SyncFolder
Running Tasks
Once a task is configured, you can run it by hand, test it with a simulation, or let the app run it automatically in the background. This page also explains the status page and the results of a run.
Run a Task
Tap the … button next to a task on the Home page and choose Execute, or open the task and tap Execute. To run all tasks, tap Execute all at the bottom of the Home page. Tasks run one after the other. A task that is waiting for its turn shows Enqueued.
Choose Simulate to see what the task would do, without copying or deleting anything. The result is marked Simulated - no data transferred. This is the safest way to test a new task or new filters.
The task shows its current step (for example Scanning location A, Comparing files or Copying), the number of files copied so far and the progress of the current file. Tap Stop execution to cancel the run. Files that were already copied stay at the destination.
The Status Page
Tap a task on the Home page to open its status page:
- General: the sync mode, the source (From) and the destination (To).
- Last execution result: when the task last ran, how long it took, and how many files were copied and deleted.
- Results: the lists of files and folders that were copied, deleted or that failed, for example The next files have been copied.
The buttons at the top are Execute, Edit and Reset. The menu also contains Simulate, Empty recycle bin and Delete.
Reset clears the last result and what the app remembers about the destination. The next run compares the source and destination again from scratch. Use it when you changed files at the destination yourself, or when the results look wrong.
Deletion Approval on the First Run
The first time a One-Way Sync (Mirror) task runs, the app never deletes files at the destination on its own. If it finds files there that aren't in the source, it copies the new files and then stops with the state Success (needs deletion approval). The results show The next files have to be deleted.
Check the list. If the deletions are correct, tap Confirm delete. If not, change the task (for example choose another destination folder) before you run it again.
After the first run, deletions happen automatically. Unless you enabled Bypass Recycle Bin, deleted files go to the recycle bin folder at the destination (see Advanced task settings).
Task States
The run finished without problems. No changes detected means that the source and destination were already the same.
The run stopped because of an error. The reason is shown below the task. See Error messages.
The source (A) or destination (B) couldn't be reached, for example because your NAS or PC is off, or a USB drive was removed.
No folder has been selected for the source (A) or destination (B). Open the task with Configure and select a folder.
The source contains files or folders whose names differ only by upper and lower case, such as Photo.jpg and photo.jpg. Many destinations (Windows, OneDrive, most NAS devices) can't store both. Rename one of them and run the task again.
You stopped the run, or it was interrupted before it could finish. Run the task again. It continues where it left off: files that were already copied aren't copied again.
Automatic Background Sync
Tasks with Automatic background updates enabled run automatically every 15 minutes, also when the app isn't open. While this service is active, Android shows a notification: SyncFolder's periodic synchronization service has started. It will run every 15 minutes.
- A task that uses a NAS or a Windows computer only runs when your device is on Wi-Fi and the NAS or PC can be reached. Otherwise it's skipped until the next round.
- To pause all automatic runs at once, enable Disable periodic sync in Settings.
Android can stop background work to save battery. Allow SyncFolder to run without battery restrictions (see Permissions). If you swipe SyncFolder away from the list of recent apps, the background sync stops too.