We are thrilled to introduce you to our new and improved sync algorithm.
Over the past year, our team has been hard at work rebuilding our sync algorithm from the ground up. The goal was to cater to our valued users’ complex scenarios and diverse needs.
We firmly believe that this new algorithm marks a major milestone for our service. This article contains useful information for users using our sync’s new and improved version.
What is an issue and how does the app recover from it?
When the MEGA Desktop App detects conflicts in the data it is given to synchronise, this is an issue. That means the app doesn`t know what to do, so it stops syncing. No progress is made on the conflicting data and all its child files or folders. Recovering from an issue usually requires user intervention.
There are two modes to deal with an issue in the app. You can choose your preferred mode in the Sync tab of the app’s Settings:
- Smart mode
Resolves most types of conflicts with just a click of a button, e.g., name-related conflicts, duplicate files and folders. Some user intervention might still be needed. - Advanced mode
Complete manual control over each type of conflict. Precisely choose what happens with duplicates, name changes, folder move actions, etc.
Every time the app detects an issue, you will see a red warning message with a View button in the main dashboard. The View button opens the “issues” dialogue where you can view and resolve individual conflicts.
How to resolve issues in Advanced and Smart mode
Issue resolution in Smart mode
If you have many detected issues, then you may need to spend time trying to solve them. We have learned that most people would prefer to solve these issues automatically. So, in Smart mode, the app will resolve most issues automatically for you. This is a safe option as the files are either stored as a version, or available in the local sync debris folder or the Rubbish bin, and you can get them back in case you need to.
Issue resolution in Advanced mode
Files with the same name in Cloud drive
In this scenario, you have multiple files with the same name in the same folder in your Cloud drive. When we try to sync there will be an issue, as it is not allowed to have files with the same name in the same folder in your local Windows or macOS drive.
Our previous version of the sync would silently fail in this scenario. Even competitors like Google Drive would simply rename the files and break the sync.
Our new sync is much better – it brings it up as an issue. Clicking the Resolve button will remove the duplicates, leaving only one file to sync. Any file with the same fingerprint is considered a duplicate. The other files are stored as a version so you can get them back in case you need to.
Folders with the same name in Cloud drive
In this scenario, you have multiple folders with the same name in the same location in your Cloud drive. When we try to sync there will be an issue, as it is not allowed to have folders with the same name in the same location in your local Windows or macOS drive.
Our new sync is much better – it brings it up as an issue. To help you resolve this easily in the app, use the Resolve button in Advanced mode. Clicking this button would merge the folders, leaving only one to sync. The merge logic works as below:
- Detect if there is more than one folder with the same name in the name conflict.
- Get the folder with more files (we can call it the “main” folder) as it is going to be faster moving other folders to this one.
- Start checking the rest of the folders one by one (we can call them the “secondary” folders):
- If the secondary and the main folder have a file with the same name:
- If it is identical (the same fingerprint), we skip it.
- If it is not identical (different fingerprint), we move the secondary folder file with a different name (%1 suffix).
- If the secondary folder has a file that is not in the main folder, we move it directly.
- If the secondary and the main folders have a folder with the same name:
- We continue with the above logic and rename or move files accordingly.
- If the secondary folder has a folder that is not in the main folder, we move it directly.
Local and remote conflict
In this scenario, a file has been changed both locally and remotely while the sync was not running. In this case, the app doesn’t know which version should be kept.
The app will check if the files have the same:
- Size
- Name
If these two attributes are the same, then you can choose the last modified file to be kept:
- If the remote file is chosen, the local file is moved to the operating system’s trash bin. You can recover the file from there.
- If the local file is chosen, the local file is added as a version to the remote file, so you can recover the previous version in case the solution is not correct.
Exclusions
The app allows you to exclude files from syncing by using a new system called .megaignore.
You can find out all about it from here, and if you’d like in-depth information about how to configure it, read this page.
Displaying your item’s CRC
If you want or need to check your item’s CRC, you can enable this view in the Issues screen by pressing both Ctrl and + in Windows and Linux, or Command and + in macOS.
You can hide the CRC by pressing both Ctrl and – in Windows and Linux, or Command and – in macOS.