Hi,
is there a way to sync files no matter in which subfolder they are? For example on the left I have a file in
C:\Pictures\file.jpg
and the other one is in
D:\Pictures\MorePictures\file.jpg
So the file "file.jpg" already exists in "C:\Pictures", but Freefilesync still says the file is missing on the left. So what is wrong here?
How to sync files across folders
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- Joined: 2 Sep 2021
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- Posts: 2451
- Joined: 22 Aug 2012
FreeFileSync (FFS) retains the folder structure of files, relative to the left and right base location.
So, if your left base location is C:\Pictures and your right base location is D:\Pictures, then the left file.jpg is in the root of the left base location, whereas the right file.jpg is in the folder MorePictures in the right base location, and hence FFS does not consider those to be in the same location relative to the left and base location, and will sync those files according to the selected sync variant (Mirror, Update, Two-way, Custom).
(The same applies if your left base location is C:\ and the right base location is D:\.)
> "So what is wrong here?"
You do apparently use the Two-way sync variant.
As there is no file C:\Pictures\MorePictures\file.jpg on the left, FFS will create it (possibly including creating the folder C:\Pictures\MorePictures ). Similarly, FFS will create D:\Pictures\file.jpg on the right, as that file does not exist yet. The fact that the existing left and right files file.jpg have the same name, and may even have the same date, size and content, does not matter. For FFS they are different files, because they are in different locations (relative to the left and right base location).
Conversely, if your left base location is C:\Pictures and your right base location is D:\Pictures\MorePictures, then the left and right file.jpg are both in the root of the left and right base location, and if the left and right file also have the same date and size, FFS considers the files to be equal and will not take any sync action. If the date and/or size are different, FFS will sync the file according to the selected sync variant (Mirror, Update, Two-way, Custom).
So, if your left base location is C:\Pictures and your right base location is D:\Pictures, then the left file.jpg is in the root of the left base location, whereas the right file.jpg is in the folder MorePictures in the right base location, and hence FFS does not consider those to be in the same location relative to the left and base location, and will sync those files according to the selected sync variant (Mirror, Update, Two-way, Custom).
(The same applies if your left base location is C:\ and the right base location is D:\.)
> "So what is wrong here?"
You do apparently use the Two-way sync variant.
As there is no file C:\Pictures\MorePictures\file.jpg on the left, FFS will create it (possibly including creating the folder C:\Pictures\MorePictures ). Similarly, FFS will create D:\Pictures\file.jpg on the right, as that file does not exist yet. The fact that the existing left and right files file.jpg have the same name, and may even have the same date, size and content, does not matter. For FFS they are different files, because they are in different locations (relative to the left and right base location).
Conversely, if your left base location is C:\Pictures and your right base location is D:\Pictures\MorePictures, then the left and right file.jpg are both in the root of the left and right base location, and if the left and right file also have the same date and size, FFS considers the files to be equal and will not take any sync action. If the date and/or size are different, FFS will sync the file according to the selected sync variant (Mirror, Update, Two-way, Custom).
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- Posts: 4055
- Joined: 11 Jun 2019
No, that is no longer a sync
