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Hi – Using Synctime (paid) 4.4.1 (136) MacOS 13.2.1, and the confirmation box to confirm that you want to run a backup keeps growing larger and larger with each successive click. So, if you have 10 backup sets that have changed, the Okay button starts in the middle of the screen, but after clicking it, the next Okay button appears a little further down the page, and then the 3rd Okay appears a little below that. This means we have to keep moving our cursor down further and further. Before this change, the Okay button remained in the same spot and could be clicked as soon a the Okay button appeared without having to move the cursor. I hope this make sense. Thank you!
I just published an update that should fix the window resizing issue.
Hi. I’m using SyncTime 4.4 on a MacOS 10.15.7 (Catalina) Schedules used to work but now all next syncs have the Manual value even if a schedule is set. The sync does does not trigger at schedule time. I tried to change the schedule but the sync still displays Manual for the next run.
The sync schedule is deactivated if you uncheck the sync item in the main window. I’ve added a section at the bottom of the help topic for sync schedules. I’ll also mention this in the in-app help that can be opened by clicking the question mark beside the sync schedule.
I was looking to use this for a couple of macs in a corporate environment. Is the app store the bast way to get a copy for multiple systems or can we get the .dmg through you directly with app store updates?
Currently the only way to get SyncTime is to buy it through the App Store. If you’re looking for App Store updates in particular, I don’t think there’s a way to receive updates through the App Store for apps that have not been downloaded through it.
Hi, Will it Sync Box Drive folders to an external drive?
I personally haven’t tried out Box Drive, but if you’re unsure, you can always try out SyncTime Lite, which you can download for free on the App Store.
Hello, I would like to sync a certain folder with sub-folders, except one sub-folder. Frankly, I do not understand the “filters” section at all. It says one can exclude or include files/folders, but how? Could you please help. Thanks in advance
To exclude a specific directory, you should enable the “Filter following files” option and then click on the plus button to select the desired directory.
Can I select my iPhone as the source? I’m trying to copy everything from it before clearing it to send in.
Currently SyncTime doesn’t allow to sync files with an iOS device. When you connect your device via cable to your Mac and select it in the Finder sidebar, you can access the files saved within the apps themselves, but I’m not aware of a way of selectively copying files to and from the Files app unless you’re using iCloud Drive. If the only reason why you want to copy files is to have a backup copy in case something goes wrong with the repair of the device, then I would suggest to make a complete backup of the device. You can read more about this on the Apple website: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/back-up-iphone-iph3ecf67d29/ios
How to change the language in sync time lite? Since the latest update it changed to la langue parisienne, while I prefer, for now, the normandosaxon speech. There’s no entry for “preferences”.
The latest SyncTime update added the French, Spanish and Italian translations. If the app is shown in French for you now, it probably means that you have French higher in the preferred languages list than whatever other language was used before the update. There is a help topic that explains this: Why is the app interface using [this language] instead of [other language]?
Hello, i dont see how to sync automatically, i always have to confirm the changes in the menu.
i want synctime to do the job as soon as possible without any confirmations. Kind regards
To skip the confirmation dialog and apply the sync changes automatically, you can enable the option “Skip confirmation dialog” in the sync settings Advanced tab.
Is there any way to have it sync every 15 minutes? Or anything lower than 1 hour?
Currently there is no setting that schedules a sync at a recurring time interval, but depending on your needs you may still be able to achieve something similar by adding 4 custom sync schedules that run every hour, at a distance of 15 minutes.
So, nun bin ich stolzer Besitzer der Vollversion von SyncTime und es lässt fast keine Wünsche offen, bis auf eine Kleinigkeit.
Gibt es die Möglichkeit, dass man sich nach jedem Sync-Vorgang eine Bestätigungs-Mitteilung anzeigen lassen kann, ob der Sync erfolgreich abgeschlossen worden ist bzw. Fehler aufgetreten sind?
Hier wäre es wünschenswert, dass diese Mitteilungen für jeden einzelnen Sync hinterlegt werden können bzw. auch für die Gruppen.
Gerade in Hinsicht auf fest geplante Syncs, halte ich es für ein MUSS, dass ich eine Info erhalte, dass die Syncs erfolgreich verarbeitet wurden.
Danke für eine Info.
If you mean that you would like to see a standard macOS notification in the notification center, at the top right of the screen: that’s actually sent whenever a sync completes successfully or when an error occurs, but if the app is active while that happens, it won’t be displayed by macOS (like with every other app).
Just started using Sync time this weekend, but so far it seems to be exactly the solution I need. I’m getting an error in the activity log (Conflict for “.DS_Store”) just about every time it performs a sync. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
There is a help topic that should answer your question: Sync errors.
Hi. Thanks for SyncTime. Now that I have gotten more familiar with it I really enjoy it.
1. I have created quite a lot of “Sync Items”. I would like to be able to have a backup copy of those settings. Is there a way to do this at this time? If not can you tell me where I can find the config file for those sync items? Otherwise would it be possible to implement such a function in a future update?
2. About groups of sync items. As I mentioned above I now have lots of Sync Items but I would like to group them, according to their destination for instance. There doesn’t seem to be a way to do this right now. Or is there? Again, I think it would be useful to be able to do this if that would be implemented in a future update.
With all this, again thank you for this very well designed piece of software and your help.
On the help page you should find both topics you mentioned, under Groups and Export and import sync items.
How to I delete or rename groups? Can’t see any way of managing them. Great app, by the way.
