Exclude hidden files

[pollotedax]

Hi again,
I would like to know if there is a way to exclude the hidden files and folders on sync.
I saw in other posts like viewtopic.php?t=1407&p=6028#p6028 that Hidden/System are are excluded by default.
Having a look at my .ffs_batch file, I can see this :

<Exclude>
<Item>\System Volume Information\</Item>
<Item>\$Recycle.Bin\</Item>
<Item>\RECYCLER\</Item>
<Item>\RECYCLED\</Item>
<Item/>
</Exclude>

So I think that Hidden/System files and folders are "semi-auto" excluded with that piece of code.

I'm syncing a Windows PC with a Mac and I can see that Mac systems creates some hidden folders like
.HSResource
.TemporaryItems
.Trashes
and some others, as well as some files as
.DS_Store

Those hidden folders are sometimes quite big and/or do have many files inside and makes the job take longer.

Also I'm having some errors with characters, most of them inside those special folders, too.

Maybe there is a list of al possibe special mac names for folders and files I can add to my <Exclude> part of my config file, but I think is easier to be able to ignore the ones with the hidden attribute on.

In your post viewtopic.php?t=1997&p=8421#p8421
you say easy it's easy to exclude specific directories but I have too many.

On another post viewtopic.php?t=1977&p=8288#p8288
you say this is not enough to justify a distinct option but I want to know if there is a workaround or, maybe, you may reconsider it in the future.

Thanks again.

[Zenju]

FFS doesn't consider file attributes like hidden or read-only in the filter, but filters by name only.

[valmatech]

I totally second Pollote suggestion. Not being able to filter hidden files makes FFS too complicated for many. Please let us filter hidden files.

[MartFree]

Still no chance to skip hidden and/or system files? I love freefilesync, I've been using it for ages, but I've problems constantly because of this, I'd say is the only problem, but a constant one. Almost every other sync system has that option, so it can't be that difficult. Would love to pay for it... Please?

[henkk]

to exclude hidden folders in linux/ubuntu I added /.?*/ to the exlusion list
HTH

[hompc]

I solve the same problem in Windows, is any way to exclude system/hidden files/folders?

[Plerry]

In Windows, (at least presently) FFS has no simple way to exclude system or hidden files and folders.

Obviously you can add known system/hidden files or folders tot the Exclude filter (e.g. folders like ProgramData, AppData) if those are (sub)folders of your left and right base location.
The simplest way or doing that, is running a Compare in the FFS GUI, select and right-click the file or folder to be excluded, and via the context menu select to exclude said file or folder.

[xCSxXenon]

To add to Plerry's solution, hidden files are typically few and far between besides the defaults, so excluding is the best in my opinion.