Simple, safe, one-way folder mirroring — with your Photos and Music libraries included.
OneWaySync keeps exact mirrors of your folders on external drives, NAS, USB sticks or anywhere else. Synchronization is strictly one-way: the source is only ever read, and after the first copy only new and changed files are transferred. Drag a source, drag a destination, press START.
And it goes beyond folders: connect your Photos library or your Music library with one click, and OneWaySync copies your photos, videos and songs into plain, neatly organized folders — readable from Windows, TVs, media players and any backup tool.
FOLDERS
▪ As many sync setups as you want, each with its own folders and options.
▪ Optional mirror mode ("Delete on Destination") removes files you deleted from the source — or leave it off to keep everything ever copied.
▪ Mix several sources into one destination by pointing multiple setups at the same folder.
▪ Copies hidden files (optional) and Finder label colors.
▪ Follows folders even if they are renamed or moved.
PHOTOS AND MUSIC
▪ "Use Photos Library" copies your photos organized by date or by album — you design the folder and file names with simple tags.
▪ Copy edited photos or untouched originals, convert photos to JPEG, resize to a maximum size.
▪ "Use Music Library" exports songs, music videos and playlists — playlists become real folders.
▪ Filters choose exactly what gets copied.
▪ Old iPhoto and iTunes libraries from older Macs are still read directly.
SET IT AND FORGET IT
▪ Scheduled synchronizations: weekly, or repeating every few minutes.
▪ Queue setups to run one after another, or run them at the same time.
▪ Quit, sleep, shut down or run a custom script when everything finishes.
▪ Safe to cancel at any time — continue later from where it stopped.
▪ Every operation can be written to a log file.
▪ Fully scriptable with AppleScript.
FAQ
• Is my source folder or library ever changed?
Never. Sources are only read; files are copied out of them.
• What happens when I delete files at the source?
Your choice: with "Delete on Destination" enabled, their copies are removed on the next sync, keeping a perfect mirror. Leave it off to keep everything that was ever copied.
• My photos are in iCloud — does this work?
Yes. If "Optimize Mac Storage" is enabled, photos are downloaded automatically as they are copied.
• Is it safe to cancel an ongoing synchronization?
Yes, at any time. The next sync can continue right where it stopped.
OneWaySync requires macOS 11 or later.
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Perfect Folder Backup Utility
MacUser112
Can't really use Time Machine to backup a folder from one drive to another. Sure, you could copy but then it takes forever for large folders to overwrite. This App's smart and only backs up what's changed. MOST important, it's one way so foolproof. Period. Imagine using one of the clumsy "sync" utilities, popular because syncing is what Apple does, and you've worked a 50 hour week on projects, and exhausted, blurry eyed, and in a hurry, set one of those sync utilities to sync the WRONG way? 50 hours of work gone. NOT with this utility. Love the darn thing and as it's getting long in the tooth, dreading the day it no longer keeps up with OS updates. Oh, AND, try and find another true old school smart file/folder copy utility for the MacOs platform. It's either sucky sync, time machine, or THIS app.
Exactly what i was looking for
Avem7
It works perfectly. just to backup my pictures from a folder to an external USB Drive. it copies all the files, adding new files every day. so far no issues.
Simple to use
jaaboston
I have had this for years and it has worked with silicon or intel machines. The downside at this time is that the website for the company who makes this app is gone. Are they still in business? are they updating the app? Not sure but hope they dont go away.
Developer Response
Still here, and very much in business — version 4.0 just landed on the App Store, a full rebuild for current macOS that runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel. Our website is now at oktoid.org, which is why the old link looked dead. Thanks for the years of use — anything you need, we're at info@oktoid.org.
Great Simple Backup App
TDiz1
I was using another more elaborate app for backup previously. (It drove me nuts with its constant sync failures)I switched to OneWaySync.Love its simplicity and effectiveness.Took me a while to straighten out the correct preferences, but I got it eventually.Oktoids tech support was responsive and very helpful.I highly recommend this app to anyone.
Version 4.0 is a complete modernization of OneWaySync:
▪ Works with the Photos app on modern macOS, using Apple's official photo library technology.
▪ New "Use Photos Library" and "Use Music Library" buttons connect your libraries with one click — permission is asked only when you click, never at launch.
▪ Dropping your Photos library now offers a choice: sync photos organized in folders, or copy the library file exactly as it is.
▪ New option: Convert photos to JPEG, for destinations that can't display HEIC photos.
▪ Redesigned Photos options panel with a cleaner, resizable layout.
▪ Old iPhoto and iTunes libraries are still read directly, as before.
▪ Now requires macOS 11 or later.
Version 4.0
The developer, Oktoid, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
