How to sync folders on a Mac

To sync folders on a Mac, use rsync in Terminal or a dedicated sync app. Finder has no command that compares two folders and copies only the differences. The built-in rsync tool mirrors one folder into another with a single line, while apps such as ForkLift, FreeFileSync and Leo Commander Pro add a visual compare.

Mirror or two-way sync: pick the direction first

Every folder sync answers one question: which side wins? Get the answer wrong and an old copy of a file can overwrite the new one.

A one-way mirror treats one folder as the source and the other as the target. The target ends up as an exact copy, so a file you delete from the source also disappears from the target. A working folder and its copy on an external drive is the classic case.

An update is the gentler one-way option: new and changed files go across, and nothing on the target is deleted. The FreeFileSync manual gives the camera example. You clear old photos off the card, and the backup drive keeps the shots.

A two-way sync lets changes flow in both directions, say between a laptop folder and a USB drive you also edit at the office. When a file exists on only one side, the tool has to know whether the file is new or was deleted on the other side. FreeFileSync solves this with a database file, sync.ffs_db, written after the first sync.

rsync only works in one direction, from a source to a destination. The --delete option turns that copy into a mirror. For a true two-way sync you need an app.

How to sync folders on Mac with rsync in Terminal

The built-in way to sync two folders on a Mac is rsync, a command you type in Terminal. It compares the source with the destination and copies only what changed. The steps below mirror a folder called Projects to an external drive named Backup.

1. Open Terminal. The app is in the /Applications/Utilities folder, or search for Terminal in Spotlight.
2. Type rsync -av --delete -n followed by a space. Do not press Return yet.
3. Drag the source folder from Finder into the Terminal window. Terminal types the folder's full path for you. Make sure the path ends with a slash (type one if needed), followed by a space.
4. Drag the destination folder in the same way and end that path with a slash too. The line now looks like rsync -av --delete -n /Users/you/Documents/Projects/ /Volumes/Backup/Projects/, with your account name in place of you.
5. Press Return. The -n flag makes this a dry run: rsync prints what it would do and changes nothing.
6. Read the output. If a file you want to keep is on the list to be deleted, stop and check both paths.
7. Run the same command again without -n to do the real sync.

The flags in plain terms: -a (archive) copies subfolders and keeps modification times, permissions and symbolic links. -v prints each file. -n touches nothing. --delete removes files from the destination that are no longer in the source; leave it out and you get an update instead of a mirror.

For a one-click sync, put the command in the Shortcuts app. Turn on Allow Running Scripts in Shortcuts > Settings > Advanced, then paste the tested command (without -n) into a Run Shell Script action. Apple warns that shortcuts with scripts could cause data loss.

The trailing-slash rule

A slash at the end of the source path changes what rsync copies. With the slash, rsync copies the contents of the folder. Without it, rsync copies the folder itself, by name, into the destination.

• rsync -av Projects/ /Volumes/Backup/Projects/ puts the files from Projects inside Backup/Projects.
• rsync -av Projects /Volumes/Backup/ creates Backup/Projects and gives the same result.
• rsync -av Projects /Volumes/Backup/Projects/ creates Backup/Projects/Projects, a nested copy nobody wants.

The samba.org rsync manual and the macOS openrsync manual describe the same rule.

Do a dry run before you add --delete

The rsync manual is blunt about --delete: "This option can be dangerous if used incorrectly!" The classic mistake is a destination one level too high. rsync -av --delete Projects/ /Volumes/Backup/ tells rsync to make the whole Backup drive match Projects, so rsync tries to delete every other folder on the drive.

A dry run shows that disaster before it happens. Make the order a habit: dry run, read, real run.

Which rsync does macOS ship today?

For years macOS shipped rsync 2.6.9, a version from November 2006. Since macOS Sequoia 15.4, the rsync command runs openrsync instead, a separate implementation by Kristaps Dzonsons that first shipped with OpenBSD 6.5.

To check your Mac, type rsync --version. On macOS 15.4 and later the output includes openrsync: protocol version 29 and rsync version 2.6.9 compatible. On current macOS, man rsync simply points to the openrsync manual.

• The options in this guide (-a, -v, -n, --delete) are all in the openrsync manual.
• openrsync accepts only a subset of the samba.org rsync options, so an old script with rare flags can fail. Run man openrsync to see what your Mac supports.
• One letter changed meaning. In the macOS openrsync, -E is an Apple-specific option that copies extended attributes, resource forks and ACLs. In samba.org rsync 3.x, -E preserves executability and -X handles extended attributes.
• If a script needs the full samba.org rsync, Homebrew's rsync formula installs it (version 3.5.2 when we checked).

