shortcuts from desktop.
Compare Program (empty by default)
Specifies path to the external file compare program used in Compare Files command.
This external program receives two arguments: path to left and right file.
If the program is not specified (blank field) then the default file compare program is used.
UNIX diff is the default file compare program.
It shows line difference for text files only.
If invoked on folders, it compares all files in the selected folder and its subfolders.
Byte comparison of all files can take a long time on slow file systems.
New format allows specifying complete command line call, with arguments, in this format:
"C:/Program Files/folder/my diff program.exe" -opt1 -opt2 "%1" "%2"
Program name and %1 and %2 arguments must be in " ", as they may contain spaces.
Warn about Time Out Of Range
If checked then issue warning about file modification time being before 1970 or after 2037,
as GoodSync cannot store such times.
Logs
Level of Log Detail
GoodSync writes log file named YYYY-MMDD-ComputerName-JobName.log
to _gsdata_ folder in the Left and the Right sync folders of the job.
Here YYYY is current year, MM is current month, DD is current day,
ComputerName is the name of this computer, JobName is the name of the job that ran.
A new job log file is created for each Analyze + Sync combo. Job logs are uploaded to _gsdata_ folder on both sides of the job when Sync finishes. Initially job logs are written locally to Mirrors folder in your GoodSync profile. Logs of Analyze-only jobs are available only in local Mirrors folder. Job -> Open Left/Right Logs shows logs files both from sync folders and local Mirrors folders.
- Critical
- Important non-error messages that must be seen.
- Errors
- Errors that terminates a job, shown in red.
- Actions (default value)
- Warnings or major action performed, includes sync actions.
- Details
- Details on actions performed, no need for most users to see.
Store Logs In Folder
GoodSync also writes global log of all actions it performs to
file named GoodSync_YYYY-MM-DD.log that is located in folder
C:\Users\<User Name>\AppData\Local\GoodSync
(on Win XP: C:\Documents And Settings\<User Name>\Application Data\GoodSync).
Retain logs for this many days (15 by default)
Number of days for which global and job logs are retained.
Log files that are older than the specified number of days are deleted when GoodSync starts.
0 days means: retain logs for 24 hours.
Auto tab
Auto-hide Mini Window when there is no active jobs
If checked and Mini Mode windows is shown then GoodSync will hide this window
when all active jobs finish running, after a delay of about 5 sec.
Auto Jobs to run in parallel, max:
Maximal number of jobs to be run in parallel.
Only jobs that are started automatically (such as by On File Change) are counted.
Default is 1, so all auto jobs are run sequentially, one after another.
Auto Jobs quant, sec:
Jobs are checked for auto-start conditions/events every N seconds,
where N is value of this option.
In general, this is how much time will pass (max) between appearance of auto-start condition and actual job start.
Default is 3 sec.
Keep File History for months (12 by default)
GoodSync stores history of file changes in state file, so that it can be propagated.
The history that goes back in time for more than specified number of months is forgotten by GoodSync.
In practice it means, that if you did not sync all your computers for a long time then
unsynced changes that are older than 12 months will not propagate, because they were forgotten.
Check for a new version daily (on by default)
If checked then GoodSync will contact www.goodsync.com daily to check whether the new version is available.
Auto Install new version when found (off by default)
If checked then automatically install new GoodSync version when one is reported on www.goodsync.com.
Install is performed by gs-server, in fully silent and automated mode.
Download and version checking is done via HTTPS, so that MITM attack does not compromise it.
Installer will be run when GoodSync is not in used or at 3 am local time.
If GoodSync GUI was running, it will not be restarted, as gs-server cannot start GUI programs.
Security tab
Save Connection Passwords Locally Encrypted (off by default)
If checked then GoodSync will save Passwords, Refresh Tokens in a locally-encrypted format.
That is, all passwords will be encrypted by OS using encryption key unknown to GoodSync.
As a result, if you port accounts-bookmarks.tic and jobs-groups-options.tic files to another computer,
they will become unreadable and passwords will be nullified.
This is good for security, but bad for portability.
If unchecked, then Passwords are encrypted with constant key known to GoodSync, so *.tic files are portable.
Control Center Upload Credentials (Email and Password) (empty by default)
If you want to upload Accounts file from this computer to Control Center Account,
specify credentials of this account here.
Credentials are stored in Locally Encrypted non-portable format.
Filters tab
In addition to job-specific Included and Exclude filter you can specify global (program-wide) filters in this tab.
The effective Exclude and Include filters used for the job are
the sum of job-specific Exclude and Include filters
and program-wide filters from this tab.
Detailed Filters description is provided in the Exclude Filters Section.
Connection tab
Use this tab to specify connection proxy that is used by:
(i) all jobs that have Use Proxy option checked,
(ii) AutoUpdate and version checker,
(iii) Activation of Licenses, when talking to GoodSync server.
Use Proxy Server used by Internet Explorer (checked by default)
If checked then use the same proxy server as the one that Internet Explorer and WinINET use.
GoodSync may be unable to handle some complex proxies, such as ISA proxy with NTLM auth.
Another proxy handling alternative for WebDAV file system is to check WinINET checkbox under Browse button,
this would cause GoodSync to use WinINET socket layer instead of our own socket layer.
Use this Proxy Server (unchecked by default)
If checked then use the proxy server specified below.
Host name and Port (empty by default)
Host name and port of the proxy server.
Proxy UserID and Password (empty by default)
If not empty, use these credentials as UserID and Password
for Proxy specified above or derived from IE settings.
Use SMTP server to send emails (unchecked by default)
If checked then use SMTP server specified below to send Post-Sync and Post-Analyze emails
to the addresses that are specified in Job -> Options -> Scripts.
If unchecked then use default MAPI client of your computer to send these emails.
SMTP Server (empty by default)
IP name or IP address of SMTP server that is used to send emails.
SMTP Port (empty by default)
Port on SMTP server that is used to send emails.
Default values: 587 or 25 for non-secure connection, 465 for secure SSL connection.
