First things first: I do not recommend SyncTrayzor as it bundles the Syncthing binary. As such, it does not have the latest build of the latter. As a longtime user of various sync software, I absolutely assure you that you will always want to be running the latest build as the very nature of syncing makes it more vulnerable to bugs.
Step 1: Download Syncthing & Syncthing Tray
While downloading Syncthing should be straightforward (just choose the build matching your platform), Syncthing Tray is a bit trickier. Download the highest 86_64
version number without qt
in the filename.
Neither app has a Windows installer in 2022(!!!) so you’ll have to extract the archives to your desired locations. I recommend C:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing
for Syncthing and C:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing Tray
for Syncthing Tray.
Step 2: Start and configure Syncthing
- Double-click on the corresponding executable from Step 1. A console window should open up and the web UI should open in your default browser
- Note the URL (should be
http://127.0.0.1:8384
) as you’ll have to use it later - Click
Actions
- Click
Settings
- Click the
GUI
tab - Enter your desired username in
GUI Authentication User
- Enter your desired password in
GUI Authentication Password
- Click
Save
The browser will show a login dialog. Login using the username and password you just set.
Note that if you don’t set a username and password for Syncthing, any account on the host machine will be able to access the web UI.
Step 3: Exit Syncthing
- Close the web UI browser tab
- Close the console window
Step 4: Start and configure Syncthing Tray
- Double-click on the corresponding executable from Step 1
- Right-click the corresponding system tray icon
- Click
Settings
- Click
Startup
- In the
Autostart
tab, check theStart the tray icon when the desktop environment launches
box - In the
Syncthing launcher
tab, check theLaunch Syncthing when starting the tray icon
box - In the
Syncthing executable
field, enterC:\Users\YourUsername\Syncthing
- Click
Apply
- Click
Tray
- Enter the URL from Step 2 in the
Syncthing URL
field - Check the
Authentication
box - Enter the username from Step 2 in the
User
field - Enter the password from Step 2 in the
Password
field - Click
Insert values from local Syncthing configuration
to populate theAPI key
field - Ensure the
Connect automatically on startup
box is checked
Step 5: Exit Syncthing Tray
- Right-click on the tray icon
- Click
Close
Step 6: Start Syncthing Tray
Start Syncthing Tray as before. The icon should turn green shortly.
Step 7: Set up a 2nd PC
Repeat Steps 1 to 6. We’ll call this PC2 and the 1st machine PC1.
Step 8: Connect PC1 and PC2
Follow these instructions. To share a folder that resides outside the default folder (C:\Users\YourUsername\Sync
):
- On PC1, right-click the Syncthing Tray tray icon
- Click
Open Syncthing
- In the ensuing web UI, click
Add Folder
- Enter a folder label under
Folder Label
- Enter your desired path under
Folder Path
- Click the
Sharing
tab - Check the box next to the hostname of the machine you want to share this folder with
- Click
Save
- On PC2, right-click the Syncthing Tray tray icon
- Click
Open Syncthing
- Click
Add
in the folder notification at the top of the page - Set the desired folder label and path as above
- Click the
Sharing
tab - Ensure the box for PC1 is selected
- Click
Save
Your folders should now sync.
The above instructions should be very useful for limited privilege users in corporate/enterprise environments. A couple things to remember:
- Syncthing is P2P and does not use cloud resources. As such, it’s good for data that’s not allowed to be in the cloud. This is especially the case for VPN overlay environments such as Zscaler, etc: as peer devices are always on the same network, transmitted data never “exits” the organization.
- Because Syncthing is P2P, all data exists on the peer devices themselves. People who travel – especially internationally – with client devices should be very mindful and aware of statutory and regulatory data location restrictions.
from DEV Community ๐ฉโ๐ป๐จโ๐ป: jdrch https://dev.to/jdrch/how-to-set-up-syncthing-with-a-tray-icon-on-a-windows-pc-you-dont-have-admin-rights-to-4ih8
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