I would like to compare a couple different folders and have them sync together so I have the newest version of a file to store just once. What application do you recommend for comparing files in folders?
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william braun
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How Do I Compare Files In Different Folders?
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I did a video on this a long time ago: http://macmost.com/merging-folders.html. But I'm sure things have changed and there are some new apps in the Mac App Store that may work for you.
If this is a one-time task and there are too many files (less than, say, 500) I would urge you to try to do it manually. It probably won't take as long as you think, and you can circumvent any issues that an automatic software process may not perceive.
But there is a way to do this with the Finder. I would duplicate all of the folders involved as a backup just in case, first.
Say you have Folder1, Folder2 and Folder3. Create a new folder called Folder0. Put just Folder1 into it. Now rename Folder2 to Folder1, so it has exactly the same name as the first folder. Hold the Option key down and drag this new Folder1 into Folder0. You will get the option to Merge the two folders. Do that. It should merge them, keeping the most recent of each file. Then rename Folder3 to Folder1 and Option+drag that into Folder0, Merge.
One catch: You won't get the Merge option if you have exactly the same files (as far as names) in each folder. So if that is the case, add a "trash.txt" file to the first folder so there is at least one file that is different when you do the Option+drag.