It geek how to keep files with the same name in sync

If you have a few different computers and drives, it can be annoying making sure the same data is each one you need. Today we take a look at making folder and data synchronization easier with the Microsoft SyncToy 2.1 utility.

You might have a flash drive that you use to carry files and documents from the workplace to your home office and vice versa. Sometimes though, you might forget to copy the files you need over to the drive. With Microsoft’s SyncToy it allows you to easily make sure the data between drives and folders is synchronized everyday. There are a lot of reasons you might want to synchronize folders. For example, maybe you want to sync your My Pictures folder with the one at work, or sync your music at home with music on another computer. This is a free tool from Microsoft that was once part of the XP Power Toys but has continued to grow and improve.

Installing SyncToy

When you install SyncToy it also installs Microsoft Sync Framework 2.0 Core Components, which is their sync platform that enables offline access to apps, services and devices.

On our Windows 7 (32-bit) system there wasn’t an option to create a shortcut for the desktop or Quick Launch Bar, but you’ll see it in the Start Menu and create a shortcut from there if you want.

When first launching SyncToy, there is an option to participate in the Customer Experience Improvement Program. This is up to the user and participation is not necessary to use it.

Using SyncToy

When you begin using SyncToy, you’ll need to create a new folder pair to sync your data. You can choose a pair of folders on the same machine, external drives, or over a network.

Browse to the location of each of the folders you want to keep synced. In this example we’re syncing the contents of my home office folder and work files folder to an external flash drive.

In the next step choose the actions you want to take place between the two folders. Synchronize is checked by default and should be fine for most users. According to the SyncToy help file, these are the differences between each action:

• Synchronize: Updates files both ways…keeping changes like renames, deletions and edits to either folder contents the same between the two.
• Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.
• Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.

Now type in a name for the synced folders and click Finish.

A sync job has been successfully created. You’re shown the details of the job including options which you can change if you want. The job hasn’t been run yet so you can preview it or if everything looks correct click on the Run button.

If you preview the job first it shows the files being synced and from there you might want to exclude certain ones.

If everything goes right you’ll get a screen telling you the sync was successful.

Here is an example of a non-successful synchronization where you can go in and see what errors had occurred.

Also notice from the main GUI you can rename a folder pair, create a new pair, or delete a pair.

Schedule SyncToy Tasks

While setting up the folder pairs and syncing them up manually is a great start, what you really want to do is schedule this to run automatically. Here we’ll take a look at how to schedule it to run automatically in Vista or Windows 7. We need to use Windows Task Scheduler, so click on the Start Menu and type task scheduler into the search box.

When Task Scheduler opens click on Create Basic Task under the Action pane.

Next type in a name and description of the task.

Select how often you want the Synchronization to occur. This is entirely up to you…but to be sure it’s done and files in both folders are ready when you need them, go for Daily.

Choose the date and time for it to start and keep 1 entered if you want it to occur everyday.

Next make sure Start a program is selected.

Finally browse to the location of SyncToy.exe where in this example it’s in C:\Program Files\SyncToy2.1\SyncToy.exe Then in the Add arguments field enter in –R by which by itself will run all folder pairs you have set up to be synced.

You will be given an overview of how the task will run and if everything looks correct click finish.

There are a couple of ways you can verify the synchronization task was successful. You can go into Task Scheduler and under Task Status see the last time it was executed and if it was successful.

Or you can just look in the lower left corner of the SyncToy GUI and see when it was last run.

Conclusion

You can create basically any amount of folder pairs you need to be synchronized. It will allows you to synchronize 2 folders across a network, on the same PC, or to USB flash or external drives. It works on XP, Vista and Windows 7 where there is a separate version for 32 & 64-bit versions. If you’re looking for a free and effective way to synchronize data between two folders on different devices, SyncToy 2.1 will get the job done.

Chris Hoffman is Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. He’s written about technology for over a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami’s NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read nearly one billion times—and that’s just here at How-To Geek. Read more.

So you have multiple computers and you want to keep your files in sync, but you don’t want to store them on someone else’s servers. You’ll want a service that synchronizes files directly between your computers.

With such a service, you can synchronize an unlimited amount of files and people can’t gain access to your files just by gaining access to an account on a server and viewing the files via the web interface.

We’re focused on syncing files over the network here — either over a local network or the Internet. We’re looking for Dropbox-style solutions that don’t store files on a central server like Dropbox does.

