[RESOLVED] SyncBack

[terryZ]

I have been using SyncBack for many, many years both at home and (when I was still working) at work. On my home PC I backup to external HDs and to my Google Drive. I have been backing up only a select group of files to my Google Drive since I'm only using the free 15GB space there. Today I noticed that Google is having a sale on Google Drive space so I took advantage of it and bought 200GB for 75? for three months. Anyway, to my problem.

I started to back up my complete Documents folder to Google Drive and noticed that the disk space on my PC was dwindling. By a lot. I panicked and stopped the SyncBack program. I asked ChatGPT what the problem might be. It responded:

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It sounds like SyncBack may have created temporary files or local copies of your backups on your hard drive instead of directly syncing to Google Drive. Here are a few things to check:

Check SyncBack?s Temporary Files

Some backup software creates temporary copies before uploading. Look for extra files in your SyncBack folder or default backup location.
Verify Backup Location

Make sure the backup isn?t mistakenly saving to your hard drive instead of Google Drive. Check SyncBack?s settings to confirm the destination.
Google Drive Sync Settings

If you're using Google Drive?s desktop app, ensure it?s set to "Stream files" instead of "Mirror files"?mirroring keeps copies on your local drive.
Check for Duplicate Backups

Sometimes, SyncBack may create multiple versions of the same files if configured incorrectly. Look for duplicate folders or older backups eating up space.
Clear Unused Temporary Files

Try running Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr on Windows) to remove temporary files.
Look at Your Hard Drive Usage

Open Windows Storage Settings (Settings > System > Storage) to see which folders are taking up space.

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I couldn't find any files in the SyncBack folders. I have no idea where these files may be. Just that my Windows C: drive is losing space when the backup is running.

Does anyone have any idea where I might find those files that are eating up my disk space?

Just to iterate, I have been using SyncBack for years to back up files like DOCUMENTS, etc (600 GB) to external hard drives and never had this problem. Nor has there been a problem in backing up selected files (11GB) to Google Drive in the past.

Thanks in advance,

terryZ

PS I just saw this while searching "How to backup to Google Drive": There are two ways to back up computer files to your Google Drive folder. One way is to drag and drop the files to a Google Drive window. The major drawback with this method is that it creates a copy of each file you back up, taking up twice the storage space." Maybe this is what is happening?

[terryZ]

Nevermind.

All the files weren't appearing in My Google Drive immediately. Eventually they all appeared. And my space returned.

Go figure.

[jdc2000]

Possibly useful link:

https://www.2brightsparks.com/resour...MzM3NS4wLjAuMA..

Note:
If you are not subscribed to SyncBack's periodic emails, you may want to subscribe. There are sometimes worthwhile notifications, like when Google changes authentication requirements for something.

[jdc2000]

From 2BrightSparks email:

Google Photos

We are reaching out to inform you about an upcoming change by Google that will affect how SyncBackPro interacts with Google Photos for backup purposes.

Starting March 31st, 2025, Google will require all applications that access Google Photos to use the new Google Photos Picker API. This change means that applications like SyncBackPro will no longer be able to back up your Google Photos automatically.

The new Google Photos Picker API is designed to enhance privacy and security by requiring user interaction to manually select individual photos and videos for access. Unfortunately, this fundamentally prevents automated backup solutions from functioning as they previously did, as automatic and comprehensive access to your entire Google Photos library will no longer be possible.

You can read more about this change in Google’s official announcement here:
https://developers.googleblog.com/en...y-api-updates/

We understand that this may be an inconvenience for those who rely on SyncBackPro for Google Photos backups. However, this is a decision made by Google, and it impacts all third-party backup applications, not just SyncBackPro.

Additional link:
https://www.2brightsparks.com/resour...ail-oauth.html

[terryZ]

Thanks, JDC. I went ahead and jumped on their subscription list.