SyncToy not deleting folders when Echoing

Question

When running MS SyncToy and echoing one folder to another, I find that the program does not delete folders which are not present in the "original" folder when backing up to a thumb drive. This leads to unwanted proliferation of folders, as the not-deleted ones get copied back again when syncing in the other direction...

Anyone have any ideas? Is SyncToy the wrong tool after all? Thanks!

Answer 1

From SyncToy 2.0 - Frequently Asked Questions

Q. SyncToy 2.0 appears not to sync deleted files when I have the sync option set to 'Echo'

A. This can happen if the files are updated on the right. This includes if the file was touched by an anti-virus program, music player, etc. To confirm that this is indeed the case - change the sync option to "Synchronize" and do a "Preview" sync. Do NOT hit run because this will sync changes from the right to the left. If on a preview you see updates from the right to the left folder, this means it was changed on the right. The only workaround in this case would be to manually delete the file on the right. And do not forget to change your sync option back to "Echo".

I'm guessing this is your problem, because I just checked on my computer, the "Echo" deletes folders correctly.

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Precisions on the "Echo". The "Echo" method in SyncToy will echo the changes from left to right. But to avoid losing data, it won't take care about folders and files created after. Typically, in your case, you want it to delete the folders you created after, but in general, I doubt you expect the backup tool to erase data it's not supposed to take care of.

Answer 2

Use Empty Folder Nuker to clean up the empty folders left by SyncToy.