IMPORTANT NOTICE: Desktop Sync is no longer supported as of January 1st, 2020. Click here to see how you can start using the Desktop App today.
Desktop Sync allows you to create files on your computer, sync them to the cloud, and access them when you aren't connected to the internet to share easily with others. The files that you access on Desktop Sync are local copies of files that you have chosen to store in the cloud. This allows you to work in places where you don't have internet access, secure in the knowledge that your changes will show up in the cloud once you're back online.
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Features
Availability
Supported Operating Systems and Installation
Additional Resources
Features
Access Files on your Computer
Once you have installed Desktop Sync, you can access files by clicking on the Egnyte shortcut that appears on your desktop. On Windows, a shortcut is created in your Favorites panel; on a Mac, a shortcut is created in Places.
You can also find the shortcut in your file explorer or Finder if you prefer to work from here. On Windows, you will find the shortcut under the Quick access section of the file explorer (Windows 10). On a Mac, it will be located under the Favorites section.
Visual Indicators for Sync Progress
The sync status of files and folders can be tracked by viewing the status indicator on each file. A file that has synchronized successfully will display a green checkmark against it. If there is a problem with synchronizing a file, Egnyte will display a red X against the file. Reasons for sync failure are displayed in the sync logs.
Folder icons convey whether the entire folder is selected for sync or only some sub-folders within that folder have been selected for sync. If you see a folder that is partially grayed out, such as the Shared folder to the right, this means that only some of the sub-folders are being synced.
Sync Open Files
Files that you are currently syncing with Desktop Sync will sync with the cloud as soon a file is manually saved (i.e., by clicking Save), even if it's still open.
Every save will push a new version of the file to the cloud.
Sync Folders
If you want to upload a file on your computer to Egnyte, make sure you add it into a specific folder within the Shared or Private root directories (e.g., Shared/Sales) that has already been selected to sync.
Right-Click Menu Options
Desktop Sync includes five right-click options: Share, Copy Link, Comments, View Versions, and View in Cloud.
Share: The Share option automatically logs users into the cloud and opens the sharing dialog there. From the cloud, you can change the settings of your link as needed before sharing it.
Copy Link: The Copy Link option allows you to generate a link for a file or folder with a single click. It creates a share link based on your account's default settings and copies it to your clipboard. From there, you can paste the link into your preferred communications platform (e.g., email, social media, SMS).
Comments: This lets you view and add comments to a file.
View Versions: This option will show you a list of previous versions for a file, along with their timestamp and the file author. You can also download previous versions of the file from here; however, you cannot restore older versions of the file here.
View in Cloud: This option can be used to log into the cloud and automatically preview a file. It can also be useful for sharing content in situations where the recipient may not have the appropriate application installed (e.g., Photoshop). This option can also be used as a shortcut to the folder in the cloud.
Sub-Folder Sync
You can choose to sync only the folders or sub-folders that you frequently access to reduce the use of internet bandwidth and the amount of hard drive space needed.
If you have a slow internet connection or want to control when syncs occur, you can modify sync frequency in your settings. By default, syncs happen in real-time; this means files sync as soon as changes are detected. You can adjust sync to occur at different intervals (e.g., every 15 min), on a schedule (e.g., between 1 AM and 5 AM), or leave it set to real-time sync.
Conflict Detection
If you try to update an outdated version of a file, Desktop Sync will create a new file in the same folder with your changes. For example, if you were working on a file named Spring, Newsletter.docx, your changes would be saved into a copy named Spring, Newsletter (conflict copy from Your Name).docx.
Desktop Sync will notify you about the conflict in a couple of ways:
- You'll get an email with the name of the original file and instructions on how to resolve the conflict.
- You'll see a pop-up notification on your machine.
You can refer to this article for more details on conflict notifications.
Availability
Desktop Sync is available to all customers for Windows and Mac. Only Admin and Power Users can install and use Desktop Sync.
Supported Operating Systems and Installation
When you're ready to install the product, head to our Desktop Sync Installers article.
Additional Resources
Learn more about the differences between Desktop App and Desktop Sync. For more articles about Desktop Sync, please refer to the Desktop Sync Section on the Helpdesk.