SMTP UserID and Password (empty by default)
If your SMTP server requires authentication (most servers do these days),
specify your credentials here.
Sender's Email (empty by default)
E-mail address of the sender that will be used in emails that GoodSync sends.
Secure SMTP submit over SSL (unchecked by default)
If checked then connect to SMTP server and switch to Secure SSL mode without negotiation.
If not checked, use plain text communication.
Secure SMTP submit using STARTTLS (unchecked by default)
If checked then issue STARTTLS to request switch to Secure SSL mode, then switch to SSL mode if server agrees.
If not checked, use plain text communication.
Example: using GMail SMTP server:
SMTP server = smtp.googlemail.com
SMTP port = 465
User Name = yourname@gmail.com
Password = yourpassword
Secure SMTP over SSL = checked
About tab
This tab show version and use information.
It also contains Check for Updates button that checks www.GoodSync.comfor its most recent version.
GoodSync UI Command Line
GoodSync GUI can be started with command line options that modify its behavior.
Command line call has this general format:
goodsync-v10 [<profile-option>...] [<run-option>...] [<global-option>...] [<job-command-and-options>]
[<profile-option>...], [<global-option>...], [<job-command-and-options>] are defined in GSync chapter.
Run Options
<run-option> can be one of the following:
/help
Show help message that lists command line options and exit.
/min or /tray
Run minimized, only taskbar icon is visible.
/forcetray
Run minimized to tray, do not allow main window to show.
/miniwin
Start in mini window mode, allow main window to be shown.
/forceminiwin
Start in mini window mode, do not allow main window to show.
Elevated Options, System Use Only
/server-refresh
Restart gs-server and Runner services.
/server-config=...
Set GoodSync Connect (gs-server) service.
/runner-config=...
Set GoodSync Runner service.
/activate
Activate GoodSync License.
/elevated
Called for elevation.
/register-desktop=0|1
Register GoodSync on Windows Desktop.
Windows Installer Options
Windows installer GoodSync-v11-Setup.exe is the program that installs GoodSync.
It can be started with these command line options:
/gs-userid=UserId
/gs-appkey=AppKey
If /gs-userid and /gs-appkey options are specified then after installing GoodSync:
* This Computer is Enrolled into GoodSync Account designated by UserId.
* GoodSync License is activated on This Computer from GoodSync Account set by UserId.
This is a good way to automate installation of GoodSync on multiple computers.
You can specify your Account AppKey in your GoodSync Account Web UI.
AppKey allows only Computer registration and License activation, but not GoodSync Connect transactions.
Note that this is online activation, so GoodSync installer should be able to get to https://www.goodsync.com.
/gs-proxy=Host:Port
sets your Proxy, used to connect to mediator.goodsync.com for license activation.
/gs-proxy-auth=UserId:Password
sets your Proxy authentication, used to connect to GS servers.
/S
Run installer silently, no input from user is requested.
Automated Mac Installer
Most users install GoodSync for Mac by opening goodsync-mac.dmg
and dragging 'GoodSync' contents to 'Applications'.
We also have command line installer, designed for use in automated installs.
It is a shell script with GoodSync distribution embedded into it.
Download it from GoodSyncInstaller.sh.
It must be run under sudo.
Command Line Options for it are:
GSYNC: Command Line version
GSYNC is a pure command line version of GoodSync.
On Windows and Mac GSYNC is available under Personal or higher license.
On Linux/Unix systems only GSYNC is available, there no GUI version.
GSYNC does not present any GUI (Graphical User Interface) at all,
so it is ideal for calling from batch files and other programs.
GSYNC does not exit until the specified job or action completely finishes.
Command line to run a Job has this general format:
gsync [<profile-option>...] [<run-option>...] [<global-option>...] <job-command-and-options>
Command line to perform an action (other than running a Job) has this format:
gsync [<profile-option>...] <global-command>
GSYNC runs all jobs specified in the command line sequentially,
in the order in which jobs appear in Job List.
Log file is written to stdout.
Note that order of Options is now enforced.
So, for instance, job-options cannot be mixed up with global options.
Global Options cannot come before Profile Options.
Profile (and Logging) Options
Profile options set GoodSync Profile Folder (where Accounts and Jobs reside) and to where logs are written.
<profile-option> can be one of the following:
/profile=<profile-folder>
GoodSync profile folder.
Accounts, Jobs, Groups and Program Options are all loaded from
files accounts-bookmarks.tic and jobs-groups-options.tic in this folder.
Global Log files are written to this profile folder.
/lf=<log-folder>
Write global log to <log-folder>.
If not specified, write global log to profile folder.
Path should be an absolute path on local computer.
/ll=0|1|2|3|9
Set log level to N, only for this run.
0 -- critical messages (job start and stop),
1 -- error messages
2 -- informational messages (default level)
3 -- detailed messages
9 -- no log at all.
/jobs-file=<job-list-file>
If specified, then load jobs, groups, program options from this file. File format must be TIC.
If specified, it should be the last option in Profile and Logging Options.
/no-load-tic
If specified, then do not load jobs, groups, program options from profile folder.
Instead use job-tmp command to build and run job in command line.
If specified, it should be the last option in Profile and Logging Options.
The same effect may be achieved by specifying environment variable NOLOADTIC = 1.
/no-save-tic
If specified, then do not save jobs, groups, program options to profile folder, after gsync changes them.
If specified, it should be the last option in Profile and Logging Options.
The same effect may be achieved by specifying environment variable NOSAVETIC = 1.
Global Commands
/help or /?
Show help message that lists command line options and exit.
/check-ver
Check whether this GSYNC version is current.
/version or /license
Print current Version, License and exit.
** GoodSync Account
/gs-account-enroll=gs-account-email
Enroll this computer into GoodSync Account identified by gs-account-email.
Account password will be requested from console.
Account is verified by Mediator and gs-server service is restarted in Account has changed.
/buy-license
Open default browser with page to purchase GoodSync license.
