Syncing "Documents" folder between two PCs 100% automatically

[NeilF]

A relative of mine has a desktop and laptop, both with a traditional Documents folder, currently with the same files in.

Is is possible for something (eg: OneDrive) to mirror and sync these 100% automatically, so if they amend/create/delete a document on one PC, the change is mirrored to the other?

If Onedrive can't do this is there something else?


I guess worse case I could move all their existing documents from their traditional "Documents" folder to their "OneDrive" documents folder which would achieve the goal would it not?

Any suggestions?




SOLUTION: Use OneDrive, and then the easiest way to move the files and update the location of "Documents" and indeed even "Picture" is to open "My PC", then right click on the Documents Folder (or Pictures Folder), properties, location, 'Move', move folder to one drive folder. You'll be given an option to move the existing data or not, which you can decide to do or not...

 

[chroniclard]

This is exactly what Onedrive is for.

 

[Semple]

As above, any of the cloud sync clients will do this - OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox etc.

 

[NeilF]

As above, any of the cloud sync clients will do this - OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox etc.

So with OneDrive you can now declare/add a stand alone folder to include in the sync/cloudification? So I can point it to folder "BlibBlob" on both PCs and it will sync them?

Or are you saying I'll have to move all the documents on both PCs into the dedicated OneDrive folder?

 

[chroniclard]

Ah, you can do that but its fiddly. Best just setting up one drive and moving the documents there via the windows thingie that moves the location of your documents folder. Once setup they wont even notice its a different location really.

 

[Semple]

So with OneDrive you can now declare/add a stand alone folder to include in the sync/cloudification? So I can point it to folder "BlibBlob" on both PCs and it will sync them?

Or are you saying I'll have to move all the documents on both PCs into the dedicated OneDrive folder?

I believe you'll need to move them to the dedicated OneDrive folder - this gets created inside your Windows Personal folder (C:/users/<username>/). You have the option to selectively sync folders/files to other devices then.

If you have documents on two separate PC's that need syncing both ways then this will be fine as well.

 

[Moley]

Onedrive allows you to select folders to sync.

 

[NeilF]

Ah, you can do that but its fiddly. Best just setting up one drive and moving the documents there via the windows thingie that moves the location of your documents folder. Once setup they wont even notice its a different location really.

So on one of the PCs manually move the contents of the document folder into Onedrive?

Then on both PCs make the default location for documents the OneDrive? eg: Do this? - https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-onedrive-your-default-save-location-windows-10

ps: Then on the second PC, clean out the now defunct/unused? legacy "Documents" folder...

 

[NeilF]

Onedrive allows you to select folders to sync.

So you recon on both PCs I could simply tell OneDrive to sync folder "BlibBlob" which in itself has nothing to do with OneDrive?

 

[Deleted member 77746]

So you recon on both PCs I could simply tell OneDrive to sync folder "BlibBlob" which in itself has nothing to do with OneDrive?

I don't recon, I know. Why don't you install it and try it and use it and tell us if this is what it does?

 

[Semple]

So you recon on both PCs I could simply tell OneDrive to sync folder "BlibBlob" which in itself has nothing to do with OneDrive?

No, OneDrive needs to know about the folder before you can selectively sync.

As far as i can see on mine, OneDrive will only know about the files/folders that are located within the OneDrive folder.

 

[chroniclard]

You cant select folders outside of the onedrive folder to sync. There are ways around it but they are fiddly and not worth it.

• Install onedrive
• Pick good location for one drive folder
• Go to documents folder, right click, properties, location, "Move", move folder to one drive folder.
• Do same on other PC
• Let them sync up.
• Done

Should be it I reckon....

 

[Semple]

OP as you seem to be new to these, it's worth noting that these are sync clients and are not external cloud storage. (They can be used as external cloud storage, but require manually uploading your files). Being a sync client means that if you delete files from one machine, these changes will get synced to your second machine.

I might be wrong here but I think drop-box is the only one i'm aware of (at least for free) that provides some file versioning. I.e. you'd be able to recover the files from the Dropbox site, but these are normally limited to # number of versions, and likely a time window as well.

