After SugarSync installation, SugarSync Drive (letter S by default) appears in (My) Computer/Windows Explorer. To start backing up or syncing files and folders, double-click SugarSync icon on Desktop or click its icon in Notification Area of Taskbar (aka System Tray) and select Open SugarSync.
Now either drag a folder onto the lowermost area of SugarSync window or click Select Folders.
A list of common folders appears. To select other folders, expand More places, then expand a drive and locate the folders you want to archive/synchronize. Use check boxes or green icons with plus signs to add items to SugarSync.
Please remember you are using the free account with 5 gigabyte limit - the storage space used and free is displayed on the bottom left. These numbers change each time you select or deselect a folder.
Click Add after you're done selecting.
By now, file upload has started. During synchronizations, SugarSync Taskbar icon has round arrows. If it has normal logo (the green bird), everything is in sync already. In case the icon is gray, there is no connection to SugarSync servers.
Synced folders also have a small green bubble on them in Windows/File Explorer. While a folder is being synced, the bubble is yellow.
You can upload other folders later just by right-clicking these in Windows Explorer, expanding SugarSync and clicking Add Folder to SugarSync.
Synchronizing folders between computers with SugarSync
To keep same folder in sync on two or more PC-s, you must first install and log in to SugarSync on all the computers and upload the folder contents from the first device.
Then click SugarSync icon in Taskbar Notification Area and click Open SugarSync. Click the folder you want to keep in sync and then click the Sync slider in Folder Info.
In the Sync Folder to Computer window, click Merge (right under path field).
Click Choose to select an existing folder to merge with.
Locate the folder you want to keep in sync. Please note that you cannot select a Library (available in Windows 7 and 8) - to choose a folder inside it, expand the Library name first and then select a subfolder. SugarSync will pop up a warning if you select a Library.
After selecting a folder, click Merge. SugarSync might rename the selected folder if you sync files between Windows XP and newer Windows versions, but all items in the folder will remain in tact.
Repeat the process for all folders you want to keep in sync.
Excluding subfolders in SugarSync
If you need to synchronize or back up a folder, but exclude one or more of its sub-folders, click the folder in SugarSync main window. Then expand Advanced and click Manage.
In the Manage Excluded Subfolders window, deselect the subfolders you do not need to keep in sync or backed up. Finish the process by clicking OK.
Using labels to differentiate between same folders on different devices
While you can use SugarSync to synchronize folders on several devices, you can also upload folders with same names without merging. For example, you can archive/back up My Pictures folders from your work and personal PC-s separately.
To tell the folders apart in SugarSync main window or SugarSync Drive more easily, use labels. Click a folder in main program window and then click Edit in the Add or edit folder label section.
In the Add or Edit Folder Label window, type a descriptive name and click Save.
Now the label appears in SugarSync main window and SugarSync Drive.
Removing folders from SugarSync
To stop syncing or backing up a folder, click SugarSync icon in Taskbar Notification Area and select Open SugarSync. Alternatively, double-click SugarSync on Desktop.
In the main window, click the folder you want to remove, expand Advanced and click Remove.
SugarSync will first confirm the syncing change. Click OK. No files will be removed.
If this is the only computer that synced the folder, SugarSync will also confirm folder removal from your cloud storage. This will not delete the files from your computer, but from SugarSync storage.
Click Remove Folder.
Using versioning in SugarSync
For Windows XP users, SugarSync can be a godsend with its versioning feature. If a file changes, up to five previous versions of it are retained online. You can easily recover the stored versions.
In Windows Vista and 7, Previous Versions in System Restore does the same by default. In Windows 8, the feature is called File History.
Versioning is accessible via SugarSync web interface. You can either click SugarSync icon in Taskbar Notification Area and click Launch SugarSync Website to locate the file online, or you can right-click the file you want to restore to an earlier version in Windows Explorer and select Show Versions from SugarSync sub-menu.
If the item is grayed out, this item does not have other versions stored.
If you entered SugarSync web interface from Taskbar icon menu, locate and select the required file first. Do not select more than one file at a time!
Then click See Versions on the menu that appears on the top.
