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ShareFile Sync is available as a part of the Power Tools package, and is included on Professional and Enterprise plans as well as on ShareFile VDR. The Power Tools can be enabled on a Basic plan for an additional monthly fee.
ShareFile Sync will only run if File Versioning is enabled on an account. This requirement is in place to prevent any loss of data by accidental overwriting. File Versioning is also available on all accounts with Power Tools.
Prepare for Installation:
This feature requires Adobe AIR 2.0+ to run. The installer will check to ensure that AIR is available and install the latest version if an update is needed. Because it uses Adobe AIR as a platform, ShareFile Sync is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems.
Note: If you are installing ShareFile Sync for Mac OS 10.5.8 you will need to install the latest version of Mono framework separately. You can download the latest version here.
Below is a video tutorial on how to setup and use the ShareFile Sync tool:
Click Here to View Video Tutorial
Click Here to View a Getting Started Guide
Initial Setup and Use:
Once you have installed ShareFile Sync on your computer, you will be prompted for your account login information:
Available Options:
- Startup ShareFile Sync when I login to my computer will automatically start the sync with you logon to your computer.
- Automatically Log me in when sync starts will skip the login page after you’ve entered your name and password and chosen “remember me”.
- Keep sync running in the system tray when I close the window. This is a hide on minimize. So if this is checked, and you click the close "x" it will still run in the system tray (on pc) or dock (on mac). This is to keep sync running in the background. To close with this option, you have to right click on the icon and choose exit or quit.
Once you have selected your options you can setup your Sync by going to the ‘Folders’ tab:
You will start by clicking the ‘Add’ button. You will then be asked whether you would like to set up a one way sync job, which will copy a ShareFile or local folder, or a two way sync job, which will combine a local and a ShareFile folder:
If you choose to set up a one way sync job, you can then choose the 'source' for the job, which will be the location of the folder which will be copied to the alternate folder. For example, if you want to sync files from your local drive to your ShareFile account, the local folder will be the 'source' and the ShareFile folder will be the 'destination' folder:
With a one way or a two way sync job, you will then be able to select a folder on your local drive and a folder on your ShareFile account to sync:
If you would like to set up a new folder to use in your sync job, as opposed to using folders that you already have set up, you can create a new ShareFile folder by clicking the 'Add Folder' icon on the 'Choose which ShareFile folder to use' screen. You can also set up a new local folder to include in your sync job by clicking 'Browse' on the 'Choose a folder on your computer screen', and then clicking 'Make New Folder'.
Once you have selected your folder in ShareFile, you will click the green button for ‘Add Sync Job’:
Your ‘Folders’ tab will show all jobs that you currently have setup. There is a button that allows you to turn the job on or off. If the job is turned on, every five (5) minutes, ShareFile Sync will verify the status and, if needed, synchronize the folders. You can set up as many folder sync jobs as you wish.
The ‘Status’ tab allows you to sync your files and see which folders are up to date, when your next automatic sync will occur, and the last time that the folders were synced. You can also click ‘Sync Now’ to start a new sync immediately.
Best Practices
- Single sync job cannot contain more than 100,000 files
- Avoid very long path names or file names, which can cause errors due to windows path restrictions
- Avoid moving the top level folder for a sync job either within the ShareFile account or locally
Known Issues
As long as QuickBooks is running, Sync will not be able to upload the QuickBooks file. It may be possible to sync a QuickBooks database file, but QuickBooks would need to be closed completely, which sometimes requires that all QuickBooks processes be ended via the Windows task manager.