BitTorrent Sync

BitTorrent Sync uses BitTorrent to transfer files — in private and in encrypted form, so no one can snoop on them. Just install it, select a folder, and generate a secret. Provide that secret to anyone — either another computer you own or a friend you would like to sync files with — and your folder will be automatically kept in sync across all configured PCs. This happens directly — either over a local network or over the Internet — using the powerful and fast BitTorrent technology.

BitTorrent Sync offers clients for Windows, Mac, and Linux, so you can use it to sync your files with computers running any popular operating system. Unlike many other services, its features are completely free and it doesn’t require you run a separate server.

AeroFS

AeroFS is free, assuming you don’t need its more advanced features. It creates a Dropbox-like folder on your computer and files sync automatically between the computers you set up. You can share each folder with one additional person, but you’ll need the paid version to share with additional people after that. It doesn’t use BitTorrent and relies on a user account system — there’s a central server that manages user accounts and sharing, but files aren’t hosted on AeroFS’s servers. They’re only stored on your computers. AeroFS promises that it “can’t even see your file names.”

Its interface is very similar to Dropbox’s, even down to the tour that appears when you install it. It’s a very Dropbox-like solution, but it skips the cloud so you can sync unlimited files. Like Dropbox, it supports Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Cubby

LogMeIn’s Cubby offers cloud storage, but it also offers a “DirectSync” feature. DirectSync allows you to synchronize an unlimited number of files directly between computers, skipping the cloud. Microsoft’s Windows Live Mesh used to do this, but Live Mesh has been discontinued. Cubby is available for both Windows and Mac OS X; there’s no Linux support.

You will have to create an account, and cloud storage is enabled by default in Cubby. While DirectSync was previously free when we recommended it as an alternative to Windows Live Mesh, DirectSync is now a paid feature. Unless you really love Cubby, you’re probably better off with another solution.

Roll Your Own Server

These are the two biggest options. However, these aren’t the only ways to sync files directly between your own computers. There are other options you have, although those solutions aren’t as easy to use and will require more manual configuration:

• SparkleShare: SparkleShare is an open-source Dropbox-like file syncing solution. The only difference is that you host it yourself. You could host Sparkleshare on one of your computers or on a server you have access to and get Dropbox-like syncing that’s entirely under your control.
• rsync: rync isn’t an instant syncing solution, but it can be used to run automatic incremental backups to a server. You could run a nightly rsync job and sync your files to an FTP server.

There are many other options you can use. Anything with a self-hosted server component or any sort of solution that automatically creates incremental backups and uploads to a remote server will do, but you’ll have to host your own server software in both cases. Solutions like BitTorrent Sync and AeroFS are the most convenient because they’re not made to require a separate server — they just run on your existing computers.

Disadvantages

Of course, there are a number of disadvantages to doing it this way. You’ll have to ensure you have backup copies of your files, as there’s no central backup copy in the cloud on someone else’s servers. There’s also no way to access these files from your phone or tablet with a mobile app, as you can with the Dropbox, Google Drive, or SkyDrive mobile apps. They’re not stored on a central server the apps can pull from; they’re just automatically synced between your computers.

And, of course, your computers must be powered on at the same time or they won’t be able to sync directly with each other.

In return, you get the ability to sync an unlimited number of files and keep them entirely under your control. It’s up to you which tradeoffs you want to make.

Do you use another solution to sync your files and skip the cloud? Leave a comment and share it with us!

Matthew Guay is a veteran app reviewer and technology tip writer. His work has appeared on Zapier’s blog, AppStorm, Envato Tuts+, and his own blog, Techinch. Read more.

Would you like to be able to access your files instantly from anywhere? With Live Mesh you can sync files between computers, mobile devices, and even Macs which is both free and easy.

Live Mesh is a free service from Microsoft that lets you sync files between PCs, Macs, Windows Phones, and an online desktop with 5Gb of storage. You can sync any file or folder from any and all of these locations. Live Mesh gives you full control over your files, so they can be synced with 2 computers, one computer and the cloud, or 30 computers – your choice! You can also remotely access any connected computer’s full desktop from any internet connected computer worldwide via the web interface.

So let’s get started.

Head over to Live Mesh and click the Sign in button.

Sign in with your Windows Live ID (including your Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox login), or create a new account if you don’t already have one.

