FileCatsyn

Keeping two folders updated with the same content can be a tricky task, at least if done through default Windows features, which means manually copying them. Luckily, various specialized applications like FileCatsyn allow you to analyze a couple of target folder, and decide what type of synchronization to perform.

On the one hand, the application skips you the whole effort required to go through a setup process, which means you’re free to carry it around on a thumb drive. This is especially handy if one of the target folders is on that particular removable drive.

There are two navigation sections brought up by default, both in the same window. These are fitted with side navigation panels to quickly browse through all folders in the selected drive, which can be either fixed or removable, as well as a larger list with files and folders inside the selected item.

You can easily switch between source, and destination thanks to tab support. It’s possible to toggle one, or two-panel mode view for more comfort. The good thing about synchronization is that you don’t have to go through great lengths when setting up folders, because the selected pane is always the destination.

Filters can also be configured before synchronization. These target identical, new, missing, or modified files and folders. Analysis needs to be done first, so the application knows what files need to be moved.

Analysis results are shown in the same navigation panels, but hiding all other files and folders, and changing icons according to configured filters. When synchronizing, the application lets you filter according to analysis details, and even select files to target.

Synchronization options only count as a couple, such as the option to commit, forcefully updating the destination folder, overwriting existing items, and deleting missing ones, while the update only processes differences. Sadly, there’s no built-in scheduler to automate the process.

All things considered, we can safely state that FileCatsyn might not be an advanced folder synchronizer, but the way it tackles the problem makes it worth the while overall. The twin navigation panel makes it easy to select target folders, set up filters, analyze, and decide how files are processed.