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Short answer
Use Safe Merge when you want to combine two folders into a new result. Use a synchronization tool when future changes should continue to pass between locations. A Safe Merge result does not automatically update when either source changes later.
Before you start
- A clear choice between a one-time combined result and ongoing synchronization.
- For Safe Merge, two distinct supported local NTFS source folders, with neither inside the other, and a separate folder to contain the new result, outside both sources.
Start here
Choose the intended outcome
For two photo collections or project folders that should become one separate collection, choose a merge. For folders that must stay aligned as you keep editing, review a synchronization tool's direction and conflict rules.
Set up the merge
In Safe Merge, choose First folder and Second folder. Enter the result name under Merged folder and use Choose location to select the folder that will contain it, outside both sources.
Preserve the source collections
Leave Keep both selected and Recycle originals after merging unchecked. Select Merge Folders.
Verify and choose where to work next
Open the merged folder and review Merge Summary. Decide which collection you will edit afterward. Later edits in a source do not flow into this result automatically.
Check your result
- The new result contains the intended combined collection.
- You know which folder you will use for future work.
- If you need repeated updates, you have checked a synchronization tool's deletion and conflict behavior.
Synchronization direction changes the outcome
Two-way synchronization can carry changes in both directions. Mirroring makes a target match a source and can remove target items that are absent from the source. These are different outcomes from making a separate combined collection.
FreeFileSync documents two-way, mirror and update choices. Syncthing documents ongoing synchronization and conflict copies. Review the chosen tool's own instructions before using it on your files.
A merged result is not a backup plan
A separate result can help you consolidate files, but Safe Merge does not schedule backups or retain earlier content versions. Keep an appropriate backup of the collection you continue working on.
Repeating a merge creates another result; it is not a saved relationship that keeps the folders synchronized.
Safe Merge
View app detailsRelated guides
- Merge two Windows folders without overwriting different files
- Keep both different same-name files when merging folders