Welcome to Mesh! You’re immediately welcomed with a link to your Live Desktop. This is your online desktop for Mesh where you can save your files online and sync them from your computers. Click connect to see it.

The online Desktop works very similar to your Windows desktop, including the Aero look and feel. Mesh helps you quickly get setup with helpful tutorials the first time you login.

Now you can add a folder. Simply click the “Create New Folder” and enter the name you want for your folder.

Click the down arrow on the dialog box to choose where to sync your files. Remember, files and folders in Mesh can be synced between any 2 locations, so if you wish to only have the file on 2 computers and not online, or on one computer and online, it’s up to you.

You can easily upload files directly from the “Explorer” window in Mesh, and can also rename and move files.

Or, you can even view a Silverlight-powered slideshow of your pictures by clicking on the Media View button.

But Live Mesh’s best feature is that you can directly connect with your computers and Windows Mobile devices. Click on the Devices button to return to the main screen.

Now click the “Add a device” link, and select the appropriate download. Mesh supports Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7, including 64 bit versions. It also works with Windows Mobile and a tech preview for Mac OS X.

Installing Mesh is very simple. It runs quietly from the tray and lets you know its progress with a small indicator.

Once it is installed, simply sign in with your Windows Live ID (the same one you used to sign in online).

Now add a name for your computer so you’ll know which computer it is from the Live Desktop.

Now you can easily add files and folders to your Mesh so they can sync with other computers or the Live Desktop. Simply right-click on any folder, and select “Add folder to Live Mesh” and you will be presented with all of the sharing options you had on the Live Desktop.

All synced folders will have a Mesh sidebar which shows recent activity in that folder. You can also view this bar by clicking on the Mesh icon in your taskbar.

And now, when you sign into your Live Desktop, your computer will be listed with your devices. You can even choose to remotely login to your computer if you wish directly from the Live Desktop online.

Mesh also works on Windows Mobile devices. Simply visit the Live Mesh site from your phone’s browser, sign in with your Live ID, and download and install Mesh from there.

Once installed, you can sync any folder from your phone, or access other folders in your Mesh. This is a great way to keep your Windows Phone in sync with your computer!

In Closing:

Mesh is a great way to keep files synced across your computers and mobile devices, and even on the cloud. Whether you need to keep all your documents on your desktop and laptop, or make sure that crucial file is available from anywhere with an internet connection. Check it out, and let us know what you think!

Matthew Guay is a veteran app reviewer and technology tip writer. His work has appeared on Zapier’s blog, AppStorm, Envato Tuts+, and his own blog, Techinch. Read more.

Would you like to keep a folder synced with Dropbox without moving it to the Dropbox folder? Here’s how you can sync any folder on your computer with Dropbox.

Dropbox is a great service for keeping your files synced between your computers and the cloud. Unfortunately, though, you have to place files and folders in the Dropbox folder for them to sync. You could move folders to Dropbox and create a symbolic link to them in their original location, but this can be difficult to setup. An easier solution would be to sync the folders to a new folder in Dropbox, so everything will stay the same. Here’s how to do this in Dropbox using SyncToy.

Getting Started

First, make sure you have Dropbox (link below) installed and setup on your computer.

Then download and install SyncToy (link below). Make sure to download the correct version for your computer, as there are 32 and 64 bit versions available.

If you don’t already have the Sync Framework installed, you’ll be prompted to install it first. It’s already included in the SyncToy installer, though, so you won’t have to worry about a separate download.

Once its installed, it will automatically launch the SyncToy installer; setup as normal.

When you first run SyncToy you’ll be asked to participate in the feedback program; select if you want to participate or not and click Ok. Now you’re ready to start syncing files and folders with Dropbox.

Syncing a Folder With Dropbox

To sync a folder with Dropbox, run SyncToy and click Create New Folder Pair.

On the Left Folder field, select the folder you want to sync with Dropbox, and then select the Dropbox folder you want to sync this data to in the Right Folder field.

Now choose how you want to sync the folder. Choose Synchronize if you want to edit the files on multiple computers and keep the changes saved between all of them. For most users, Synchronize is the best option. Select Echo if you simply want to backup your files to Dropbox but not save changes to the files back on your computer. Or, select Contribute to have new files copied both ways, but to never remove deleted files from the folder in Dropbox. Click Next once you’ve made your selection.

Finally, give your sync pair a name, and select Finish.

