Category: SyncTime Help
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Why do some files seem to change without apparent reason?
If you’re unsure why a file is listed in the confirmation dialog, either double-click the file or open select Get Info from the context menu, and compare the file attributes between source and destination. Depending on the overwrite policy, the modification date or size should be different. For additional help, see Sync confirmation dialog. Old…
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Why do I get “Error while copying X to Y. File exists”?
Case sensitivity is a property of volumes. On case-sensitive volumes, it is allowed for two filenames to differ only in the case of a letter, whereas on case-insensitive volumes, it is not allowed. For example, on case-sensitive volumes there could be two files named file.txt and File.txt, whereas on case insensitive volumes only one of…
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What are files with the ._ prefix?
Files starting with ._ are created by macOS when copying a file that has extended attributes to a volume that doesn’t support them. This special file is used to save the extended attributes that would otherwise be lost. An example of a volume format that doesn’t support extended attributes is FAT32. These files are hidden…
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Source, destination, base
By default, a sync item consists of two bases: a source and a destination. When changing the sync type to two-way sync, there is no concept of source and destination anymore, since every base is source and destination at the same time. All bases need to have the same type: they all need to be…
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Schedules
Schedules allow sync items and sync groups to run automatically at specified dates and times or when the source and destination volumes become available. For sync items, a schedule allows to select which action to run: For information about the last two actions, see Verify backups. To view and modify schedules, click the button with…
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Force quit
By default, SyncTime appears both in the Dock and as a Menu Bar icon. Only apps that appear in the Dock are listed in the Force Quit window ( > Force Quit). If you disabled the option to show SyncTime in the Dock, in order to force quit it:
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Launch at login
In macOS, you can select any app to be automatically launched at login. On macOS 13 or newer, when launched at login, SyncTime will automatically hide its windows.
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Backup strategy
The backup strategy defines if and how overwritten and removed files can be recovered. The backup strategy can be changed in the Backup tab of the sync item settings. Note: when the option Keep synced in background is enabled, while applying changes in background, removed and overwritten files are not backed up to avoid filling…
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Follow hard and symbolic links and Finder aliases
SyncTime detects hard links on the source and recreates them on the destination. Symbolic links and Finder aliases are not followed, but copied as a link. These links can generally not be followed in sandboxed apps from the Mac App Store. If you want to copy files pointed to by a symbolic link or a…
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Sync confirmation dialog
The sync confirmation dialog is displayed by default. To skip the confirmation dialog and apply the changes automatically, enable the option Skip confirmation dialog in the Advanced tab of the sync item settings. The confirmation dialog shows all the changes that will be applied during a sync, grouped by files to be removed, overwritten and…