Anyone who types download Syncthing has usually made a deliberate choice to avoid Dropbox or Google Drive style cloud syncing. Syncthing connects your devices directly to each other over an encrypted connection, so file transfers happen peer-to-peer without a copy sitting on a third-party server in between. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, and is entirely free and open source, maintained by the community-run Syncthing Foundation.
How Syncthing Differs From Cloud Storage Apps
Instead of a central account and web dashboard, Syncthing works through device IDs that you exchange manually or via QR code, after which paired devices sync folders directly whenever both are online.
There's no storage limit imposed by a company, because there's no company storing anything, your data only ever lives on devices you control. The tradeoff is that both devices generally need to be running Syncthing and reachable for a sync to complete.
Who ends up using Syncthing
Syncthing draws privacy-minded users and self-hosters who want to sync files between their own devices without a cloud company in the middle.
- Privacy-conscious users syncing files between a home PC and laptop without cloud storage
- Self-hosters who want mesh syncing across several personal devices with no storage cap
- Photographers backing up phone camera folders directly to a home server as they're taken
Before you install
A couple of things worth knowing about Syncthing before you request the link: it covers Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, so pick the right build for the machine you're setting up. And on pricing, Syncthing is open source, so the installer is free with no trial timer, feature lock, or upsell screen to click past. It's developed and maintained by Syncthing Foundation.
System requirements
- WindowsWindows 10 or 11 (64-bit); older 7/8.1 builds usually still run but no longer get official support
- macOSa recent macOS release — check the download page for the current minimum version, since Apple Silicon vs Intel builds sometimes differ
- Linuxmost current 64-bit distributions; look for a native .deb/.rpm/AppImage or a package in your distro's own repository
- Androida recent Android build installed from the Play Store or the developer's own APK
It's a lightweight tool, so there's no serious CPU/RAM/storage requirement beyond what its OS already needs to run comfortably.
Quick steps
- Download and install Syncthing on each device you want to sync
- Open the web interface on one device and add the other device's ID to connect them
- Choose which local folders to share and accept the share request on the paired device
Syncthing: the honest trade-offs
- No third-party server ever stores a copy of your files
- Supports mesh syncing across many devices, not just device pairs
- Fully open source and free with no storage limits imposed by a company
- Both devices generally need to be online at once for a sync to complete
- Initial device pairing via ID exchange is less intuitive than typical cloud-app sign-in
The link here goes to Syncthing's official GitHub releases from the Syncthing Foundation, matching what syncthing.net distributes.
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Keeping Syncthing up to date
Since Syncthing is open source, most Linux distributions keep it current through their own package manager. On Windows/macOS, re-running the installer from the official site (or an updater built into the app, if it has one) gets you the latest release. Sticking to the developer's own distribution channel — which is what this page links to — means you're never stuck on an old build with unpatched bugs just because a mirror site stopped updating its copy.
Features, install steps, alternatives and more detail live on the main Syncthing page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Syncthing need both devices online at the same time?
Generally yes for a sync to complete, though relay servers can help when devices aren't on the same network.
Can Syncthing sync more than two devices at once?
Yes, it supports mesh-style syncing across many devices, not just one-to-one pairs.