Run the Folder Sync

Once your file pair is setup, you’ll be able to select it from the menu on the left. Click Run to go ahead and sync your files.

Now the sync will copy all new files and changes to your Dropbox folder, and will tell you if there are any errors.

You’ll have to run this every time you want to sync the files in the folder, but it will be much easier than copying the files over manually and deciding whether to overwrite the files and changes.

Conclusion

This trick makes it easy to sync anything with Dropbox. Whether you want to sync draft files for your next book or log files from a diagnostics app, you’ll be able to store them in the default location and keep them synced with Dropbox. Feel free to repeat the steps and keep as many folders as you like synced with Dropbox.

If you’d like to simply send an individual file to Dropbox, check out our article on How to Add Dropbox to the Send To Menu. Or, if your Dropbox is getting too big and you don’t want to keep all of your Dropbox files on your computer, here’s how to Sync Specific Folder From Dropbox With Your Computer.

What is Unison?

The Unison technology developed by Benjamin C Pierce under the GPL License allows users to synchronize two single file instances on the same system but different disks or two other systems.

Unison allows you to keep an updated and identical version of the same file or directory. It’s utilizable in a wide variety of contexts, such as SSH, allowing secure transfer of data between devices or directories.

The Unison tool is cross-platform, allowing users to sync files and directories between systems running the same or different operating systems. For example, you can sync files from a Linux system to a BSD system. Because of its security features, Unison syncs files and directories and applies ownership and permissions rights on both systems.

The Unison tool is developed with security in mind and can survive failures where interruptions happen between syncing points. If Unison detects file and directory conflicts, it reports the existing conflicts and allows the users to select which version of the files should apply.

Unison can work with—or supports—slow networks, making it a very efficient tool for bandwidth usage. It only synchronizes parts and directories that have changed, thus preventing heavy load and updating the sync process very easily and quickly.

Despite its primary usage context, Unison is a powerful tool that can be modified to create a wide range of use cases.

This tutorial will discuss how to install and setup the Unison File Synchronization System on Debian 10.

How to Install Unison on Debian 10

Unison is a popular tool; because of that, it’s available in official repositories of major Linux distributions.

To install the command-line version of Unison on Debian, start updating the system:

Next, use the simple apt to command to install the tool.

If you have a desktop environment installed on your system and prefer a GUI version of the tool, install unison-gtk using the command:

NOTE: Ensure you install Unison on both versions of the systems you wish to sync files between them. For compatibility and to minimize the chances of errors, it is better to have the same version of Unison in both systems.

How to Sync Files with Unison

Unison provides us with ways to sync files and directories between local machines and remote machines using direct socket connections and SSH. Since we are syncing between two Debian servers, we will skip local machine synchronization.

Unison Remote and Remote Sync via SSH

To synchronize files and directories between remote machines, you will need to have Unison installed in both systems, have SSH access to both the systems and their IP addresses.

You can also use your local machine as one server and the remote device as the other server.

• 192.168.0.200 – server1
• 192.168.0.201 – server2

The first step is to create a private and public key on the remote server1.

ssh-keygen -t rsa

Generating public / private rsa key pair.

Enter file in which to save the key ( / home / csalem / .ssh / id_rsa ) :

Created directory ‘/home/csalem/.ssh’ .

Enter passphrase ( empty for no passphrase ) :

Enter the same passphrase again:

Your identification has been saved in / home / csalem / .ssh / id_rsa.

Your public key has been saved in / home / csalem / .ssh / id_rsa.pub.

The key fingerprint is:

SHA256:4p5YuEBEa5lrINzqPgwHRVhSS0TNlIIl70A0q2MFcS8 csalem @ Debian-PC

The key’s random art image is:

Quickly skip over the key generating process and save the file. Please do not add a passphrase because it can hinder unmonitored sync between the servers.

Next, copy the key from server1 to server2 using the command:

Now that you have SSH setup on both systems, you can start Unison to sync files and directories.

Let’s test the use of Unison on both servers by creating the directory we will sync on server1:

On server2, create a directory as above

As mentioned, Unison respects user permissions. Therefore, it is best to change permissions and ownership in both directories to ensure both directories have read and write privileges.

Next, add all the data you wish to synchronize between the servers in dir1. For example, add a few zip files.