 

[NeilF]

I don't recon, I know. Why don't you install it and try it and use it and tell us if this is what it does?

No, OneDrive needs to know about the folder before you can selectively sync.

As far as i can see on mine, OneDrive will only know about the files/folders that are located within the OneDrive folder.

Well, we seem to have contradictory suggestions...

I'll try it on both machines and see where I get too.

The oddity about simply including a folder nothing to do with OneDrive (eg: "Blibblob") to sync, hits me as odd, as you'd define it on OneDrive on PC X, but then what would OneDrive on PC Y make of that definition? Would you have to map where it's "BlibBlob" folder is?

Pending anymore information, I guess I'll have to play

 

[Moley]

From my One drive:

 

[NeilF]

OP as you seem to be new to these, it's worth noting that these are sync clients and are not external cloud storage. (They can be used as external cloud storage, but require manually uploading your files). Being a sync client means that if you delete files from one machine, these changes will get synced to your second machine.

I might be wrong here but I think drop-box is the only one i'm aware of (at least for free) that provides some file versioning. I.e. you'd be able to recover the files from the Dropbox site, but these are normally limited to # number of versions, and likely a time window as well.

Tell me if I'm wrong here... So on PC X and Y, there is a OneDrive running under Microsoft User Z. One both machines, if you amend, create or delete a document (within its OneDrive), that change will be sync'd across to the other PC?

So if I create a document on PC X, that document will appear on PC Y. If I amend a document on PC Y, that change will appear on PC X? etc?

If this is not the outcome, then I'm barking up the wrong tree with this solution then...

 

[Semple]

Well, we seem to have contradictory suggestions...

I'll try it on both machines and see where I get too.

The oddity about simply including a folder nothing to do with OneDrive (eg: "Blibblob") to sync, hits me as odd, as you'd define it on OneDrive on PC X, but then what would OneDrive on PC Y make of that definition? Would you have to map where it's "BlibBlob" folder is?

Pending anymore information, I guess I'll have to play

I think mrbell has gone on the assumption that your folder "BlibBlob" already exists within the OneDrive folder.

Follow the setup steps that Chroniclard has posted up.

You'd put your folder "BlibBlob" inside C:/users/NeilFawcett/OneDrive/BlibBlob, and then when you set it up on your second machine, it'll sync to the same location C:/users/FawcettNeil/OneDrive/BlibBlob

 

[NeilF]

From my One drive:

Understood, but....? If on PC X I choose folder "BlibBlob" (which is not within "OneDrive" itself), what happens on PC Y? How does its OneDrive know where its "BlibBlob" folder is to keep in sync with PC X?

 

[Semple]

Tell me if I'm wrong here... So on PC X and Y, there is a OneDrive running under Microsoft User Z. One both machines, if you amend, create or delete a document (within its OneDrive), that change will be sync'd across to the other PC?

So if I create a document on PC X, that document will appear on PC Y. If I amend a document on PC Y, that change will appear on PC X? etc?

If this is not the outcome, then I'm barking up the wrong tree with this solution then...

No your understanding is correct.

 

[NeilF]

I think mrbell has gone on the assumption that your folder "BlibBlob" already exists within the OneDrive folder.

Follow the setup steps that Chroniclard has posted up.

You'd put your folder "BlibBlob" inside C:/users/NeilFawcett/OneDrive/BlibBlob, and then when you set it up on your second machine, it'll sync to the same location C:/users/FawcettNeil/OneDrive/BlibBlob

Yeh, it's sound more and more like the safest option is to:-
1) On one PC, move all existing documents from the traditional old "Document" folder into "OneDrive".
2) On both PCs, make that OneDrive documents folder the default document location - https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-onedrive-your-default-save-location-windows-10
3) The documents on both PCs should now be identical (after some sync'ing time), and be kept identical/sync'd.

So I amend a document on PC X, the change will automatically appear on PC Y. If I create a document on PC Y, the document will appear on PC X. (Obviously with transfer times...)

No your understanding is correct.

Good! Thanks!