/manage-account
Open default browser with page to Manage GoodSync Account online.
/activate
Activate GoodSync license on this computer, using GoodSync Account on this computer.
/submit-ticket "Subject Line"
Assemble ZIP file for Support Ticket and upload it to GoodSync Serve, with specified Subject Line.
You can type up body of ticket later, from your browser.
** Server Accounts and Account Sync
/sync-jobs-accts
Sync Jobs, Groups, Options and Server Accounts, between this Client and central job repository on Mediator.
/sa-list [url-prefix]
List all Server Accounts.
If prefix is specified then list only Server Accounts that start with this prefix.
/sa-create ConnectoidOptions
Create New Server Account and fill it up with ConnectoidOptions.
Example: /sa-create /f=sftp://server.company.com /userid=myuser /pk="d:/keys/priv.key"
/sa-update AccountKey/AccountName ConnectoidOptions
Update Server Account designated by AccountKey/AccountName with new ConnectoidOptions.
Example: /sa-update sftp://myuser@server.company.com /f=sftp://server.company.com /userid=myuser /pk="d:/keys/priv.key"
/sa-oauth URL
Perform Browser Authentication (OAuth2),
add resulting Refresh and Access Token to Server Account Manager, defined by UserID extracted from OAuth data,
show what Server Account Key to use in Job options.
Only URL prefix is needed to indicate the file system, such as gdrive:// or msgraph://
/sa-rename AccountKey/AccountName NewAccountName
Rename Server Account designated by AccountKey/AccountName to NewAccountName.
Example: /sa-rename sftp://myuser@server.company.com "Company SFTP account"
/sa-delete AccountKey/AccountName
Delete Server Account designated by AccountKey/AccountName.
Example: /sa-delete "Company SFTP account"
/encrypt-plain=clear-password
Generate encrypted password from plain-text password used in file systems, and exit.
Legacy option, not used now.
** Run Modes
/runner
Local Job Runner in User Space:
Run Local Jobs that have Auto Mode (such as On File Change), log results.
So it models behavior of the GUI GoodSync, as it relates to Auto jobs:
- It starts and runs all jobs that are in Auto Mode, such as On File Change jobs.
- It does not show any GUI, so job results become known thru global and job logs.
- It does not consume any graphical resources, as it runs as a pure command line process.
- To terminate Gsync Runner, send CTRL+C to its console.
- If /runner option is not specified then regular gsync options below apply.
/cc-runner
Control Center Runner:
Run Jobs picked up from Control Center, report results to CC.
/runner-service=(profile-folder-path)
Local Job Runner in Service:
Run Local Jobs that have Auto Mode in Windows Service, System use only.
Does the same thing as 'gsync /runner', only:
- It runs in Windows Service or MacOS launchd process,
- Do Not start 'gsync /runner-service' manually, it is done only by OS means.
- In Windows, if you have Unattended Jobs, they are run in Gsync Runner Service
- Runner Service is created when you put first job into Unattended Auto mode.
- Runner Service runs your jobs even when you are logged off from the computer.
- To take a job away from Runner Service and back into GUI GoodSync, uncheck Unattended box in Job Options.
Run Options
/noprint
Do not print Command Line options, after parsing them.
/no-log-stamp
do not add timestamp to each log line.
/progress
Show progress messages when downloading or uploading files.
/list-changes
Print List of changes detected by Analyze.
/cleanup
Cleanup old log files and temporary files when GSYNC starts.
Old log files is defined as log files that are older than number of days to retain the logs option.
You should use this option only if there is no other GoodSync or GSYNC processes running on this computer,
as this option deletes all qualifying log and temp files, including that of other running Goodsyncs.
/override-locks
Override lock files on Analyze.
Lock file is created in sync folder by a running Sync job and it is deleted when the job finishes.
When lock file is present in the sync folder, another sync would not start that involves this folder.
Global Program Options
These commands modify Program Option, which are shown by GUI in Tools -> Program Options.
<global-option> can be one of the following:
/system-tray=yes|no
Show system tray icon. Default: yes.
Applies to Windows GUI only.
/tray-on-close=yes|no
Closing GoodSync causes its minimization to system tray. Default: no.
Applies to Windows GUI only.
/check-new-ver=yes|no
Check for New Version from time to time. Default: yes.
/auto-hide-mini-win=yes|no
Auto-hide mini-window when there is no job activity. Default: yes.
Applies to Windows GUI only.
/warn-about-time-range=yes|no
Warn about file/folder modification time being out of range. Default: no.
/parallel-auto-jobs=NNN
Maximal number of Auto-mode jobs to be run in parallel. Default: 1.
/auto-jobs-quant=NNN
Quant (in seconds) used in starting Auto jobs. Default: 3.
/compare-prog=<ExeFilePath>
Use this program to compare two files diff style when user selects Compare from item context menu.
If nothing is specified then UNIX diff is used.
Applies to Windows GUI only.
** Log Options
/log-retain-days=NNN
Number of days for which old logs are retained. Default: 7.
/group-log-lines=yes|no
Group similar log lines. Default: yes.
** Proxy Options
/proxy-auto=yes|no
Use WinInet proxy (the one used by Internet Explorer).
/proxy-host=<host-name>
Use proxy server set here by IP address or name, negates /proxy-auto option.
/proxy-port=<port-number>
Use this port on the proxy server specified in /proxy-host.
/proxy-userid=<userid>
UserID for proxy, both manual and auto.
/proxy-passwd=<password>
Password for proxy, both manual and auto.
** SMTP Options
/smtp-host=<host-name>
Use SMTP server set here by IP address or name.
/smtp-port=<port-number>
Use this port on the SMTP server specified in /smtp-host.
/smtp-secure=yes|no
Use SSL-encrypted connection when submitting email to SMTP server.
/smtp-starttls=yes|no
Use STARTTLS to switch to encrypted connection when submitting email to SMTP server.
/smtp-userid=<userid>
UserID for SMTP server.