Why iCloud Drive and Time Machine are not the same as syncing two folders

Both copy files automatically, which is why people try both first. Neither keeps two local folders identical.

iCloud Drive stores files in iCloud and keeps the devices signed in to your Apple Account up to date. It syncs a Mac with iCloud, not one folder with another on the same Mac. With Optimize Mac Storage on, older documents can be stored only in iCloud when space runs low, so a "synced" file may not be on the disk at all. Apple also warns that another app or cloud service syncing your Desktop and Documents folders can interfere with iCloud Drive when iCloud Drive stores both.

Time Machine is a backup, not a mirror. It makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for all previous months, deleting the oldest when the disk is full. Apple says to use the backup disk only for Time Machine, so the disk is not a second working folder. Keep Time Machine running anyway. It is the safety net under every method on this page.

Apps that sync two folders on Mac

A sync app shows both folders, marks the differences and lets you check the plan before a single file moves. Four of the five apps below are also multi-pane file managers; our guide to dual-pane file managers on Mac covers the rest of what each one does. Versions and prices were checked on November 7 and 8, 2026.

ForkLift

ForkLift 4.7.7 has a Sync window. Open the target folder in one pane and the source in the other, then choose Sync to from the Commands menu. You pick the direction (left to right, right to left, or both ways), turn on Delete orphaned items for a mirror, and see how many items will be added, updated and deleted before you click Synchronize. The ForkLift manual lists every option. Price: $19.95 with 1 year of updates.

FreeFileSync

FreeFileSync 14.13 is free, open source and offers a macOS download. You choose the left and right folders, compare, pick the sync settings, then press Synchronize. The variants are Two way, Mirror, Update and Custom. Read the license: the free version and the Donation Edition are for personal use by private individuals, and businesses, organizations and anyone doing commercial work need the Business Edition.

Path Finder

Path Finder 26.1.10 puts FolderSync under Commands > FolderSync. Select the source folder, open FolderSync and choose the destination. FolderSync runs one way or in both directions, with filters to include or exclude files. Path Finder costs $29.95 per year, or $32.95 for a 1-year license.

QSpace Pro

QSpace Pro 7.0.4 has Folder Sync with three modes: Update Right, Update Left and Update Both. Add the button through Customize Toolbar or give it a hotkey in QSpace Settings, and save setups as presets. QSpace Pro is $29.99 once (on sale for $13.99 when we checked), and FTP and archive browsing are paid extensions.

Leo Commander Pro

Leo Commander is a two-panel Mac file manager that works like Total Commander. If you used Total Commander's Synchronize directories tool on Windows, Leo Commander Pro has the counterpart, Synchronize Directories, in the same window where F5 copies to the other panel. Pro is $10 once, tax included, with free updates for life. The free version covers the two panels, F5 Copy, F6 Move, tabs and Find Files; Synchronize Directories is Pro only. The Total Commander alternative for Mac guide shows the full layout.

CRAX Commander, a paid Total Commander style app ($25.99 once, minor-version updates only), also syncs folders. Our 25-point comparison shows how it stacks up.

Folder sync methods on Mac compared

Safety checklist before you sync folders

1. Back up both folders. Choose Back Up Now from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar, or copy the folders to another drive.
2. Decide the direction and say it out loud: source, then target. In a mirror, the target loses anything the source does not have.
3. Check the trailing slash on the rsync source path.
4. Do a dry run (-n in rsync, or the preview in your app) and read every file it plans to delete.
5. Add --delete, or the app's delete option, only after the dry run looks right.
6. Check free space on the target drive before the first full sync.
7. Keep one sync tool per folder, especially for Desktop and Documents when iCloud Drive already stores both.
8. After the first real sync, open a few files on the target to confirm the files open.

Leo Commander is a free download for macOS 12 or later, and Pro adds Synchronize Directories when you need it.

Sources

• rsync manual (samba.org)
• openrsync manual page, macOS (manp.gs mirror)
• openrsync manual page (OpenBSD)
• Back up your Mac with Time Machine (Apple Support)
• Store files in iCloud Drive on Mac (Apple Support)
• Drag items into a Terminal window on Mac (Apple Support)
• Advanced Privacy and security settings in Shortcuts on Mac (Apple Support)
• rsync replaced with openrsync on macOS Sequoia (Der Flounder)
• What you should know about Apple's switch from rsync to openrsync (AppleInsider)
• ForkLift 4 manual: Sync
• FreeFileSync
• FreeFileSync FAQ
• FreeFileSync manual: Synchronization Settings
• Path Finder: FolderSync
• QSpace Pro: Folder Sync
• Total Commander screenshot: Synchronize directories

Checked November 8, 2026. Leo Commander is an independent app, not affiliated with Ghisler Software GmbH or Apple Inc.