Preserve Folder and File Dates
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 22 Feb 2019
I have looked through the help pages but I do not see a way to preserve file/folder dates. I select "mirror" and the file/folders in the sync'd directory all have today's date. What am I doing wrong?
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- Posts: 2430
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Folders copied in FreeFileSync (presently ?) always have "today's" date.
For files it depends on the protocol.
SMB/CIFS/Samba should retain file dates, while e.g. most (all?) FTP/SFTP variants do not support retaining file dates.
For files it depends on the protocol.
SMB/CIFS/Samba should retain file dates, while e.g. most (all?) FTP/SFTP variants do not support retaining file dates.
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 22 Feb 2019
Why is there not a way to retain folder dates? This copy is between two virtual drives in a VM.Folders copied in FreeFileSync (presently ?) always have "today's" date.
For files it depends on the protocol.
SMB/CIFS/Samba should retain file dates, while e.g. most (all?) FTP/SFTP variants do not support retaining file dates. Plerry, 25 Feb 2019, 07:44
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- Posts: 2430
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
The FFS behavior is similar to copying a folder e.g. in Windows (File) Explorer.
When copying a folder with files in it to a new location,
the file-dates are retained in the new location,
but the folder-date(s) are as per the moment of making the copy.
This applies both to the modified- and the create-date of folders.
When copying a folder with files in it to a new location,
the file-dates are retained in the new location,
but the folder-date(s) are as per the moment of making the copy.
This applies both to the modified- and the create-date of folders.
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 22 Feb 2019
Ah that is unfortunate. It would be great if there was a way to preserve the folder dates. Hopefully in a future release or is this not possible?The FFS behavior is similar to copying a folder e.g. in Windows (File) Explorer.
When copying a folder with files in it to a new location,
the file-dates are retained in the new location,
but the folder-date(s) are as per the moment of making the copy.
This applies both to the modified- and the create-date of folders. Plerry, 27 Feb 2019, 11:54
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 20 Aug 2019
The only feature that this fantastic software is missing. Sometimes it is really necessary to create a tree exactly as the origin... directory date too.
Actually I use the workaround with ROBOCOPY using "/CREATE" switch to create / fix the folders date
I hope this possibility will be present in a future release
Actually I use the workaround with ROBOCOPY using "/CREATE" switch to create / fix the folders date
I hope this possibility will be present in a future release
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- Posts: 4008
- Joined: 11 Jun 2019
As long as FFS uses the basic file manipulation, it won't be possible. As Plerry stated, it's using the same process that a user would when manually syncing files. It is just able to create a "table of contents" of differences and can enact the copy/move/delete commands much faster. It would have to use some variation(s) of robocopy or Xcopy to retain folder meta-data.
- Posts: 3
- Joined: 27 Jul 2021
I have now change settings to file size and my little problem has disappeared.
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 31 Oct 2021
The only workaround i have found so far is to run File Date Corrector on my files after FFS copies them over.
https://www.infonautics-software.ch/filedatecorrector/buy/
It is fast! Some files and folders seem to have no internal date, but ALL my Word files were fixed.
I also use Xplorer2 as replacement for Explorer, as it has many more features. You can preserve file and folder dates when using the Copy To built in function.
https://www.infonautics-software.ch/filedatecorrector/buy/
It is fast! Some files and folders seem to have no internal date, but ALL my Word files were fixed.
I also use Xplorer2 as replacement for Explorer, as it has many more features. You can preserve file and folder dates when using the Copy To built in function.
