Sync FAQ

Administrative sync policy defines the types of files that you can sync and whether you can sync them over metered connections. For example, policy might prevent you from syncing MP3 files from any device. To view the sync policy, see the FAQ What is the administrative sync policy that affects my profile?

In addition to files excluded by administrative policy, there are a few types of files, typically temporary in nature, that the Agent never syncs:

• Microsoft Office "owner" files, which start with $~
• macOS-based .DS_Store files, which contain folder attributes
• Temporary files identified by a .tmp extension

• Temporary files the Agent creates while downloading files, identified by a .cmxtmp extension

When syncing files allowed by policy, the Agent provides special sync support for the following types of files:

• Bundles (macOS). The Agent can back up, sync, and restore bundles. The Connected web application displays stored bundles as hierarchical sets of folders and files. However, when you sync or restore a bundle to a device, it retains its original format.

• Encrypted files. The Agent can back up, sync, and restore encrypted files, as follows:

  • Full-disk encryption. Files retain their system-level encryption only if restored, synced, or downloaded to a device that also uses full-disk encryption.

  • Encrypted file system (EFS) encryption. Files retain their EFS encryption if you restore, sync, or download them to another NTFS device that also uses EFS encryption. FAT32 volumes do not support EFS. Therefore, EFS-encrypted files that you restore, sync, or download to a FAT32 volume do not retain their encryption.

    CAUTION: Do not restore a user's EFS-encrypted files while logged on to the computer as an administrator. If you do, the restored files get encrypted under your Windows user account, and the user will not have access to them. To restore EFS-encrypted files on behalf of someone else, you must log on to the computer using the user's credentials before starting the restore request.

  • Third-party application-level encryption. Files that are open and accessible at the time that they are backed up, synced, or uploaded might retain their third-party encryption; closed files always retain it. Files that retain their encryption are not accessible on another devices unless decrypted with the same third-party application and encryption key or password that encrypted them. In addition, you cannot view an encrypted file while it is stored in Connected.

  NOTE: To ensure that your data remains secure, Connected encrypts your files while it transfers or stores them, even if they have retained their encryption.

• File links. The Agent can back up, sync, and restore hard links but not symbolic links. When the Agent syncs or restores a hard link, it breaks the link association.

• Mail files (Windows). The Agent can back up and restore Microsoft Outlook .pst and Lotus Notes .nsf mail files that reside on an NTFS volume. It does not sync these types of files.

  To back up mail files, the Agent uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which must be enabled. As with other file types, if the Agent cannot back up a mail file, it retries a set number of times. If the Agent exhausts all retries without backing up the file, it logs an error.

  If you try to restore a mail file while it is open exclusively (Windows platforms), the Agent renames the file that it downloads. When renaming the file, the Agent appends a number to the file's name (fileName.#.extension). For example, if the Agent cannot restore the open file MyOutlook.pst, it saves the downloaded file as MyOutlook.1.pst. 

• Open files. On Windows-based devices, the Agent can back up back up, but not sync, files on an NTFS volume that are opened exclusively by another application. On macOS-based devices, the Agent can back up and sync open files but only while another application is not actively modifying them. Neither type of Agent can restore open files.

  To back up open files on Windows-based devices, the Agent uses Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), which must be enabled. If the Agent cannot back up an open file, it retries a set number of times and logs an error if it exhausts all retries without success.

  If either a Windows- or macOS-based Agent fails to back up or sync a modified open file, exit any application that has the file open to ensure the change is complete and the file is closed.

  If you try to restore a file while it is open exclusively (Windows platforms) or open with advisory locking (macOS platforms), the Agent renames the file that it downloads. When renaming the file, the Agent appends a number to the file's name (fileName.#.extension). For example, if the Agent cannot restore the open file Report.docx, it saves the downloaded file as Report.1.docx. 

• Security descriptors. The Agent can back up and restore but not sync security descriptors, which are objects that prevent unauthorized access to files. Security descriptors include information that identifies the file owner, permissions that the owner has granted to other users, and actions that the file system logs for auditing purposes.

  While restoring items, the Agent restores each item’s security descriptor except for the following, which inherit the default descriptor of the restore location:

  • Folders that the Agent creates as part of the restore path and were not previously backed up.
  • Items that did not have a security descriptor when backed up.
  • Items for which the Agent fails to restore the security descriptor for some reason.

  In each case, the security identifier (SID) assigned to the owner field of the security descriptor is the SID of the user performing the restore.

• Sparse files. The Agent can back up, sync, and restore sparse files, which are files that contain empty spaces (represented as strings of zeros) along with meaningful data (nonzero data).

  When restoring a sparse file, the Agent restores the file and all allocated sparse data that was previously backed up.

