How to sync two folders on a Mac (without Terminal)

1 November 2026

You keep photos on your Mac and a copy on an external SSD. Or a project folder on the Mac and another in Dropbox. Sooner or later you need both sides to match — and Finder has no button for that.

Sync is not the same as backup

Time Machine keeps history so you can go back in time. Sync makes two folders contain the same files right now. They solve different problems; many people use both.

Option 1: rsync in Terminal

macOS includes rsync. A one-way sync from A to B looks like this:

rsync -av --dry-run ~/Pictures/Album/ /Volumes/SSD/Album/

Remove --dry-run to actually copy. Adding --delete also removes files from B that are no longer in A — powerful, and easy to get wrong: a missing slash or the wrong order of folders can delete the wrong side. There is no undo.

Option 2: Shortcuts or Automator

You can build a shortcut that copies new files from one folder to another. It is fine for simple “copy everything new” jobs, but it does not compare dates, resolve conflicts or show you what will change.

Option 3: a visual sync with a preview (MoloCommander)

Open the first folder in the left pane and the second in the right pane.
Press ⇧⌘S (or the Sync button in the toolbar).
Choose the direction: left → right, right → left or both ways.
Choose how to compare: date and size (fast), size only, or content (byte by byte).
Check the list. New files, newer files and files that would be skipped are shown separately — change any row if you disagree.
Press Synchronize. The sync runs in the operation queue with progress and speed.

Safety rules are built in: a one-way sync never overwrites a newer file on the target, nothing is deleted unless you switch on Mirror, and mirrored files go to the Trash, not into oblivion. If you change your mind, ⌘Z undoes the whole sync in one step.

Tips for cloud folders and external drives

Exclude hidden files unless you need them — system files like .DS_Store are ignored automatically.
exFAT and FAT drives store times with 2-second precision; MoloCommander allows for that, so files are not copied again for nothing.
For cloud folders, “content” comparison may download files that are cloud-only. Date and size is usually the better choice there.

Want to see how this fits a two-pane workflow? Read why a dual-pane file manager beats Finder.

Try MoloCommander

A native dual-pane file manager for Mac. $19 once, lifetime license, 14-day money-back guarantee.

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