How to Install and Use FreeFileSync for Efficient File Synchronization on Ubuntu

FreeFileSync is a free, cross‑platform application that lets users synchronize files to local disks, external USB storage, network shares, SFTP, FTP, or Google Drive while using minimal system resources. The following steps show how to install and use it on Ubuntu 18.04.

Installation

Download the Linux tarball and extract it:

wget https://freefilesync.org/download/FreeFileSync_11.0_Linux.tar.gz
tar xvf FreeFileSync_11.0_Linux.tar.gz

After extraction, enter the FreeFileSync directory and run the program. To start it from the desktop, create a .desktop launcher.

cd /home/bob/FreeFileSync/
cat >FreeFileSync.desktop <<'EOF'
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=FreeFileSync
GenericName=Folder Comparison and Synchronization
Exec=/home/bob/FreeFileSync/FreeFileSync %F
Icon=/home/bob/FreeFileSync/Resources/FreeFileSync.png
NoDisplay=false
Terminal=false
Categories=Utility;FileTools;
StartupNotify=true
EOF

Edit the Exec and Icon lines to point to the actual installation path, then copy the file to the system applications directory:

sudo cp -p /home/bob/FreeFileSync/FreeFileSync.desktop /usr/share/applications/

Launching and Language Settings

Run FreeFileSync from the newly created desktop entry. By default the interface is in English; you can switch to Chinese via the Settings dialog.

Using FreeFileSync

Click the “Browse” buttons to select a source directory and a target directory, then start the synchronization. The Settings panel lets you choose the comparison method ("File size and time", "File content", or "File size"). Filters allow you to exclude specific file types, and the Sync mode selector lets you pick between two‑way, mirror, or update synchronization.

Example Synchronization

The article demonstrates a bidirectional sync of dir1 to dir2. After confirming the operation, the two directories become identical, as shown in the screenshots.

Conclusion

FreeFileSync enables efficient, low‑resource file synchronization across a variety of storage media and network locations, making it a practical tool for everyday backup and mirroring tasks on Ubuntu.