The list of groups is compiled automatically whenever you change them in the sync settings General tab, so to remove one you would have to remove the corresponding entry from each sync item that belongs to it, and to rename one you would have to edit it for each sync item. I just added this explanation in the Groups help page.
I saw SyncTime referenced by merecivilian as quoted by Michael Tsai, and I’m really glad I followed their links; SyncTime looks like it could be something I’ve been back-burner looking for for a long time.
One missing tool that I need is compression; I need (ok, really really want) the ability to have a sync (or a branch of a one-way sync) that automatically zips files before they’re stored in the destination.
Lots of good hooks in the OS to do the work, and I don’t think it will FUBAR a sync of its restricted to one-way syncs (aka “backups”).
Any possibility of this? I can introduce you to possibly a whole new market for this (feel free to contact me backchannel).
Thanks!
Being able to compress the destination files is certainly an interesting feature and I’ll be thinking if and how such a feature could be added.
Good evening. When I attempt to install Witgui, I get an OS message that says:
“Witgui” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software. This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.
I’m running Ventura 13.0.1. Suggestions?
Thank you.
I just added a help topic that should allow you to circumvent that error: Why am I getting the error “Witgui can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software”?
I have changed internet providers, and the new router uses 192.168.0.xxx rather that 192.168.1.xxx ip range.
SyncTime still tries to connect to my NAS Server on the old 192.168.1.xxx range.
How do I remove that old ip address from the the SyncTime set of ip addresses ?
PS : Thank you for the wonderful file sync tool that works flawlessly.
If you saved any of your credentials in the Keychain Access app (perhaps indirectly by enabling the option “Remember this password in my keychain” in the server mount dialog), you should be able to edit them in the Keychain Access app (in /Applications/Utilities). I just added a help topic: How do I update the saved login credentials for my server?
Scenario: its been 2 months since my first backup and I want to confirm both drives are in good shape. By comparing their contents.
I’d like to see a “Run Comparison” feature added to the main menu. It reads bits of the selected source/destination pair. Comparing each bit pair to each other. Then reports on any differences found.
Differences in terms of deliberate changes yes, but especially looking for any differences that could indicate corruption. Like files XYZ have the correct name/date/location but the two drives disagree on the content of the files themselves.
There is a “Find unequal files” item in the context menu that should do just what you described.
Thank you for what seems to be a very useful tool! I’m running SyncTime Lite for now, but if it continues working well, I plan to upgrade very soon. Having such a thoughtful, well-designed, powerful tool with frequent updates from a responsive developer at this price is impressive!
I did notice one tiny possible error. In my sync transfer activity log, selecting a particular file Message causes the following info to display in the status bar at the bottom of the window:
Today, 11:55:34 AM: Added /Volumes/Source-Drive/foo.m4a from /Volumes/Destination-Drive/foo.m4a
It’s a one-way sync from Source-Drive to Destination-Drive, but the “from” text seems to indicate a transfer going the other way.
Weirdly, error messages in the log seem to display correctly:
Today, 3:34:21 PM: Error copying /Volumes/Source-Drive/05 Motörhead.m4a to /Volumes/Destination-Drive/Motörhead.m4a
(I always get errors trying to access files with special characters over my network – that’s not a SyncTime problem.)
You’re absolutely right, that log message is slightly wrong: it should read “Added x to y” instead of “Added x from y”. I already noticed it myself and corrected it, and will publish an update soon. The log messages will then be corrected automatically, so even the old existing ones will be correct again.
I have tried to set my destination drive to a NAS drive attached via Ethernet cable to my Mac mini
It just sits there showing “connecting ” but doesn’t
The NAS server is visible in Finder.
Can you advise what I need to do to get Sync Time to connect to the NAS drive.
Thanks
That Connecting phase is still managed by the system Open panel. SyncTime has no influence over it.
I am on v10.13.6 High Sierra and I just got an update notification today that you have just raised the minimum system requirement from 10.10 to 10.13 which has me worried now. How long before you render 10.13 obsolete?? I am not able to get a newer operating system on my “old” iMac so High Sierra is as far as it’ll go. Once you remove the compatibility for 10.13 that I’m on, then you are going to make it impossible to use your program. Please do not take out the code to make 10.13 not work anymore. Not everyone spends (wastes) their money on keeping up with the latest greatest faster computers when their old ones still work just fine. Thank you.
That’s correct, I recently raised the minimum supported macOS version to 10.13. If I could choose, I would still support older versions, because in my opinion people should be able to use the software on older machines, just like you. Unfortunately, when supporting macOS 13-specific features (the newest macOS version), there’s no other way to do so than by raising the minimum macOS version to 10.13. That’s a limitation of the tools provided by Apple to build apps. Since I feel bad myself to “abandon” some users with this practice, the last 2 updates, SyncTime 4.2.3 and 4.2.4, both contain the same features, but 4.2.3 supports macOS 10.10 up to 12, and 4.2.4 supports macOS 10.13 up to 13 (with some macOS 13-specific features). This means that for every future update I would have to create two versions, which would mean quite some effort and time for me. I might still do so for critical fixes, but otherwise, I’m afraid third-party developers like me have to follow what Apple dictates. If that’s a consolation to you, I won’t raise the minimum macOS version again unless forced by Apple.
You don’t have to worry about any of the App Store apps you have installed to not work anymore in the future because of dropped support for your macOS version, because you won’t be able to download it from the App Store anyway. You’ll only be able to update as long as it’s officially supported, otherwise the old version will keep running without being updated.