• Windows user state files. On Windows devices, Agents back up user state (.mig) files according to administrative policy. These files, generated by a third-party tool such as Microsoft State Migrate Tool (USMT), contain data such as Windows and user application settings that you can migrate to a replacement or re-imaged computer.

  If your backup policy permits, when you start a restore request that includes a .mig file and your device is running Agent 4.9.0 or later, you can choose to import the .mig file automatically when the entire restore completes. Selecting this option when restoring files after replacing or re-imaging your computer is a quick way to restore your Windows environment to its previous state.

No. There is no limit to the number of files that you can sync or to the total size of all files. In addition, you can sync files of any size from computers using Connected Agents.

An administrative sync policy controls the types of files that you can sync and whether you can sync them over metered connections. You can view this policy using the Connected web application.

To view the administrative sync policy that affects your profile

1. In the upper-right corner of the web application, click your name, and then click My Profile.

   Right-click the Connected icon () in the Windows notification area (for macOS, click the icon in the menu bar), point to Connected web application, and then click View Policy.

2. On the profile page, click Admin Rules, and then under VIEWING, click Sync Policy.

The web application organizes sync rules by device type.

Connected supports revision control of its contents while performing the following actions:

• Syncing a file. The file becomes the current Connected version and any active file with the same name and location becomes its previous version. The system does not recover deleted files as previous revisions. Therefore, if a deleted file with the same name and location exists, it remains an unrelated deleted file.

• Uploading a file. The file becomes the current Connected version of your file. Any existing active or deleted file with the same name and location becomes its previous version.

  The system determines whether to recover a deleted file as a previous version based only on file name and location, not content. Therefore, the recovered file might not relate to your new file. For example, suppose that you delete a sales report named Report.txt from your Connected folder. A few days later, you create a new Report.txt file about a business trip and upload it to the same folder as your deleted file. The system recovers your deleted sales report as the previous version of your new trip-related file.

• Syncing a folder. The folder's contents sync with any active folder in Connected that has the same name and location; otherwise, it syncs as a new folder. The system does not sync with deleted folders.

Typically, conflicts occur when you try to sync a file that is not based on the current Connected version. For example, while editing a file on your desktop, you leave for a meeting. During the meeting, you modify the same file on your mobile device and upload it to Connected. When you return from your meeting, you continue to edit the file on your desktop, and then save it. At this point, the system detects a conflict because the file that the Agent tries to sync is not based on the current Connected version, which you uploaded from your mobile device.

The exact cause of a conflict depends on the device where the conflict occurs:

• Mobile device. A conflict occurs when you try to sync a file that is not based on the current Connected version. For example:

  • You create a file and try to upload it, but Connected already contains a similarly named file in the same location.
  • You try to upload a modified file from your briefcase, but the Connected version has changed since you downloaded it.

  When the Connected app detects a conflict, it provides several options that enable you to resolve it immediately. You can choose upload the file with a new name or to a different location. You can also choose to upload it and replace the current Connected version or to cancel the upload.

• Web browsers. A conflict occurs when you recover a deleted file or folder and a similarly named active file or folder exists in the same location. When the Connected web application detects this type of conflict, it automatically recovers the file or folder as a conflicted copy, which syncs to all of your devices. At this point, the conflicted copy and current Connected version are synced with all of your devices.

• Desktop or laptop computer. A conflicts occurs when the Agent tries to sync a file that is not based on the current Connected version. When the Agent detects a conflict, it automatically creates a conflicted copy of the file and syncs it to all of your devices. It then syncs down the current version of the file to your computer. At this point, the conflicted copy and current version are synced with all of your devices.

File names of conflicted copies have the following format: originalFileName(timestamp).fileExtension, where timestamp is the date and time that the system creates the copy. If the system generates a conflicted copy, you must manually resolve the conflicts between it and the current version.

To resolve conflicts between a file and its conflicted copy, do one of the following from any device that contains both files:

• Merge the two files into a single file that has the original file name, and then delete the conflicted copy.
• Remove one of the files. If you keep the conflicted copy, change its name back to the original file name.

You can resolve a conflicted copy of a folder in the same manner. When you resolve a conflict, the resolution syncs to all devices. For example, on your laptop, you merge the two files, and then manually delete the conflicted copy. In response, Connected syncs the merged copy to your devices and permanently deletes the conflicted copy from them. The system retains a "deleted" version of the file itself for a limited time so that you can recover it, if necessary.

There are several factors that determine how long it takes to sync files:

• The number and total size of files that need to sync.

  The more files that need to sync and the larger their size, the longer it takes. However, because Connected applications sync files in the background, you can continue to use your device while files sync.

• The number of other applications currently running on your device.