/smtp-passwd=<password>
Password for SMTP server.
/smtp-sender=<name-email>
Sender of Emails: "email@company.com" or "FirstName LastName <email@company.com>".
Job Commands
<job-command-and-options> can be one of the following:
analyze /all
Analyze all jobs.
analyze <job-list>
Analyze listed jobs, job names are separated by space.
Job names containing spaces must be enclosed in quotes like this: "Job Name".
sync /all
Synchronize all jobs.
sync <job-list>
Sync listed jobs, job names are separated by space.
Job names containing spaces must be enclosed in quotes like this: "Job Name".
job-tmp <job-name> [<job-option>...]
Create a temporary job with specified job options and Analyze/Sync it.
This job is never added to the list of jobs and it exists only in memory during execution.
job <job-name> [<job-option...>]
Create a new job or update an existing job with specified job options.
job-new <job-name> [<job-option...>]
Create a job with specified job options.
job-update <job-name> [<job-option...>]
Change specified options in the existing job.
job-delete <job-name>
Delete existing job.
job-rename <job-name-old> <job-name-new>
Rename existing job.
Job Options
<job-option> can be one of the following:
/analyze
Analyze Job after it has been created or updated.
/sync
Analyze and Sync Job after it has been created or updated.
Connectoid Options
Correct combinations are:
| /fN=URL | URL, NOT looked up Account Manager |
| /nN=AccountName /uN=URL | Server Account + InAccount URL, Server Account is looked up in Account Manager, by AccountName |
| /kN=AccountKey /uN=URL | Server Account + InAccount URL, Server Account is looked up in Account Manager, by AccountKey |
/f1=<full-folder-URL>
Left sync folder.
Full Folder Path should be in one of these formats:
file:///C:/folder1/folder2
file://share/disk/folder1/folder2
ftp://server.domain.com:port/folder
sftp://server.domain.com:port/folder
http://server.domain.com:port/folder
Use quotes around paths with spaces.
/f2=<full-folder-path>
Right sync folder.
For Full Folder Path format see the above item.
/u1=<folder-URL>
Left sync folder URL, resolve it using Account Manager.
/u2=<folder-URL>
Right sync folder URL, resolve it using Account Manager.
/k1=<Account-Key>
Left sync folder Account Key, look up Account by it. Requires /u1.
/k2=<Account-Key>
Right sync folder Account Key, look up Account by it. Requires /u2.
/n1=<Account-Name>
Left sync folder Account Name, look up Account by it. Requires /u1.
/n2=<Account-Name>
Right sync folder Account Name, look up Account by it. Requires /u2.
/d1=<Folder-Path>
Left sync Folder inside Server Account. Requires /k1 or /n1.
/d2=<Folder-Path>
Right sync folder inside Server Account. Requires /k2 or /n2.
/userid1=<user-id>
UserID for left sync folder.
/userid2=<user-id>
UserID for right sync folder.
/password1=<password>
Password for left sync folder, clear text.
/password2=<password>
Password for right sync folder, clear text.
/pwd-encr-1=<password>
Password for left sync folder, pre-encrypted.
/pwd-encr-2=<password>
Password for right sync folder, pre-encrypted.
/fat-like1(2)=yes|no
This should be treated as a FAT file system, with 1-hour seasonal time shift, even though it does not report itself to be FAT. May be needed for NAS devices that misreport their FAT disks as NTFS.
/compress1(2)=yes|no
Compress files in the left (right) sync folder using NTFS compressed files.
/uncompress1(2)=yes|no
Uncompress files in the left (right) sync folder, if they were compressed by NTFS.
/bad-certs1(2)=yes|no
Do not check SSL server certificates for left (right) folder.
/useproxy1(2)=yes|no
Use proxy to connect to the left (right) folder.
/wininet(2)=yes|no
Use WinInet implementation of the file system in the left (right) for DAV, S3, FTP.
/utf8-1(2)=yes|no
UTF-8 encoding (No: ANSI) for left (right) folder.
/hostbased1(2)=yes|no
Use host-based addressing (S3).
/us-gov-cloud1(2)=yes|no
Use US Govt Cloud addressing (S3).
/aws4-auth1(2)=yes|no
Use AWS ver 4 authorization, required by some regions (S3).
/reduced-redundancy1(2)=yes|no
Use reduced redundancy bucket (S3).
/infrequent-access1(2)=yes|no
Use Infrequent Access storage (S3).
/server-encrypt1(2)=yes|no
Use server side encryption (S3).
/accesspolicy1(2)==<access-policy>
Pre-cooked access policy for left (right) folder (S3).
/show-native1(2)=yes|no
Show native Google Docs/Drive files, by converting them to external format. This makes Analyze and Sync run very slow, as even Analyze of a native file requires to convert it. (GDocs)
/active1(2)=yes|no
Active FTP mode (No: passive) for left (right) folder.
/mdtm1(2)=yes|no
Use MDTM command for left (right) FTP folder.
/mlsd1(2)=yes|no
Use MLSD command for left (right) FTP folder.
/listla1(2)=yes|no
Use LIST -la command to get folders that start with dots, for left (right) FTP folder.
/move-level-only1(2)=yes|no
MOVE command works only at one folder level, for left (right) FTP folder.
/implicit1(2)=yes|no
Implicit FTPS mode (No: Explicit mode) for the left (right) folder.
/pk1(2)=<folder-path>
SFTP private key file absolute path, for left (right) sync folder.
WebDAV/GSTP private certificate file absolute path, for left (right) sync folder.
General Options
/dir=2way | ltor | rtol
Job direction: 2-way, Left to Right (ltor), or Right to Left (rtol).
/deletions=yes|no
Propagate Deletions option.
/balloon-msg=none|errors|changes
Show Balloon option.
/create-if-not-found=yes|no
Create job sync folder(s) if not found. Default: no.
/save-prev-version=yes|no
Saved files overwritten or deleted by GoodSync to _gsdata_\_saved_ folder.
