How to Sync Folders to Google Docs

This how-to guide explains how to sync any folder to Google Docs. Do this to backup your Google Docs or if you want offline access to your Google Docs.

Sync any folder on your computer or network

Previous versions of Syncdocs would only sync a specific main folder on your PC to Google Docs. You can now add extra folders to sync.

The “Add folder” feature lets you add folders that are anywhere on your PC to sync to Google. The folders you select do not have to be in your “My Google Docs” folder. They can be anywhere on your PC or network.

Syncdocs will show a link to these folders in your Google Docs folder, but the folders and data live elsewhere on your hard disk or local network.

How to sync any folder

To access the selective sync menu.

1. Right click on the Syncdocs taskbar icon, and select Preferences. Then in the folder tab, click the Select button

2. Click on “Add Folder” and select the folder to sync or backup:

3. That’s it. This new folder will be uploaded and synced to Google Docs.

Shortcuts

Syncdocs puts a shortcut (a link) to this new folder in your local “My Google Docs” folder, so that the Google and local folder structures look the same. No files are duplicated locally.

Removing Synced Folders

If you don’t want to sync the folder anymore, you can uncheck it in the list above.

You can also delete the folder shortcut in your “My Google Docs” folder and it will be removed from Google Docs, too, but the contents locally will not be deleted. This is because the folder shortcut is actually a link to the target folder that is synced. Note that the contents of this shortcut will not be deleted if you delete the shortcut. However, if you delete the contents, then they will also be deleted from Google Docs, so be careful.

Limitations

There are a few limitations to which folders you can sync: you cannot select your Windows system directory, or an entire drive. If the folder is on a removable drive, Syncdocs won’t let you sync it, and advises you to copy it instead.

The feature is not supported on Windows 98 or ME file systems (FAT32).

Network Folders

You can sync network folders. If the network link dies, or the Administrator removes your permissions, Syncdocs will stop syncing with an error message. You can un-check the resource in “Selective Folder Sync” menu to ignore this.

Syncing some network folders might require Administrative permissions on Windows 7, Vista or Server 2008. You can run Syncdocs as Administrator by clicking on this start menu link: