In addition to the user-friendly GUI, Syncovery is also a flexible command-line sync tool. Syncovery’s command line interface offers a powerful, flexible way for users to automate and control their file synchronization and backup operations directly from the terminal, scripts, or other programs. Whether you’re looking to automate your backup routines, integrate Syncovery operations into scripts, or manage your tasks in a more hands-on manner, Syncovery’s command line provides the versatility and control needed to implement your exact requirements.
You can run, create, edit, rename and delete profiles via command line.
Windows
You can invoke Syncovery.exe, SyncoveryCL.exe and SyncoveryService.exe with the command line parameters shown on this page.
Command Line Examples for Running a Job on Windows:
- Run a job with the command line tool SyncoveryCL:
SyncoveryCL.exe /RUNX=”Profile Name” - Run a job in the GUI but minimized:
Syncovery.exe /RUNX=”Profile Name” /S /M - Run a job invisible but with progress reporting to the GUI:
SyncoveryService.exe /RUNX=”Profile Name” /S /M /P - You can use multiple /RUNX= parameters to run several jobs.
Useful command line parameters to control how a job is run:
/P = with progress reporting to the GUI
/T = run multiple jobs in threads; the process will also accept additional jobs from the scheduler
/S = silent (not relevant for SyncoveryCL)
/M = minimized (not relevant for SyncoveryCL)
Macintosh
On Mac, you can use the command line parameters in a shell script like in this example:
open ./Syncovery.app --args /RUNX=”Profil Name” /U
In addition, you can use the new SyncoveryCL command line tool. It is contained in the Contents/MacOS folder inside the Syncovery.app bundle. You could use it there directly, or copy it to a more convenient location. It takes the same parameters that you see on this page. For additional SyncoveryCL command line examples, please see the Linux page.
Parameters for Running a Job
- /RUN=”Profile Name” and /RUNX=”Profile Name”
With these options, you can invoke a specific profile from the command line for immediate execution. /RUN= starts the profile and leaves the program running. /RUNX= starts the profile and exits the program after the profile has been executed.
You can use the asterisk wildcard at the end of this option, for example:
/RUN=* or /RUNX=* or /RUNX=Office*
You can also add this to cause a shutdown when done by adding /SHUTDOWN - /O (show only results)
Runs the job without Sync Preview but shows a dialog with the results. - /U (unattended mode)
The profile is started and executed without further user interaction. When this option is not specified, the file list is being shown, but the actual synchronization must be started manually. In unattended mode, the program will only show an error message if one of the synchronization paths cannot be accessed. - /S (silent mode)
Like /U but there will not be any error messages whatsoever. - /M (minimized mode)
The program is minimized to the system tray while executing the profile. This option implies /U. - /P (progress reporting – SyncoveryService.exe and SyncoveryCL.exe only)
SyncoveryService.exe will report progress information to the main program, in the same way the scheduler starts background jobs. - /T (run in threads – SyncoveryService.exe and SyncoveryCL.exe only)
SyncoveryService.exe will run the job in a separate thread rather than in the main process thread, in the same way the scheduler starts background jobs when the option “Start profiles in parallel” is chosen. - /LEFT=”Folder Path”
allows you to specify a left path that is different from the one stored with the profile. - /RIGHT=”Folder Path”
allows you to override the profile’s right path. - /MASK=”File1.txt;*.doc”
allows you to override the profile’s inclusion masks, or simply specify one or more files to copy. - /EXCL=”*.bak”
allows you to override the profile’s exclusion masks. - /SHUTDOWN
Shutdown after running the profile(s) specified with /RUNX=”Profile Name”. - /NOLOG
Do not generate a log file for this run. - /CHOOSESUBFOLDERS
The subfolder selection dialog is shown prior to running the job. The selection that is made is not saved permanently unless you also specify the /SAVE parameter. Alternatively, you can add /SAVEONLY in order to save the new selection without running the job. In all cases, the profile name should be specified with /RUNX, even if you use /SAVEONLY.
General-Purpose Parameters
- /INI=”Path to configuration file”
Specifies the configuration file to be used. For example,
/INI=”C:\ProgramData\Syncovery\Syncovery.ini” - /IMPORT=”Path to XML or CSV file”
Import profiles from XML or CSV. To find out how to make such files, please create a sample profile and export it by right-clicking it on the Profile Overview. - /EXPORTONEXML=”Profile Name”
Export a profile in XML format. The xml file will be written to the current directory. - /EXPORTALLXML=”XMLFileName.xml”
Export all profiles in XML format. The xml file name can be a complete path with file name.
Generating Sync Preview Only
- /PREVIEWONLY
Perform a dry run, generating the Sync Preview and then stopping. By default, the preview will use a simple text output format to the console. - /PREVIEWFILE=”path\to\preview.xml”
Output the preview to a file. Recognized filename extensions are xml, html, csv, tsv, ssv. Other extensions will output a simple text format. - /PREVIEWFORMAT=XML|HTML|CSV|TSV|SSV
Specify the preview format, if it can’t be guessed from the filename. CSV=comma separated values, TSV=tab separated values, SSV=semicolon separated values
Example: output the preview as a CSV file with semicolon as separator.
SyncoveryCL /RUNX="Profile Name" /NOLOG /PREVIEWONLY /PREVIEWFILE=C:\Tests\Preview.CSV /PREVIEWFORMAT=SSV
Command Line Parameters for Managing Profiles
The command line to create any given profile can be seen by creating it manually first, then going to Information->Show Profile Details… in the profile editor.
Here’s an example:
Syncovery.exe ADD /Name=”Documents Backup” /Left=”C:\Users\Me\Documents” /Right=”D:\Backup\Docs” /L2R /Deletes /ReplaceNewer /MaxParallelCopiers=2
Alternatives to ADD
RUN (creates & runs a job without creating a permanent profile)
DELETE “Profile Name” (deletes a profile)
CHANGE “Profile Name” (changes an existing profile, keeping any existing settings which are not set on the command line)
RENAME “Old Profile Name” “New Profile Name”
ADD can be used to completely replace an existing profile with new settings.
Settings Dictionary
You can download the complete dictionary of possible profile settings in pdf or xlsx format.
Syncovery Settings Dictionary PDF Document.
Syncovery Settings Dictionary Excel Document.