How to Ditch Dropbox and Sync Files with BitTorrent Sync

Dropbox (and similar cloud services) are awesome, but they don't give you that much control, security, or privacy over your files. If you want to take control into your own hands without losing the features of cloud syncing services, BitTorrent Sync is the service for you.

Here's how to use it.


Advantages of BitTorrent Sync Over Dropbox

-Free

-Storage is only limited by how much space is on your hard drive

-Your files are never uploaded to a third-party server

-Fast transfer speeds that are only limited by the internet connection speed on your devices

-Server downtime doesn't affect you since your files are never uploaded to another server

-Sync any folder or file you want from anywhere on your hard drive

-You can install it on your own NAS so it works almost identically to Dropbox


Disadvantages of BitTorrent Sync Over Dropbox

-At least one of your computers needs to be on perform syncing

-People you share folders and files with need BitTorrent Sync installed, there's no web app to access your files

-You have to share folders, and can't share individual files (a Pro tier is expected that will offer this feature though)

-Doesn't have collaboration and built-in file editing features like other services

-Doesn't work as well as a cloud backup since it only syncs between computers

For most of us, BitTorrent Sync isn't a good replacement for Dropbox if your primary use is backups, but for sharing and syncing files it's awesome. That said, running BitTorrent Sync on a NAS makes it work similar to Dropbox and OwnCloud but with higher speeds and no software overhead to worry about.

You don't need to set up a server, so BitTorrent Sync also tends to be incredibly secure since you're the only who who has the keys to access your files.



How to Set Up BitTorrent Sync


In order to use BitTorrent Sync, you'll need to set up a few different things. Throughout this guide, we'll be using the newest beta for BitTorrent Sync, 2.0, which should be officially launching soon. That said, the process is the same with older versions of the app as well.

-Download BitTorrent Sync for your operating system

-Open up the app

-Pick the folders you want to sync across computers. Click the "+" button and pick your folder. Those folders are now ready for sharing

-Click the gear icon and select "Link Device"

-Click "Link a Desktop Device Manually," you'll get a 35 digit code

-Head to another computer and repeat steps 1 and 2.

-On the second computer, click the gear icon > Link Device > Link Device Manually > Enter Key and enter the 35 digit code from step 5




Now, every folder you select to share syncs across the two computers. You can repeat this process across every computer you own. You can also set up syncing on mobile. The process is pretty similar:

1.Download the mobile app for Android, iOS, or Windows Phone

2.On your desktop, click the gear icon > Link Device to get a QR code

3.Back on your mobile device, click "Add Folder" and use your phone to scan the QR code on your computer

One thing to note: right now, the mobile apps aren't set up to work with BitTorrent Sync 2.0, so for now, you'll want to use version 1.4 if you need access on mobile.

That's it for setting up standard sync. From here on out, your files sync between all the computers and devices you have BitTorrent Sync installed on as long as at least of those devices is online.