Rename a folder without recopying all its files?

Posts: 2 · Brian 24 Jun 2018, 12:42

Hi all. I'm a long time user of FreeFileSync but have only recently encountered an issue that's starting to be a real problem. I'm trying to mirror A (source folder) with B (target). If I rename A, instead of simply renaming the target folder B, it wants to delete B and all its files then recopy A along with all its files. This is a simple example but sometimes if I rename several folders and their files are quite large it's a real pain. I've found a few previous threads on this subject but no real answer to my question, which is can FreeFileSync simply rename a folder without copying all its files, and if so, how do you do it? I'm using FFS 10.1. The source folders are either on a hard drive or external USB hard drive; the source folders are always on external USB hard drive.

Posts: 2451 · Plerry 25 Jun 2018, 07:14

FreeFileSync has a capability of detecting if files have been moved or renamed.
See https://freefilesync.org/manual.php?topic=synchronization-settings.

Posts: 2 · Brian 25 Jun 2018, 18:51

I'm aware FFS can detect moved or renamed files and folders, that's not my question. The link doesn't address my question at all. I'm starting to realize FFS probably doesn't have the function I'm inquiring about. If anyone knows anything to the contrary and would care to share how it's done I'd be most grateful.

Posts: 7211 · Zenju 26 Jun 2018, 07:42

The link is actually good as it lists the prerequisites for move detection, one of which is probably not fulfilled in your case. Note that technically all the files will be moved rather than the folder. But this has been discussed a couple of times already on the forum.