GoodSync keeps two folder locations aligned according to a saved job. Each job has a left side, a right side, a direction, filters, and rules for deletions or conflicts. The locations can be local disks, removable storage, network folders, or supported remote services. GoodSync does not behave like a passive archive unless the job is configured as a one-way backup; its default two-way model can carry changes in both directions.
Analyze before sync
Analyze reads both sides and builds a tree of proposed actions. Copy arrows show which side will receive a file, while deletion and conflict symbols call for closer attention. Sync commits those actions. The separation lets a user reverse one proposed direction or exclude an item before disk contents change.
Analyze is a snapshot, not a lock on every file. A document edited after analysis can make the plan stale. GoodSync can ask for another analysis when it detects that change, but closing another application before a large run reduces files that are still being written.
Direction changes meaning
A two-way job tries to keep both sides identical and recognizes changes made at either location. A one-way backup sends changes from the chosen source to the destination. Selecting the wrong direction can turn an intended backup into a copy back toward the original folder.
Deletion rules deserve the same care. Two-way synchronization propagates a deletion to the other side. A one-way job can also propagate source deletions when that option is active. Removing a file on a laptop can therefore remove its counterpart at the next run rather than preserve it forever.
Conflicts need a winner
If the same file changes on both sides before synchronization, GoodSync cannot safely combine the edits. It declares a conflict. The user can choose left, right, or no copy. Automatic rules can prefer a side or the newer timestamp, but a newer file is not always the correct document.
Case conflicts are different: two names that differ only by letter case can coexist on one file system and collide on another. That conflict needs a naming correction rather than a direction arrow. A folder-deletion conflict can also appear when one side deletes a folder while the other changes a file inside it.
Saved versions
GoodSync can place the last deleted or replaced file in a saved folder, or keep multiple timestamped copies in a history folder. These controls must be enabled for the job. History also consumes destination space, and an optional cleanup age decides when older copies disappear.
The recovery folder sits inside GoodSync’s control data structure. Treating it as an ordinary synchronized folder can cause confusion or repeated copies. A restore test should locate one earlier file and confirm that it opens before the history becomes the only recovery plan.
How files compare
The normal comparison relies mainly on file size and modification time. It is fast, but copied files with misleading timestamps can appear unchanged. Checksum comparison reads file contents and can expose that difference, though it slows analysis on large collections.
Move and rename detection avoids copying a whole file again when GoodSync can match its earlier identity. Detection can become ambiguous when several files have the same size and modification time. The result may appear as deletion plus creation instead of a simple move, which matters on a slow remote connection.
Automatic jobs
A job can run on file change, a schedule, connection events, or other configured triggers. Automation repeats the stored rules exactly; it does not review whether the direction still matches today’s intention. The first run after changing disks, credentials, or folder paths should remain manual so the Analyze tree can be inspected.
Errors and conflicts are separate states. A permission failure, unreachable server, or full destination is an error, while a conflict means both sides contain competing changes. GoodSync can notify on either condition, but a successful job status still deserves periodic checks of logs, destination capacity, and an actual restored file.
