If you have files on your computer, you need to backup. Plain and simple. Many of us are familiar with backing up and there are lots of methods and programs to use. Another aspect that is somewhat different from backing up is synchronizing files. This means that you are duplicating files from one folder to another and vice versa.

SyncToy, which has been previously covered on MakeUseOf once before, is from Microsoft and is a free program that allows you to do just that, along with a couple other options as well. It’s simple and doesn’t take a lot of time to set up or learn how to use.

Download & Microsoft SyncToy Installation

First you need to download SyncToy from the Microsoft Download Center. You will see options to download. Sadly, Microsoft doesn’t do a very good job of explaining the difference between the two. The files are designated towards both the 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems. If you’re not sure which one you have or what the differences is, this MakeUseOf article can help. The top option, which ends in “x64.exe” is for 64-bit operating systems and the bottom one is for 32-bit.

Once you’ve downloaded and opened the installation file, go through the process of installing it. Once you’ve installed it and opened SyncToy, you’ll be prompted whether to share anonymous information about how you use it or not. I’ll leave you to decide what to do. Personally, I usually opt out of these.

Start Synchronizing

To start pairing folders, click “Create New Folder Pair”. You will then be prompted to enter two folder directories. These can be any sources which you prefer.

If you want to have both folders from your computer, you can do that. Most likely though, you’ll be selecting one folder from your computer and another on a different hard drive (internal or external).