Having the files, we want to sync in the right directory, run unison command to sync from server one as:

On the first Unison launch, you will receive a warning that the syncing process can take a while. If you have large files in the directories, this can take a while, but since we are only using it for testing purposes, it should be relatively quick.

Press Enter to start the sync process. Once the sync process completes, go to server2, navigate to dir2, and list the contents of the directory as:

cd / dir2 && ls -la

-rw-r–r– 1 root root 436 Jan 5 12 : 57 Documents.zip

Modifying Unison Configuration

In most cases, we do not want to interactively sync files between these servers as the process is repetitive and inefficient. We can edit the Unison configuration file to allow automatic sync files.

Use the command below to edit the default configuration file:

In the file, add the following lines:

The above lines disable prompts when syncing files, automating the process.

Setting up Unison Cronjob

One sure thing is that programmers are very averse to doing things manually, especially when it’s possible to automate, which is the case here. We can set up a cronjob for Unison to be performing sync automatically.

In server1, create a simple bash script to run unison command as:

In the file, start with a shebang and add the unison sync command:

unison / dir1 ssh: // 192.168.0.201 // dir2

As usual, make the script execute permissions:

Now edit your cronjob file with crontab:

If this is your first time editing crontab—I hope it’s not—choose your editor and enter the following line to sync with Unison every 1 hour:

You can also set up the crontab to run at specific times of the day. You also do not need to use a script and can use a raw command in the crontab.

Conclusion

This tutorial showed you how to install and setup Unison on a Debian system for files and directories synchronization.

Although this quick guide can help you get started, you can learn more by using Unison man pages (manual pages) or the official documentation using the resource provided below:

About the author

John Otieno

My name is John and am a fellow geek like you. I am passionate about all things computers from Hardware, Operating systems to Programming. My dream is to share my knowledge with the world and help out fellow geeks. Follow my content by subscribing to LinuxHint mailing list

Productivity apps, 1 TB of OneDrive, and advanced security.

Important:
Support for the old OneDrive for Business sync app with SharePoint Online has ended. If you see this icon in your taskbar, read this article to learn more.

With OneDrive, you can sync files between your computer and the cloud, so you can get to your files from anywhere – your computer, your mobile device, and even through the OneDrive website at OneDrive.com. If you add, change, or delete a file or folder in your OneDrive folder, the file or folder is added, changed, or deleted on the OneDrive website and vice versa. You can work with your synced files directly in File Explorer and access your files even when you’re offline. Whenever you’re online, any changes that you or others make will sync automatically.

This article describes how to download the OneDrive sync app and sign in with your personal account, or work or school account, to get started syncing. If you use Microsoft 365 Apps for business, you can also sync files from your SharePoint sites. If you’re not using Microsoft 365 Apps for business, see Sync SharePoint files with the OneDrive for Business sync app (Groove.exe).

Note: For information about syncing files on macOS, see Sync files with OneDrive on Mac OS X.

Note: For more information about how to use OneDrive, see OneDrive video training.

Install and set up

If you’re using Windows 10, your computer already has the OneDrive app installed – skip to step 2.

If you don’t have Windows 10 or Office 2016, install the Windows version of the new OneDrive sync app.

Start OneDrive Setup.

If you have no accounts signed in to OneDrive

If you don’t currently have an account signed in to OneDrive, use these instructions to start OneDrive.

Select the Start button, search for “OneDrive”, and then open it:

In Windows 10, select OneDrive.

In Windows 7, under Programs, select Microsoft OneDrive.

In Windows 8.1, search for OneDrive for Business, then select the OneDrive for Business app.

When OneDrive Setup starts, enter your personal account, or your work or school account, and select Sign in.

Key points in OneDrive Setup

There are two screens in OneDrive Setup that are helpful to watch for:

On the This is your OneDrive folder screen, select Next to accept the default folder location for your OneDrive files. If you want to change the folder location, select Change location – this is the best time to make this change.

On the All your files, ready and on-demand screen, you’ll see how files are marked to show them as online-only, locally available, or always available. Files On-Demand helps you access all your files in OneDrive without having to download all of them and use storage space on your Windows device. Select Next.

Note: If you were already syncing OneDrive for work or school to your computer (using the previous sync app) and you’ve just installed the sync app, you won’t see the This is your OneDrive folder or the Sync files from your OneDrive screen during OneDrive Setup. The sync app automatically takes over syncing in the same folder location you were using before. To choose which folders you’re syncing, right-click the blue cloud icon in the taskbar notification area, and select Settings > Account > Choose folders.