Only one last version of the file is saved.
/cleanup-prev-version=yes|no
Whether to cleanup Previous File Version.
/days-prev-version=<number>
Number of days for which to keep Previous File Version.
/save-past-versions=yes|no
Save past versions of file overwritten or deleted by GoodSync to _gsdata_\_history_ folder.
Several file versions are saved, one per every overwrite or delete of the file.
/cleanup-past-versions=yes|no
Whether to cleanup Past File Versions.
/days-past-versions=<number>
Number of days for which to keep Past File Versions.
/cleanup-old-generations=yes|no
Whether to cleanup old generations of files and folders.
/months-old-gens=<number>
Number of months for which to keep old generations.
/reconnect-secs=<number>
Number of seconds for Reconnect Attempts.
/run-parallel-threads=yes|no
Run parallel worker threads when doing Sync.
/worker-threads=<N>
Number of worker thread to execute in parallel on Sync.
/speed-limit=<number>
File Copy Speed Limit in Kb/sec.
Filter Options
/exclude=<file-mask>
Exclude filter.
File Mask is a |-separated list of patterns such as *.obj or \folder\file.
Several /exclude options may be provided, their values will be glued together, separated by '|'.
/include=<file-mask>
Include filter.
File Mask is a |-separated list of patterns such as *.obj or \folder\file.
Several /exclude options may be provided, their values will be glued together, separated by '|'.
/exclude-empty=yes|no
Exclude Empty Folder option.
/exclude-hidden=yes|no
Exclude Hidden Files and Folders option.
/exclude-system=yes|no
Exclude System Files and Folders option.
Auto Options
/on-file-change=analyze|sync|no
Automatically Analyze/Sync on any File Change inside local sync folders.
/onfilechange-delay=NN
On File Change delay in seconds.
/on-folder-connect=analyze|sync|no
Automatically Analyze/Sync on Folder Connect.
/on-start=analyze|sync|no
Automatically Analyze/Sync on Start of GoodSync.
/autostart-delay=NN
On Start delay in seconds.
/on-timer=analyze|sync|no
Automatically Analyze/Sync on Timer (every N minutes).
/timer-period=<NN>
Timer period in minutes for /on-timer option.
/on-logout=sync|no
Automatically Sync on Logoff from Windows account.
/on-schedule=analyze|sync|no
Automatically Sync on Schedule.
/schedule-min=list-of-number-ranges (0 to 59)
Minutes on which to run in /on-schedule.
/schedule-hour=list-of-number-ranges (0 to 23)
Hours on which to run in /on-schedule.
/schedule-day=list-of-number-ranges (1 to 31)
Days Of Month on which to run in /on-schedule.
/schedule-month=list-of-number-ranges (1 to 12)
Months on which to run in /on-schedule.
/schedule-dow=list-of-number-ranges (0=Sun to 6=Sat)
Days Of Week on which to run in /on-schedule.
/auto-unattended=yes|no
Run Job Without User Interface (Unattended).
/limit-changes=<NN>
No Sync If Too Many Files Changed option.
NN is a number from 0 to 100.
/wait-for-locks=yes|no
Wait for Locks, instead of producing error.
/wait-for-locks-minutes=<NN>
Waiting period for Wait for Locks, in minutes.
/autoresolve=no|left|right|newer
Auto-Resolve Conflicts option: No Copy, Left wins, Right wins, Newer wins.
/rename-losing-file=yes|no
Rename losing file in the conflict, instead of deleting it.
/autoclear=yes|no
Auto Clear tree after Sync.
Script Options
/pre-analyze-action=<email-addr|program-path>
Pre Analyze Program.
/post-analyze-action=<email-addr|program-path>
Post Analyze Email or Program.
/post-sync-action=<email-addr|program-path>
Post Sync Email or Program.
Advanced Options Sync time
/copy-create-time=yes|no
Copy File/Folder creation time.
/copy-attrs=yes|no
Copy Attributes (a la rwx).
/copy-owner=yes|no
Copy File Owner: not needed if Copy ACL is On.
/copy-acl=yes|no
Copy ACL security attributes.
/copy-ext-attrs=yes|no
Copy Extended Attributes (MAC only).
/move-mode=yes|no
Move Mode: Delete Source Files after Copy.
/delete-empty-folders-on-move=yes|no
Move Mode: Delete Empty Source Folders after Copy.
/copy-locked=yes|no
Copy Locked Files using Shadow Copy Service.
/uber-unlocked=yes|no
Uber-unlocked mode for files being read.
/retry-sync-if-file-changes=yes|no
Retry file sync if source file changes during Sync.
Advanced Options Analyze time
/compare-md5=yes|no
Compare MD5 checksums in Analyze, for all files.
/detect-moves=yes|no
Detect File and Folder Moves and Renames, instead of doing Copy + Delete.
/est-req-space=yes|no
Estimate Required Free Space needed for Sync.
/links=ignore|copy-asis|drill-down
Folder symbolic links processing mode.
/conflict-on-diff-item-no-common-history=yes|no
Produce Conflict when GS encounters different files not seen before.
Folder (Side) Options
/compare-checksums1(2)=yes|no
Compare Checksums of files on this side.
/compare-attrs1(2)=yes|no
Compare Attributes (Permissions) of files/folders on this side.
/compare-owner1(2)=yes|no
Compare Owner of files/folders on this side.
/compare-acl1(2)=yes|no
Compare ACL of files/folders on this side.
/compare-ext-attrs1(2)=yes|no
Compare Extended Attributes of files/folders on this side.
/no-gsdata1(2)=yes|no
No _GSDATA_ folder on this side.
/no-list-dir1(2)=yes|no
No ListDir, trust state file on this side.
/temp-dest-file1(2)=yes|no
Use / Not Use temp files when uploading file to this side.
/encrypt-files1(2)=yes|no
Encrypt file bodies on this side.
/encrypt-paths1(2)=yes|no
Encrypt file paths on this side.
