Share, transfer and sync files between computers with FolderShare

Posted on September 14, 2007 at 9:12 am

Make sure to read other posts from the Backup Data series!

FolderShare is a new web service in the group of Windows Live services that allows you to transfer, share, and sync files and folders between two or more Windows or Mac computers via the Internet for free! You can access your files via a web browser from anywhere and all linked computers are automatically synchronized with the latest changes.

It’s a great tool for individuals or small businesses that want to be able to sync data from one computer to multiple others for backup, business or remote-access purposes. Using FolderShare you can create your own private peer-to-peer network with friends, family or colleagues that will allow you to easily share and access files and folders without having to send large files via email, burn CDs or DVDs, or upload to a hosting site.

Here are a few of the benefits to using FolderShare:

Synchronize all of your devices at once – Access work files while at home or photos and videos while at work. All of your files across all computers will be available to you from any computer.
Easily share files, folders, photos, videos, etc with your peers by sending an invitation. They will be able to access the data directly from the device.
Access all of your files remotely via any web browser.

The FolderShare service consists of two parts: My FolderShare and the FolderShare satellite.

My Foldershare is the online account management component of the software where you will create your account, setup the devices you want to sync or share with, invite others to view your files, etc. FolderShare Satellite is the software that will need to be installed on each device that you want to sync or share files with. This software runs in the background and syncs up your data when you are online. Whenever a file is updated, it will automatically update the other devices.

To get started, click on the Download link and begin the installation of the software. Step 1 will access you to create a new account if you have not already done so.

For Step 2, choose a name that FolderShare should use to refer to the computer you’re installing the software on. By default, it will come up with the computer name, but it’s better to name is something like “Work Comp” or “Home Laptop”, etc. Lastly, enter your new account information and click Finish.

You’ll now see a FolderShare icon in your taskbar. Click on it and if you’re running Windows XP, you should be asked whether you want to Block or Unblock this program for the firewall. Choose Unblock to allow access to the Internet.

Next click on the icon and choose My FolderShare. You’ll be brought to your online account where you can begin using the services.

You can select from the three actions: Sync My Folders, Share With Friends, or Access My Files.

To start syncing between two or more computers, follow the same steps as shown above, but log in with the same account info on each device. FolderShare worked very well in my tests and I was quite surprised and happy at how easy it was to setup.

One of the cool features about the software is that if you have Google Desktop search installed on your computer and you click on the Access My files action, you can use the full power of Google Desktop search to find a file and then download it instead of having to browse through folders, etc.

The only limit or restriction in this program is that you can share files up to only 2GB in size! However, I highly doubt most people will be having a problem with that. Other than that, there are no limits to the number of file transfers or the size and you can sync data of any file type.

Definitely a cool web application for remote backups, remote access to files, and the transferring or syncing data from one computer to another. Check it out!

Any questions, post a comment!

[tags]share files, transfer files between computers, remotely access files, sync files, sync folders[/tags]

» Filed Under Computer Tips

Comments

4 Responses to “Share, transfer and sync files between computers with FolderShare”

alam said on : December 29th, 2007 at 1:43 am

very nice to transfer file from online to computer

Richard said on : August 13th, 2008 at 4:34 pm

I connect to my work server using MS Remote Desktop Connection. Can I use FolderShare using that connection?

Nicole said on : March 10th, 2010 at 5:16 pm

Another email / file syncing solution to check out is Syncing.net. It’s not free, but users are able to sync up to three PCs with this solution. If you’re looking for additional information, check out: syncing.net/en/products.html

Synchronize files or replicate data between PC computers using Allway Sync Says:

[...] I wrote about Microsoft FolderShare, a freeware program that you could use to automatically backup/replicate your data from one computer to another. It’s a great tool to quickly transfer, share, or sync files and folders between Windows or [...]
November 15th, 2007 at 2:30 pm