See and manage your OneDrive files

You’re all set. Your OneDrive files will appear in File Explorer in the OneDrive folder. If you use more than one account, your personal files appear under OneDrive – Personal and your work or school files appear under OneDrive – CompanyName.

You now have a new white or blue cloud icon (or both) in your notification area and your files are synced to your computer. Your blue cloud icon will appear as OneDrive – [YourTenantName] when you hover over the icon.

Note: Contoso is an example name – yours will show the name of your organization.

Any time you want to change the folders you sync on your computer, right-click that cloud icon in the taskbar notification area, and select Settings > Account > Choose folders. Find other information about your account and change other OneDrive settings from here.

When you save/replace an image with an image of the same name, is threre any way you do not have to relocate the cursor to the name line? In XP if you wanted to replace the name with another name it automatically placed the cursor in the line for renaming, thus avoiding one more step.

Report abuse

Hey Sam Bloomfield,

Here’s a little insight on how rename function works in Windows explorer depending on many scenarios.

1. If you are renaming a file to a different name, you can make the mouse cursor stay in the naming field. Slowly double-click on the file which is already selected. This highlights the file to be renamed.

To match the double-click sensitivity of the mouse to your finger’s pace, check the speed of your mouse.

Check the topic To change how the mouse buttons work fromthis article Change mouse settings .

2. When you try to copy an image to a location wherein another image with the same name exists, Windows explorer will prompt you with these three options:

There is already a file with the same name in this location. Click the file you want to keep.

Ø Copy and Replace

Ø Copy, but keep both files

If you choose the last option i.e Copy, but keep both filesthe file you are copying will be renamed with the same name differentiated by numbering. For instance, if the file in concern is test.jpg, the file you are copying is renamed to test (2).jpg.

3. When you try to rename a file xyz.jpg to an already existing name, say for instance test.jpg, Windows explorer prompts you to either rename xyz.jpg to test (2).jpg or cancel the rename process.

Also have a look at this article Rename a file for more insight in the rename command.

Shinmila H – Microsoft Support

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Before fixing OneDrive sync issues

Make sure you have Windows 10 and OneDrive installed with the latest update. You can check for a Windows update on Settings > Update & security > Windows Update.

Restart the OneDrive sync client app on your PC

1. If OneDrive isn’t syncing any file or folder, you should attempt to reset the desktop sync client app.
2. On the notification area, right-click the OneDrive (cloud) icon. (If you don’t see the icon, click the Show hidden icons up arrow button on the far-left side of the notification area.)
3. Click the Exit option.
4. On the dialog box prompt, click the Close OneDrive button.
5. Open the Start menu, do a search for OneDrive, and open the desktop app. (This will open the OneDrive folder indicating that the app is running.)

Check if your OneDrive account is connected to Windows 10

1. When OneDrive isn’t syncing, you want to make sure your account is connected to Windows 10, and you also want to ensure you’re using the correct Microsoft Account.
2. Use the Windows key + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
3. Select Settings > Accounts > Your email and accounts
4. If the account is not connected, click the Sign in with a Microsoft account instead option.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to switch to your Microsoft Account.
6. If you’re not using the same Microsoft Account associated with your OneDrive account, you may want to create a new account using the correct credentials related to the cloud storage service.

Make sure you select OneDrive folders to sync

1.) In Windows 10, Microsoft has moved to selective sync; this means that you have to select manually the files and folders you want to sync before you can download or upload a file.

2.) You can select the files and folders you want to sync using the following instructions:

• On the notification area, right-click the OneDrive (cloud) icon. (If you don’t see the icon, click the Show hidden icons up arrow button on the far-left side of the notification area.)
• Select the Settings option.
• Click on the Account tab .
• Click the Choose folders button.
• Select either the Sync all files and folders in my OneDrive or select the files and folders you want to sync to your computer.
• Click OK to save the new changes.

Note: Keep in mind that if you don’t choose to sync all your OneDrive folders when someone else shares a new folder or file, the new content won’t sync with your computer until you manually select it to do so.

Complete the OneDrive setup process

In case you’re on a brand new computer, your files may not be syncing because you probably haven’t finished the OneDrive configuration.

1. Use the Windows key + E keyboard shortcut to open Explorer.
2. Click the OneDrive (blue) folder from the left pane to open the wizard.
3. Select the files and folders you want to sync to complete the setup.