/encrypt-password1(2)=string
Encryption password for file paths / bodies.
Return Codes
Return (Exit) Code for the last job that was run is returned by GSYNC:
0 - Normal completion: Analyze with No Change or Sync with Success.
1 - Analyze did not finish: Stopped By User.
2 - Analyze did not finish: terminal error such as No Sync Folder.
3 - Analyze finished with non-terminal Errors and maybe Conflicts.
4 - Analyze finished with Conflicts but No Errors.
11 - Sync did not finish: Stopped By User.
12 - Sync did not finish: terminal error such as No Sync Folder.
13 - Sync finished with non-terminal Errors and maybe Conflicts.
14 - Sync finished with Conflicts but No Errors.
Negative - error when starting GSYNC.
Non-terminal errors do not return error code, these errors are logged to log file.
Gs-Runner: Job Runner with minimal GUI
Gs-Runner shows Minimal GUI that consists of:
- TaskBar icon that shows current Job(s) running,
- MiniProgress window that shows current Job(s) running.
Gs-Runner does not allow any control of the jobs, as it is done:
- For Local Jobs: by GoodSync.exe Main GUI,
- For Control Center Jobs: by web-based Control Center.
Gs-Runner Command line call has this general format:
gs-runner [<profile-option>...] [<gsrunner-option>...]
<gsrunner-option> can be one of the following:
/lo-runner
Local Job Runner in User Space:
Run Local Jobs that have Auto Mode (such as On File Change), log results.
/cc-runner
Control Center Runner:
Run Jobs picked up from Control Center, report results to CC.
/stop-remove-services /stop-services /stop-2go
Parts of Installer and Uninstaller. (Elevated, System Use only).
/install=...
Install Sequence completion. (Elevated, System Use only).
TIX: Readable Job Descriptors
GoodSync can export, import, write and read list of its jobs in XML-like text format called TIX.
Originally, only the TIC format was available.
TIC is a short text format that is not human readable or editable.
Using TIX instead of TIC provides several benefits:
- Automation: programs can generate GoodSync jobs without starting GoodSync GUI.
- Archiving: Readable and printable backup format for job list.
New TIX file (ver 10.3.0 and higher) includes all GoodSync settings:
- Program Options,
- Server Account list (for Account Manager),
- Job list,
- Group list.
A typical TIX file looks like this:
TIC and TIX, File and Registry: Who decides.
These registry values control format and source of loading and saving of the job list and program options.
These values are taken from registry key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Siber Systems\GoodSync" and they are DWORDs.
JobsLoadRegistry = 1 : load/save job list and program options from registry values in TIX format.
JobsLoadRegistry = 0 : load/save job list from jobs.tic file, program options from options.tic file. Default.
If option to load/save job list from registry is set then registry values "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Siber Systems\GoodSync\Jobs\job-name\tix" are used. Each job gets its own registry key and value named "tix" in that key contains TIX string that describes the job. TIX string does not have newline characters.
General Rules.
Newline characters can be used to improve readability, but they are not required.
Each property is recorded as "name = value", where value can be a single constant,
an object in object brackets, or a list presented as "( element1 element2 ... elementN)".
Boolean constants can appear "Yes", "No", "T" or "F".
Strings appear as "text" (double quotes required).
You can represent special characters in the string this way:
\n new line
\\ backslash
\" double quote character
\NNN; non-printable character whose decimal code is NNN.
Job Properties.
Appears in <Job> ... </Job> brackets.
Name = "Job Name"
Side1 = <SideOptions> SiberOptions </SideOptions>
Side2 = <SideOptions> SiberOptions </SideOptions>
Direction = 0 for 2-way | 1 for Left to Right | 2 for Right to Left
PropagateDeletions = Yes | No
ShowBalloon = 0 for Never | 1 for On Errors | 2 for On Errors and Info
SavePreviousVersion = Yes | No
SaveDaysPreviousVersion = Ndays
CleanupPreviousVersion = Yes | No
SavePastVersions = Yes | No
SaveDaysPastVersions = Ndays
CleanupPastVersions = Yes | No
CleanupOldGenerations = Yes | No
SaveMonthsOldGens = Nmonths
ReconnectSeconds = NSeconds
SyncParallelThreads = Yes | No
WorkerThreads = Nthreads
SpeedLimit = number
UpSpeedLimit = number
ExcludeEmptyFolders = Yes | No
ExcludeHidden = Yes | No
ExcludeSystem = Yes | No
FiltersIncluded = Matches <FileMask> ( "string" ... ) </FileMask>
FiltersExcluded = Matches <FileMask> ( "string" ... ) </FileMask>
OnFileChangeAction = 0 for No | 1 for Analyze | 2 for Analyze and Sync
OnFileChangeDelay = Nseconds
OnFolderConnectAction = 0 for No | 1 for Analyze | 2 for Analyze and Sync
OnStartAction = 0 for No | 1 for Analyze | 2 for Analyze and Sync
AutoStartDelay = Nseconds
OnTimerAction = 0 for No | 1 for Analyze | 2 for Analyze and Sync
TimerIntervalHours = Nhours
TimerIntervalMinutes = Nminutes
OnLogoutAction = 0 for No | 2 for Analyze and Sync
LimitChangesPercent = Npercent
AutoResolveConflicts = 0 for disable | 1 for LtoR | 2 for RtoL | 3 for Newer Wins
WaitForLock = Yes | No
WaitForLocksMinutes = Nminutes
AutoClearTree = Yes | No
PreAnalyzeScriptOrEmail = "string"
PostAnalyzeScriptOrEmail = "string"
PostSyncScriptOrEmail = "string"
CopyCreateTime = Yes | No
CopyAttrs = Yes | No
CopyExtendedAttrs = Yes | No
CopyACL = Yes | No
CopyOwner = Yes | No
CopyLockedFiles = Yes | No
UberUnlockedUpload = Yes | No
RetrySyncIfFileChanges = Yes | No
CompareMD5crc = Yes | No
DetectMovesAndRenames = Yes | No
EstimateRequiredSpace = Yes | No
LinksOption = 0 for Ignore | 1 for Copy As Is | 2 for Drill Down
Side Options.
