SyncFolder — Desktop User Guide

Selective File History

Selective File History lets you automatically keep up to 10 previous versions of specific files every time a sync runs. You decide which files to track using glob patterns — the same syntax used in the Filters section.

How It Works

Each time a task runs and a tracked file is about to be overwritten at the destination, SyncFolder first saves the current destination version as a historical copy before applying the update. Historical copies are stored in the same folder as the original file and follow a fixed naming convention:

<fileName>.<date>.sfhist — for example, report.xlsx.20240315-143022.sfhist

Where <fileName> is the full original filename including its extension, and <date> is the timestamp of the moment the copy was saved, formatted as yyyyMMdd-HHmmss.

SyncFolder keeps a maximum of 10 historical versions per file. Once that limit is reached, the oldest .sfhist copy is automatically deleted before the new one is saved.

Configuring File History Patterns

File history is configured per task in Advanced Task Settings. You enter one glob pattern per line in the text box. Any file at the destination that matches one of these patterns will have its version history maintained automatically.

Glob patterns work the same way as in the Filters section. Refer to the Filters documentation for a full overview of supported pattern syntax.

Pattern examples

Track a specific file at any depth
budget.xlsx
Matches: budget.xlsx, finance/budget.xlsx, …
Track a specific file in the root only
/budget.xlsx
Matches: budget.xlsx (root only)
Track all Excel files at any depth
*.xlsx
Matches: budget.xlsx, finance/budget.xlsx, …
Track all Excel files in the root only
/*.xlsx
Matches: budget.xlsx, report.xlsx (root only)
Track all Word and Excel files at any depth
*.docx
*.xlsx
Matches: any .docx or .xlsx at any depth
Track all files in a specific subfolder
/contracts/*
Matches: contracts/order.pdf, contracts/nda.docx
Track all files in a subfolder and below
/contracts/**
Matches: contracts/nda.docx, contracts/2024/order.pdf, …
Track files with a single varying character
/report?.xlsx
Matches: report1.xlsx, reportA.xlsx (root only)

The .sfhist files are stored alongside the originals in the destination folder. Make sure the destination location has sufficient free space when tracking large or frequently-changing files.

Version Management

Property Value Notes
Maximum versions kept 10 Oldest version is deleted automatically when the limit is reached
File naming <fileName>.<date>.sfhist Date format: yyyyMMdd-HHmmss
Storage location Same folder as the original At the destination location
Cleanup trigger On each sync run Oldest copy removed only when the 10-version limit is exceeded

Restoring a Previous Version

SyncFolder does not provide an in-app restore wizard. To recover a previous version, navigate to the destination folder, locate the desired .sfhist file, and rename it by removing the timestamp and .sfhist suffix.

  • Open the destination folder where the original file is stored.
  • Identify the .sfhist copy you want to restore — the timestamp in the filename indicates when it was saved.
  • Rename the file by removing the .<date>.sfhist part from the filename.
  • Confirm that the restored version looks correct before the next sync runs.

If the next sync runs before you rename the restored file, SyncFolder may overwrite it again. Pause or disable the task while restoring if needed.

Tips and Best Practices

Target only critical files Tracking every file in a large sync can create a significant number of .sfhist copies. Focus patterns on files that genuinely need version protection, such as spreadsheets, databases, or configuration files.
Use specific patterns where possible A pattern like reports/quarterly-*.xlsx is safer and less storage-intensive than *.xlsx across an entire folder tree.
Account for .sfhist files in your filters If you use exclusion filters on the destination, make sure they do not accidentally exclude *.sfhist files — this would cause history copies to be deleted during cleanup.
Monitor destination storage With 10 versions × file size per tracked file, storage consumption can grow quickly for large files. Check available space at the destination periodically.

Last updated: May 4, 2026