FreeFileSync Forum

Try looking into using Macros.

Be aware that any re-ordering of your left-right folder pairs would be only good for your own insight/overview.
The order in which files are actually synced by FFS has no relation to the sequence in which your folder pairs are listed.

> Wouldn't comparing by 'file content' do this?

That would only tell you if files are different or not; not in show you what those differences are.
WinMerge (or e.g. Beyond Compare) will show you exactly how and where files differ (for supported file types).

You could use e.g. WinMerge, as decribed here.

Your post is outdated.

In the past, up to about >2 year ago, the time during which you were entitled to updates depended on the amount you donated. For the donation edition this is no longer the case. That version no longer has a time limit during which users are entitled to updates.

For ...

I suppose this is because the flatpack package of FreeFileSync is not an official release (as by the author of FreeFileSync and found on the FreeFileSync download page)

> how to fix this...?

That depends on your sync settings, and the reason the FFS Compare results give for wanting to recopy mac => pen-drive.

If you have the "Use database file to detect changes" checkmarked in your Synchronization Settings (F8), you may want to try removing that checkmark, and do ...

If you run just a Compare in the FFS GUI, FFS will show the sync actions it intends to take and why.

Likely the timestamp of files written to the pen-drive differs from that on your mac,
and when running a Mirror sync that is ground for a renewed mac => pen-drive copy.

You would need to do two things:
• In your Synchronization Settings (F8), uncheck the box for "Use database to detect changes"
• Change your LockDirectoriesDuringSync flag from Enabled="true" into Enabled="false"

But make sure to read the risk of setting that flag to false.

Not preferred, but you can prevent the use of *.ffs_lock files by setting the LockDirectoriesDuringSync flag in your GolbalSettings.xml file to false.
Make sure to read the risk/disadvantage of setting that flag to false, and if that is relevant for your use.

Your sync configurations are saved where ever you tell them to be saved when using Save As in the FFS GUI.
FFS then opens the Windows Save As window, with as default location the location where you last saved a file using the Windows Save As window, from whatever application.
So, likely you saved ...

Your understanding of how/when RTS will launch an FFS synchronization seems correct.

If you restart your computer before reaching the full idle time, no FFS sync has been launched yet.
Because you restart your RTS job via your startup folder, RTS will restart, but the pre-restart trigger of a ...

> ... synchronization will occur after I have modified the file and during my idle time

No!
Whenever you modify a file in a RTS monitored folder (or any of its subfolder), the idle time timer is started, or reset and restarted if it was already running.
Synchronization will occurs when the idle ...

> I don't see a way to post a screenshot

See: viewtopic.php?t=11025&hilit=attachments#p42261

If you checkmark "Use database file to detect changes" in your Synchronization Settings (F8), will detect a rename of a file (or a move within a base location), during any consecutive sync; not during your first sync.

Perhaps these *.qat files are locked by MSoffice as long as any MSoffice application is open.
Try closing ALL MSoffice applications and then run your sync.
Conversely, you can try using VSS.

Apparently you are now installing the FFS Donation edition on your test machines.

Instead of installing your Donation edition, you could simply install the Free edition on your test machines.

Conversely, if you go to the download page of your Donation edition, via the link in the E-mail you ...

After running a Compare, there are different icons for each of the Compare result categories.
These can be found mid below the left and right Compare results window.
( Main Dialog Overview field 11 )
Hoovering your mouse over these icons ("->+", "->", "=", etc.) tells their meaning, and clicking ...

For your use-case, using RTS to trigger the start of an FFS sync may not be the way to go, because too many (for you) non-relevant changes will cause an FFS sync to run.
For your use-case, it may be better to not use RTS, but instead run your FFS sync at certain intervals, or at startup, shutdown ...

I always use the Time Stamp [File] variant of Versioning, not the Time Stamp [Folder] variant, as you apparently do.
But according to the FFS Manual page on Versioning both Versioning variants retain the folder structure of files relative to the left and right base locations .
From experience I ...

It sound like you invoke FreeFileSync to run a sync configuration saved as *.ffs_gui.
Running *.ffs_gui configurations always wait after a Compare to manually start the actual sync.

Instead, you should save the sync configuration as a *.ffs_batch file, and invoke FreeFileSync to run said *.ffs ...

Your images do not necessarily illustrate a problem in/of FFS.

Only your first image shows the selected sync variant as Mirror (Spiegeln).
This means FFS will make changes to your right side to make it identical to the left side.
I will assume your other images are also based on the Mirror sync ...

> .... it is normal to expect differences in file size due to the way the system reports the size of the file depending on allocated blocks, etc.

FreeFileSync (FFS) uses the real file-size in its comparison; not some "occupied on disk" size.
So, if FFS only proposes sync actions based on ...

> I click on "Open" and nothing happens.
That is very strange. You should be able to open any selected *.ffs_gui and *.ffs_batch sync configuration in the FFS GUI.
Obviously, if the selected *.ffs_batch file is already open and is the active sync configuration in the FFS GUI, your "Open" window ...

Your picture suggests:
• You have run the sync previously, at the end of which both sides were in sync.
• You have since then removed the right-side folders Business\HDR'd and HongKong or at least the shown files in those folders. This removal can have been a plain deletion, or instead, a move of ...

Open your saved *.ffs_batch sync configuration from the FFS GUI, and then, in the Configuration window (lft top), use "Save as batch job" and un-tickmark the "Auto-close" box before actually (re)saving your *.ffs_batch file.

If you create a dedicated RTS/FFS user (different from the logged-in user), and start an your RTS instance with the user credentials of that dedicated RTS/FFS user, the logged-in user does not own that RTS instance and consequently will not get/see the corresponding RTS and FFS notifications in his ...

What Comparison settings (F6) variant do you use?
File time and size, File content or File size.

If you have part of your Google Drive data (also) stored in a local Google Drive folder, that part will compare pretty fast (your first ~500,000?). Comparing files that are only stored in the cloud will ...