Appears in <SibeOptions> ... </SideOptions> brackets.
SideOptions =
Dir = <Connect> ConnectoidProperty ... </Connect>
NoGsData = Yes | No
NoListDirTrustStateFile = Yes | No
EncryptFiles = Yes | No
EncryptPaths = Yes | no
Connectoid Properties.
Appears in <Connect> ... </Connect> brackets.
GoodSync connectoid describes how to connect to the server.
Url = "string"
UserID = "string"
PasswordGarbled = "string"
Utf8 = Yes | No (all server file systems)
UseProxy = Yes | No (all server file systems)
BadCerts = Yes | No (DAV only)
WinInet = Yes | No (DAV only)
AccessPolicy = "string" (S3 only)
HostBasedAddr = Yes | No (S3 only)
ActiveMode = Yes | No (FTP only)
UseMDTM = Yes | No (FTP only)
ImplicitMode = Yes | No (FTP only)
PrivateKey = "file-path" (SFTP only)
Compress = Yes | No (Windows Local only)
Uncompress = Yes | No (Windows Local only)
Program Options.
Appears in <ProgramOptions> ... </ProgramOptions> brackets.
GlobalFilterIncluded = Matches <FileMask> ( "match-string" ... ) </FileMask>
GlobalFilterExcluded = Matches <FileMask> ( "match-string" ... ) </FileMask>
HideToTrayOnClose = Yes | No
WarnAboutTrayOnClose = Yes | No
ShowTrayIcon = Yes | No
ShowJobListWindow = Yes | No
ShowFiltersWindow = Yes | No
ShowLogWindow = Yes | No
ShowStatusBar = Yes | No
GroupSimilarLogLines = Yes | No
CheckNewVersion = Yes | No
CreateFolderIfNotFound = Yes | No
AutoHideMiniWindow = Yes | No
LogLevel = 0 for critical | 1 for errors | 2 for info | 3 for details
LogRetainDays = NNN (number of days)
LogFolder = "folder-path"
CompareProgramPath = "file-path"
UseSmtpToEmail = Yes | No
SmtpImported = Yes (imported already) | No (import from windows)
SmtpServer = <SmtpServer> SmtpServer-property ... </SmtpServer>
ProxyServer = <ProxyServer> ProxyServer-property ... </ProxyServer>
SMTP server.
Appears in <SmtpServer> SmtpServer-property ... </SmtpServer> brackets.
Host = "IP name of SMTP server"
Port = NNN (recommended: 587 for No SSL, 465 for SSL)
UserID = "user-id for authenticated SMTP"
Password = "password for authenticated SMTP"
SecureSSL = Yes | No
SenderEmail = "sender@company.com"
Proxy server.
Appears in <ProxyServer> ProxyServer-property ... </ProxyServer> brackets.
UseWinInetProxy = Yes (use proxy of Internet Explorer / WinInet) | No (no auto proxy)
UseProxyBelow = Yes (use proxy specified below) | No (no proxy)
Host = "IP name of proxy server"
Port = NNN (port on proxy server)
UserID = "user-id for authenticated proxy"
Password = "user-id for authenticated proxy"
Policies
Policies are used by system administrator to enforce enterprise-wide rules
that limit or change GoodSync behavior.
Policies are available in GoodSync Enterprise only.
Policies are defined by registry values located in this registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Siber Systems\GoodSync
Administrator would set these values via Active Directory to affect GoodSync behavior.
Administrator can also use GoodSync policy template that helps in setting registry:
- Select Start -> Run, type: gpedit.msc, press Enter.
- In the tree go to 'Local Computer Policy' -> 'Computer Configuration' -> 'Administrative Templates'.
- Right-click 'Administrative Templates', select 'Add/Remove templates' -> 'Add...',
- Browse for goodsync.adm in 'Program Files\Siber Systems', click 'Close'.
- The new sub-tree with GoodSync policies will appear under 'Administrative Templates'.
- To enable a policy, select this policy in Editor, right-click it, select Enabled.
- Policy will become effective after GoodSync restart.
These policies are available:
- ProfilePath: Custom GoodSync Profile path.
- ForceMiniMode: Start GoodSync in MiniMode and do not allow expanding it to the full size
- ForceTray: Start GoodSync minimized to tray and do not allow expanding it to the full size
- NoProgramOptions: Do not allow to change program options
- NoAutoUpdate: Disable AutoUpdate
- NoJobListEdit: Do not allow to add/delete/rename jobs
- NoJobEdit: Do not allow to change job paths or options
- NoJobExport: Do not allow exporting jobs
- NoJobImport: Do not allow importing jobs
- NoJobOptions: Do not allow to change any job options
- NoOptionsGeneral: Do not allow to change General job options
- NoOptionsFilters: Do not allow to change job Filters
- NoOptionsAuto: Do not allow to change job Auto options
- NoOptionsScript: Do not allow to change job Script options
- NoOptionsAdvanced: Do not allow to change job Advanced options
- DisableLocalNet: Disable SNB Shares (WindowsClient-based) file system
- DisableSMBD: Disable SMB Shares (SiberClient-based) file system
- DisableSibAfp: Disable AFP (SiberClient-based) file system
- DisableAzure: Disable Azure Blobsfile system
- DisableAzureFile: Disable Azure Files file system
- DisableBackblaze: Disable Backblaze B2 file system
- DisableBox: Disable Box.com file system
- DisableDAV: Disable WebDAV file system
- DisableDropbox: Disable Dropbox file system
- DisableEncrypted: Disable Encrypted file system addon
- DisableFTP: Disable FTP file system
- DisableGDrive: Disable Google Drive file system
- DisableGPhoto: Disable Google Photo file system
- DisableGTeamDrive: Disable Google Team Drive file system
- DisableGDocs: Disable Google Docs file system
- DisableGoogleCloud: Disable Google Cloud S3-like file system
- DisableGstp: Disable GSTP file system
- DisableGsStorage: Disable GoodSync RealDisk Online Storage file system
- DisableMSGraph: Disable OneDrive Office365 SharePoint file system
- DisableMTP: Disable MTP file system
- DisableOneFile: Disable OneFile file system
- DisableS3: Disable Amazon S3 file system
- DisableSFTP: Disable SFTP file system
- DisableMega: Disable MEGA file system
- DisableICloud: Disable ICloud file system
Syncing Specific Applications
This section tells you how to setup syncing for popular applications.