  If your device performs many tasks at the same time, the Connected application does not receive the full processing power of your device. Try to limit the number of applications that you use while syncing a large number of files or very large files to see whether performance improves.

• The number of applications actively using your network connection.

  The more applications that use your network connection, the less bandwidth available to the Connected application. Try to limit your network activity when syncing a large number of files or very large files to see whether performance improves.

• The speed of your network connection.

  Ensure that your network connection is working correctly. If you experience slow performance on a computer over a wireless connection, try a wired connection, if possible.

• The amount of network bandwidth allocated to your Agent. (Computers only)

  Administrative policy sets the maximum amount of bandwidth that the Agent uses to sync files. If policy allows, you can lower these settings when using slow network connections, such as public hotel and airport connections, to allocate more bandwidth to other applications. If you find that the sync process is slow, ensure that the Agent uses the maximum bandwidths that policy allows. To view the current limits or restore the limits set by policy, see Set Agent network bandwidth limits.

There are several reasons why Connected might fail to sync files:

• Your device does not have an active network connection.

  Connected requires an active network connection to sync files.

• Administrative policy prevents Connected from syncing the file.

  For more information, see the FAQ What is the administrative sync policy that affects my profile?

• The Agent does not sync that type of file.

  • Microsoft Office "owner" files, which start with $~
  • macOS-based .DS_Store files, which contain folder attributes
  • Temporary files identified by a .tmp extension

• For computers, the operating system does not support the file.

  If you use both macOS and Windows-based computers, files that you create on one type of computer might be invalid on another due to differences between operating systems. See details.

  The following table indicates the differences that might a prevent a file you create on a macOS-based computer from syncing to a Windows-based one.

  Operating system	Maximum full path (folder path + file name)	Invalid characters	Invalid file names
  macOS	1015 characters	/  (forward slash)	none
  Windows	252 characters This number is shorter than the Windows maximum because it takes into account characters that the Agent temporarily appends to the file name during the sync process.	*  (asterisk) \  (backslash) :  (colon) "  (double quote) /  (forward slash) >  (right angle bracket) <  (left angle bracket) ?  (question mark) |  (vertical bar or pipe) any control character	AUX CON COM[1-9] LPT[1-9] NUL PRN listed names that include a file extension, such as AUX.TXT any name that contains a trailing space or period (.)

  For example, suppose that you create a file Report>Sales on a macOS-based computer. This file will not sync to a Windows-based computer because the Windows operating system does not support file names that contain a right angle bracket (>).

• Another application either has the file open (Windows) or has the file open and is actively modifying it (macOS).

  The Windows-based Agent cannot sync an open file. The macOS-based Agent can sync an open file, but only while another application is not actively modifying it. If a modified file fails to sync, exit any application that has the file open to ensure that the change is complete and that the file is closed.

Yes, although Connected does not provide long-term archival storage, it does retain previous and deleted versions of your files for a limited time. By retaining these files you can revert to a previous version or recover a file that you accidentally deleted.

The Agent automatically keeps the Connected folder on your computer in sync with Connected. Therefore, place files and folders that you want to sync in your local Connected folder. For more information, see Sync your computers.

No. The Agent syncs only the files of the person currently logged in to the computer. Therefore, when you are logged in, the Agent syncs only your files, even if someone with whom you share the computer also uses Connected.

The default location of your Connected sync folder, if you or your Connected administrator have not moved it, is as follows:

To quickly access your Connected folder, even if it has been moved, see the FAQ How do I quickly access my local Connected sync folder?

You can move your Connected folder to another location on your current drive or move it to a different internal drive. You cannot move it to a removable or external drive. For more information, see Move your Connected sync folder.

To quickly access your Connected folder, right-click the Connected icon () in the Windows notification area (for macOS, click the icon in the menu bar), and then click Open Connected folder.

No. The Agent syncs the contents of your Connected folder, only.

However, what if you want to sync a file that another application requires in a specific location outside of this folder? To do this, move the file to your Connected folder, and then create a link to it from its original location. For example, suppose that you want to sync C:\My Files\Report.txt but need to access it from C:\My Files. To do so, move Report.txt to your Connected folder, and then create a symbolic link to it in C:\My Files.

The Agent applies the following badges to items in your local Connected folder to indicate their status:

•     In sync with Connected.
•     Synchronizing with Connected.
•     Not synchronized because of an error.

•     Not synchronized because of policy restrictions.

  For example, administrative policy might prevent you from syncing specific types of files. You can view this policy on your user profile page of the Connected web application.

A badge or symbol on the Agent icon indicates the Agent's current status.

