SyncFolders Portable

Always having a backup of important files seems like an easy copy and paste task, but when multiple folders and locations are involved or filters are necessary, we're clearly no longer talking about a simple task. If you're looking for a solution to automate your copy / backup / synchronization jobs that is also free and portable, then look no further than SyncFolders.

The program will run on all modern Microsoft Windows operating systems, but it does require .NET Framework. Just download the archive, extract it in the folder where you keep your portable apps and you're good to go. Upon first opening the app, you'll notice that from the main window you can easily organize your rules. A toolbar is also available, offering quick access to all basic features: creating / editing / moving / renumbering / selecting / copying / deleting rules or creating scheduled tasks.

In SyncFolders, rules define which / where / how files and folders are copied, so, in order to process multiple locations, you need to create multiple rules. Rules are saved in RLS rule files, so if you'd like a batch of rules to run synchronization in different conditions, you'll have to create a new rule file.

When creating a rule, you must provide basic, mandatory information, like source and target folders. By default, SyncFolders only supports local folders - your hard / network / USB drives - so you will not able to establish remote connections - like an (S)FTP location. However - as a pro tip from us - you can use third-party apps that enable you to mount remote locations as network drives to solve this problem.

You can also create filters to make sure some files are skipped or customize file comparison and versioning options. The app also includes some advanced settings that enable you to run commands before and / or after a synchronization or verify results by checking file hashes.

As mentioned before, copying files isn't that hard, what any respectable backup app should include is the ability to automate this process without any user interference and SyncFolders allows you to schedule tasks. The good news is you can set a daily / weekly backup interval and a start time. The bad news is you can only schedule synchronization tasks based on time and not on other types of events.

Once a job is finished, you can access stats in the main window's Processing tab or view more information by clicking the Details button located there. As far as the files are concerned, you might also notice that the app also creates additional (history-related) items along your files, which might bother some users.

In conclusion, if you're looking for backup software that covers sync transfers, while also providing filtering, versioning and scheduled tasks options, SyncFolders might just be the right choice for you. With an accessible, modern look and easy-to-use features, it's the right tool to create backup jobs really fast with little to no hassle.