RoboForm.
Latest versions of RoboForm have command RoboForm -> Tools -> Sync Data
that setup sync job and start GoodSync automatically.
Outlook.
Synchronize file Outlook.pst that contains Outlook data.
Open Outlook application locks file Outlook.pst, not allowing GoodSync to sync it.
Outlook must be closed for this file to be unlocked.
If you sync your Windows Mobile phone or Pocket PC with desktop, then
Outlook.pst file is locked while your phone is plugged in.
Pull out your phone from the cradle for Outlook.pst to be unlocked.
Outlook.pst file location:
* XP: C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook.
* Vista and Windows 7: C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook.
How to make Outlook store your Outlook.pst in the folder you like:
* Move Outlook.pst from the standard folder to the folder where you want it to be.
* Start Outlook -- it tells you that it cannot find Outlook.pst.
* Outlook offers you to specify location of Outlook.pst.
Select the folder where Outlook.pst is now.
Windows Mail.
Sync Windows Mail data folder.
It is located at
C:\Users\User Name\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Mail
Quickbooks.
Quickbooks (QB) stores all its data in one file that has format
CompanyName.QBW.
This is the file to sync.
Quickbooks backup files have extension .QBB.
We recommend to back up the QBW file using native QB Backup command
and to sync the backup file too, for extra protection.
Quickbooks locks the QBW when opened, so you must close QB before
syncing.
Even if you opened QBW file to only view it and not to modify it,
QB will still modify this file.
So you cannot use GoodSync for 2-way syncing of *.QBW files,
you can do only 1-way backup.
ACT!
Act locks its data files and when you close ACT, they are still locked.
This is because ACT! installs a SQL service that is active
even when the ACT! application is not running.
This service keeps ACT! data files locked.
You should stop the MSSQL ACT! service temporarily to be able to sync these files:
Go to Start/Control Panel/Administrative Tools/Services,
locate the service named "MSSQL$ACT7" (or something similar),
stop it, do the synchronization, and then start the service again.
Alternatively, you can permanently exclude ACT! files from synchronization.
GoodSync2Go: Portable version
GoodSync2Go is a portable version of GoodSync that is:
- Installed on removable drive (USB key or Portable Hard Drive), not on computer.
- Runs from the removable drive on which it is installed.
- Stores list of jobs and other settings on the removable drive.
- Licensed per removable drive, no per-computer license is required.
Otherwise it does the same things as the regular GoodSync version.
Advantages of GoodSync2Go:
- Portable list of jobs, residing on your USB device.
- Portable license, residing on your USB device.
Limitations of GoodSync2Go:
- Automatic elevation after Access Denied error is not done, because there is no GS Server.
- GoodSync Connect server part does not work, because GS2Go cannot install service.
- On Schedule Auto option does not work, because GS2Go cannot install service.
- Start GoodSync when Windows starts Auto option does not work.
- Copy Locked Files option does not work, because GS2Go cannot install service.
GSCP: Command Line File System client
GSCP is a command line interface to GoodSync File Systems, similar to a classic command line FTP client.
GSCP can be used to script file operations in all File Systems that GoodSync supports.
These are GSCP commands:
gscp URL
Open the specified URL, and execute post-open commands.
UserID and Password may be embedded in the URL or specified separately after the URL.
These commands are accepted by GSCP once it connects to the server:
| Command | Argument(s) | What it does |
| quit | Exit program | |
| ls | List the current remote directory | |
| pwd | Print current remote directory | |
| cd | dir-name | Change remote directory (no name means connect root) |
| pld | Print current local directory | |
| lcd | dir-name | Change local directory |
| md | dir-name | Create remote directory |
| rm | file-name | Delete remote file |
| rmd | dir-name | Delete remote folder |
| rmrf | dir-name | Recursively delete remote files and folders |
| mv | file-name-1 file-name-2 | Rename or move remote file/folder |
| put | file-name | Upload local file to remote folder |
| get | file-name | Download remote file to local folder |
| copy | file-name-1 file-name-2 | Copy file on remote file system |
| compare | file-name-1 file-name-2 | Compare files on remote file system |
| help | Show this list of available commands | |
| info | Remote file system info | |
| open | url | Connect to another file system |
| close | Disconnect from current file system |
gscp get remote-file-url local-file-or-folder-path
Download file from remote file system to local file or folder.
gscp put local-file-path remote-file-or-folder-url
Upload local file to remote file system file or folder.
gscp copy remote-file-url remote-file-or-folder-url
Copy file from one remote file system to another.
gscp md remote-folder-url
Make folder in the remote file system.
gscp rm remote-file-url
Delete file in the remote file system.
gscp rmd remote-folder-url
Delete folder in the remote file system.
gscp compare remote-file-url-1 remote-file-url-2
Compare two files, possibly in different remote file systems.
Global proxy parameters:
You can use options that define proxy, they must follow the main URL and credentials.
/proxy-auto=yes|no
Use WinInet proxy (the one used by Internet Explorer).
/proxy-host=<host-name>
Use proxy server set here by IP address or name, negates /proxy-auto option.
/proxy-port=<port-number>
Use this port on the proxy server specified in /proxy-host.
/proxy-userid=<userid>
UserID for proxy, both manual and auto.
/proxy-passwd=<password>
Password for proxy, both manual and auto.