Keep file paths short in OneDrive

Another factor that can cause OneDrive not to sync data is the length of the path. According to Microsoft, the path, including the filename, should not exceed 255 characters.

Long file path example: C:\Users\Your_User_Name\Pictures\EveryYear\2016January\Holiday\Christmas\Home\This_is_my_picture_with_a_long_name.jpg

Note: You can try making the file name shorter and avoid having too many subfolders, inside of subfolders, by bringing folders closer to the root directory.

Check your PC’s available storage space

1. OneDrive no longer offers placeholders to indicate content that is only available with an internet connection, which means that your computer must have (at least) the same amount of available space as the storage you’re using in OneDrive. Otherwise, if you don’t have enough available local storage, OneDrive won’t sync your files.
2. To make more room on your computer’s hard drive, move or delete some of your files on your computer.
3. Check the amount of storage you’re currently using on OneDrive and compare it to the available hard drive space in your computer.
4. Click on [Start] , search for OneDrive to open the desktop client sync app.
5. Follow the instructions to select the files you want to sync to your computer and choose the location to sync your personal files.

Check for conflicting files or folders in the same location

You may come across conflicts if you are making changes to a folder with files trying to sync, or when you try to upload multiple files using the OneDrive web experience. If you notice conflicting content, rename the files or folders, and try syncing one more time.

Unlink OneDrive and start over

There could be an issue with your account settings on your computer that is preventing OneDrive to sync your files. If this is the case, you can unlink your account and go through the setup wizard one more time.

1. On the notification area, right-click the OneDrive (cloud) icon. (If you don’t see the icon, click the Show hidden icons up arrow button on the far-left side of the notification area.)
2. Select Settings .
3. Click the Unlink OneDrive button.
4. The desktop sync app will launch and follow the instructions to select the files you want to sync to your computer and choose the location to sync your personal files.

When nothing else is working, reset OneDrive

When you have tried the previous steps and they’ve yet help to fix the sync issue, you can reset the OneDrive desktop client sync app.

1. Use the Windows key + X keyboard shortcut to open the Power User menu, and select Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type the following command: %localappdata%\Microsoft\OneDrive\onedrive.exe /reset and hit Enter.
3. Make sure the OneDrive icon is no longer visible in the taskbar’s notification area (bottom right corner) to verify the command worked.
4. According to Microsoft, the icon should re-appear after two minutes. If it doesn’t re-appear, open Start, do a search for OneDrive and hit Enter to restart the desktop sync app.

How To Get Help

If you still need further assistance with this application, please contact the Technology Support Center at 309-438-4357 or by email at [email protected]

Technology Support Center
115 Julian Hall
Illinois State University
Campus Box 4000
Normal, Il 61790-4000

A package is a namespace that combines a set of relevant classes and interfaces. Conceptually one can consider packages as being similar to various folders on your computer. One might have HTML pages in one folder, images in another, and scripts or applications in yet another. Because in android, software written in the Java/Kotlin programming language can be made of hundreds or thousands of different classes, it makes sense to keep things organized by placing related classes and interfaces into packages.

A package is basically the directory (folder) in which source code resides. Normally, this is a directory structure that uniquely distinguishes the android application; such as com.example.app. Then the developer can build packages within the application package that divides the code; such as com.example.app.ui or com.example.app.data. The package for each android application resides within the src/main/java directory of the application module. The developer could put a different package within the application package to separate each “layer” of the application architecture.

There might be many situations when the developer wants to change the package name of the App in Android Studio. The developer might have download source code from the internet and requires to rename the package name according to his/her Application details. Here in this article, we are going to discuss step by step how to rename/change package name in Android Studio:

Step by Step Implementation

Step 1: To rename package name in Android studio open your project in Android mode first as shown in the below image.

Step 2: Now click on the setting gear icon and deselect Compact Middle Packages.

Step 3: Now the packages folder is broken into parts as shown in the below image.

Step 4: Now right-click on the first package name (com) and Refactor > Rename. A warning message will be displayed but go ahead and click on the Rename current button.

Step 5: Rename the directory name as your requirement and click on the Refactor button.

Note: Go to Build > Rebuild Project to display the updated name.

Now you can see your directory name changes from com -> gfg as shown in the below image.

Step 6: Do the same for the domain extension and App folder name according to your requirement.