Now you will see all available versions of this file, with Date Modified, Size, Modified On and Modifiied By columns.
You can click Download to get the version to your computer, or Save to store it as a new file on SugarSync cloud storage.
Always remember to log off - open the menu with your first name and select Log Out. This will minimize the chances of malicious people accessing your SugarSync account just by re-opening browser window or closed tab, or by stealing stored cookies.
Sharing files and folders with SugarSync
You can easily share items you store on SugarSync with other people. Folders can be shared either publicly (with view only rights) or privately (with view only or add/edit rights). Individual files can be shared publicly and with viewing rights only.
You can share any folder on your computer, but you can share only those individual files that are already being synced to SugarSync.
This way, you can distribute and access files or work on same files with other members of a workgroup. Sharing is also a good replacement for sending large attachments via e-mail.
To start sharing, click a folder in SugarSync main window and then click Share. Alternatively, right-click an item in Windows Explorer and select Share from SugarSync sub-menu.
For folders, you can select either Public Link (this means that anyone can view the items using the link) or Private Sharing (you can give others either adding and editing rights, or viewing rights only). For files, only Public Link is possible. You can distribute the link via e-mail, copy the link to clipboard or share it using Facebook or Twitter.
It is always a good idea to stop sharing items after the intended audience has received or stopped modifying these.
To stop sharing a folder, click its name in SugarSync main window, click the Permission button and select Stop Sharing Privately or Disable Link (if you shared this publicly).
As you can see, you can also change the rights to the privately shared folder by selecting Change to Add & Edit or Change to View Only.
To stop sharing a file, right-click it in Windows Explorer, expand SugarSync menu and select Share. Then open the Copy the link tab and click Disable Link.
You can also re-copy or distribute the public link for the file again here instead.
SugarSync will confirm the action. Click Disable Link.
Restoring files with SugarSync
If you need to recover deleted files or folders you previously backed up using SugarSync, click SugarSync's Taskbar icon and select Launch SugarSync Website. Alternatively, you can access your account from https://www.sugarsync.com/login.
Now open the menu with your first name (on top right) and click Deleted Items.
Locate the file you want to recover and click Restore. Alternatively, you can download the file without storing it on your SugarSync account.
Please note that deleted items you shared with others are located under Privately Shared Items tab.
After restoring, remember to log off - open the menu with your first name and select Log Out. This will minimize the chances of malicious people accessing your SugarSync account just by re-opening browser window or closed tab, or by stealing stored cookies.
Managing SugarSync preferences
SugarSync has only a few configuration options, with some additions that came with version 2.0.9. To access these, open main window, then open Tools menu and click Preferences.
The Mount SugarSync Drive when starting SugarSync (called Do not mount the SugarSync Drive when SugarSync starts until version 2.0.9) option allows disabling or enabling the SugarSync Drive (letter S by default). The check box is ticked by default.
Since version 2.0.9, you can change the drive letter of your SugarSync drive in Windows. Just select the appropriate one from the Use <drive letter> for SugarSync Drive combo box.
Another usable option is Upload Speed (moved to the Advanced tab since version 2.0.9) - drag the slider to Low if your data plan has limited upload capacity. This will allow better internet browsing speed while SugarSync in synchronizing items. Default setting here is Medium.
Connection tab has proxy server configuration options only.
Click OK after making changes.
Renaming your computer in SugarSync
To set a different name for your current computer, open SugarSync main window and select Edit Computer Name from Tools menu.
In the Edit name of this computer dialog, type a new name and click Rename.
Removing devices from SugarSync
There may be times you want to remove a computer or device from SugarSync - for example, the computer broke down or will be sold.
To delete a device, open SugarSync main window, expand Tools menu and click Unlink Device from SugarSync.
This will open your default web browser, log you in to your SugarSync account and open Remove a Device from SugarSync page. Click Remove button to the right of the device you wish to delete/unlink.
A confirmation dialog appears. Click OK to remove the device from SugarSync.
A notification appears on the web page after the computer has been removed. Click Log Out in the top right menu (with your first name) to exit SugarSync web interface safely - otherwise your login credentials might be accessible to others.
