I'm a new user to FFS and am looking forward to the benefits of the program. I have gone thru a viewing of the tutorials and help files and will admit that with my lack of familiarity with some of the terminology used it can be a bit intimidating. I have some questions that I'm still trying to answer and hoping that I can get some answers here. (FAQ's don't help.) I have two new external USB 26TB expansion drives that I want to sync together. Drive "A" and drive "B". Since I avoid using my internal HDD "C:\" drive for any data storage (i.e. files, video, music, photos, ...etc) I use expansion drive "A" for that purpose. (I outgrew my 6TB expansion drive) Then I'll utilize FFS to copy and sync A-->B. ("B" is strictly for redundant backup)
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1. Can I specify a folder for FFS log files on my expansion drive "A"? I don't want log files filling up space on my internal C:\ drive. Is that OK? Will that cause any issues with FFS?
2. Setting up RealTimeSync seems a bit involved for the new user. Can RTS be set up and configured by using only the FFS GUI program itself or does the user also need to use additional Windows configuration steps such at Control Panel stuff and the command line interface to set it up?
3. If I do not utilize RealTimeSync then wouldn't that mean that it's up to me (obviously) to manually invoke a Sync operation, let's say, each night at the end of my day in order to keep my expansion drive "A" backed up and sync'd with drive "B"?
4. If RealTimeSync is set up and in operation, does the FFS application need to be kept open and minimized in order to maintain background updating?
Thanks for your understanding as I ask my questions that may be obvious to experienced users out there. If there are any other FFS YT videos that you would recommend, please pass them along.
Newbie Questions
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- Joined: 12 Jun 2025
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- Posts: 2995
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Ad 1) You can change the default location of the FFS log-file for the user credentials you run FreeFileSync (FFS) under in the FFS GUI via Tools / Options to any arbitrary available, writable location, or similarly for a specific sync configuration via the Synchronization Settings (F8).
Ad 2) viewtopic.php?t=12100#p47078 might help
Ad 3) Then you need to run FFS manually, or use e.g. the Task Scheduler to run your FFS sync at specific times or events.
Ad 4) No. Upon detecting changes in the directories monitored for changes, RealTimeSync (RTS) will start FFS to run the sync you specified. That FFS sync will close once finished (if saved with Auto-close checkmarked, as described in the linked manual page).
Ad 2) viewtopic.php?t=12100#p47078 might help
Ad 3) Then you need to run FFS manually, or use e.g. the Task Scheduler to run your FFS sync at specific times or events.
Ad 4) No. Upon detecting changes in the directories monitored for changes, RealTimeSync (RTS) will start FFS to run the sync you specified. That FFS sync will close once finished (if saved with Auto-close checkmarked, as described in the linked manual page).
