Rclone Sync Vs Copy Jun 2026

rclone sync source:path dest:path --backup-dir dest:archive/2023-10-27

This tells rclone : "If you are about to overwrite or delete a file on the destination, move it to the backup folder instead." This allows you to run a sync that keeps your destination clean, while preserving a "trash" or "archive" of old files just in case. rclone sync vs copy

rclone sync source:path dest:path --dry-run cleanup jobs |

| Aspect | copy | sync | |--------|--------|--------| | | Usually scans both source and destination | Same as copy (plus delete pass) | | Delete pass | None | Additional API calls to list + delete | | Memory usage | Lower | Slightly higher (keeps track of files to delete) | | Best for | Large destinations with unrelated data | Exact replication, cleanup jobs | rclone sync vs copy