Windows	macOS	Description
		The Agent is running but not actively syncing, backing up, or restoring files.
		The Agent is syncing, backing up, or restoring files.
		The Agent is not operating properly or not connected to Connected. When the Agent starts, it displays this icon until it has established a connection with Connected. If the connection fails, verify your credentials and that you have an active network connection.
		The Agent encountered an error while syncing, backing up, or restoring one or more files. To see which type of error the Agent encountered, point to the Agent icon. For information about resolving errors, see the FAQ The Agent failed to sync my file, what can I do? or Troubleshoot backup errors.

When the Agent fails to sync a file, it automatically tries several more times to upload the file until it either succeeds or reaches its maximum number of retries. This retry process gives the Agent an opportunity to recover from intermittent system or network issues before indicating an error on the Connected icon.

If the Agent reports a backup or sync error, you can reset the Agent's retry count so that it attempts to upload the file again. To do so:

1. Access the Agent's preference settings. See how.

   Right-click the Connected icon () in the Windows notification area (for macOS, click the icon in the menu bar), and then click Preferences.

2. On the Troubleshooting tab, click Reset Retries.

If the Agent still fails to upload your files after you reset its retry count, contact your Connected administrator.

Badges indicate the sync status of items in your local Connected folder. On macOS-based computers, the Connected Finder Integration extension controls whether these badges appear. You can turn off sync badges if they interfere with the badges of another application. If the badges are off, you can turn them on.

To control the display of sync badges on macOS-based computers

1. Click Apple menu > System Preferences, and then click Extensions.
2. In the left pane of Extension preferences, click Finder.

3. In the right page, do one of the following:

   • To turn on badges, click the Connected Finder Integration check box.

     If the Connected Finder Integration check box is currently selected but badges do not appear, drag the extension to the top of the list to raise its priority.

   • To turn off badges, clear the Connected Finder Integration check box.

Connected provides conflict management to ensure that it does not overwrite the current version of a file with updates based on an older revision. If the system detects that it is about to sync a file from your computer that is not based on the current version, it creates a conflicted copy of the file. For more information, see the FAQ What is a file conflict? What is a conflicted copy of a file?

When the Agent syncs a file, it downloads a temporary copy as fileName.extension.cmxtmp to prevent impacting any existing version of the file you might have on your computer. As soon as the download completes, the Agent renames the temporary file to fileName.extension, which replaces your current version, if one exists.

Typically, the download process is so fast that you might not notice these temporary files except while the Agent syncs a very large file. The larger the file, more time it takes the Agent to download the temporary copy and therefore the longer that the copy exists.

While the Agent is running and connected to the network, automatically keeps your computer's Connected folder in sync with your files in Connected. However, if the Agent loses its connection, it cannot sync files. While offline, the Agent continues to monitor changes to content in your Connected folder so that it can sync the appropriate items when its connection gets restored.

For example, suppose that you disconnect your computer from the network. While offline, you delete a file from your Connected folder. When your computer reconnects and the Agent starts to sync changes, it detects that a file in Connected is missing from your computer. However, because the Agent tracked that you deleted the file while offline, it knows to delete the file from Connected.

If the Agent is not running, it does not continue to monitor or sync changes. Therefore, each time the Agent starts it compares your local Connected folder with Connected to determine whether any content has changed. How content has changed determines how the Agent syncs the changes:

• Content added or updated either on your computer or in Connected. In general, as long as while the Agent is not running you do not change the same content in both locations, the Agent syncs the content as usual. For example, if you modified a file in your Connected folder, when the Agent restarts it syncs the file to Connected. Conversely, if you modified a file in Connected, the Agent syncs it to your computer. However, if you modified a file in both places, the Agent creates a conflicted file.

  NOTE: Occasionally, the Agent might not be able to reconcile changes because it cannot determine exactly which content changed or in what order. This typically occurs if you add, rename, or move the same content in both Connected and on your computer while the Agent is not running. In these situations, when the Agent starts it always syncs the Connected content to your computer and overwrites any local content that has not synced yet. To prevent this situation from occurring, do not add, move, or rename files on your computer unless the Agent is running.

• Content deleted from Connected. The Agent deletes the content from your computer. Any changes to the local copy of the content that you made while the Agent was not running, and therefore unable to sync, are lost.

• Content deleted from your computer. The Agent syncs the content from Connected to your Connected folder.

  NOTE: If the Agent detects that content is missing from your Connected folder, it cannot determine whether you deleted the content from your computer or added it to Connected. Therefore, to ensure that it does not delete content in error, the Agent syncs the content from Connected to your Connected folder. To delete content from your computer and have the deletion sync to Connected, you must delete the content while the Agent is running.

The Connected web application lets you access and manage your sync files from a web browser on any device. For more details about the functions that it supports, see Access your sync files from a web browser.