DocsSync
Make the destination an exact mirror of the source.
Sync makes the destination an exact mirror of the source.
Files that are new in the source are transferred, files that changed are updated, and files that no longer exist in the source are deleted from the destination. That last part is what sets Sync apart from Copy.
Sync deletes files in the destination that are not in the source.
If the two fields are the wrong way round, the sync deletes from the folder you wanted to back up. Check the direction before you start, and run the dry run the first time.
Setup
Choose the paths
Open the toolbar and type sync. One source, one destination: the source is never modified, the destination is made to match it. The swap button reverses the direction; read both fields once more after using it.
Set the options
track_renames is worth turning on: a file renamed in the source gets renamed in the destination instead of deleted and re-uploaded. It needs a remote with checksums, which most have.
Filters exclude files on both sides, so a filter never widens the deletions. Cron makes the sync a nightly backup, see Schedules.
Hover any option to see its explanation. The full list is on rclone sync.
(Optional) Check
The eye icon runs a dry run: the job shows as "DRY RUN" in Transfers, with what the sync would transfer, and touches nothing.
Start
Press "START SYNC". The job starts with "Checking", rclone comparing both sides; files that already match are left alone, and only the differences go across.
Troubleshooting
- Files disappeared from a folder you meant to read from: the fields were the wrong way round, so that folder was the destination. Check the trash of the remote, and read Deleted files by mistake.
- A renamed file was uploaded again in full:
track_renamesis off, or one of the two remotes provides no checksums, in which case rclone cannot recognise the file by content. - The job spends a long time on "Checking" and transfers little: that is a healthy sync of folders that already match. Comparing is the work; only the differences travel.
Video
For more info check out the walkthrough:
For info on the CLI version of the command (rclone sync), see the CLI docs
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