GoodSync supports portable paths for removable drives, such as USB flash drives and external hard drives. A portable path finds the drive by its volume label instead of its drive letter, so the job keeps working even if Windows assigns the drive a different letter the next time it is connected.
Portable Path Format
Type the portable path in the Left or Right sync folder field using this format:
=VolumeName:\folder1\folder2
- = tells GoodSync that this is a portable path.
- VolumeName is the volume label of the removable drive.
- \folder1\folder2 is the folder path on that drive.
When a path is entered in portable format, GoodSync searches all removable drives connected to the computer for a drive with a matching volume label.
For example, if the drive is assigned E: today but later appears as F:, GoodSync can still find the folder as long as the volume label stays the same.
Examples
| Volume label | Portable path | Finds the folder at |
|---|---|---|
| BACKUP1 | =BACKUP1:\Backups\Documents | E:\Backups\Documents today, or F:\Backups\Documents next time |
| PHOTOS | =PHOTOS:\Camera\2026 | G:\Camera\2026, whichever letter the drive gets |
| OFFSITE | =OFFSITE:\Office-PC | The Office-PC folder on the drive labeled OFFSITE |
Example: A job syncs C:\Users\Jane\Documents on the left side with =BACKUP1:\Backups\Documents on the right side. Each time the BACKUP1 drive is plugged in, GoodSync finds it, whatever drive letter it has.
How to View or Change a Volume Label
- Connect the removable drive and open File Explorer.
- Right-click the drive and select Properties.
- On the General tab, view or type the label in the name field at the top.
- Click OK to save the label.
GoodSync2Go
When you select a folder in GoodSync2Go, the drive letter is automatically replaced with %GSDISK%, which means the disk GoodSync was started from.
This lets GoodSync2Go find its sync folders whichever computer the removable drive is connected to.
Example: If you select E:\Backups, GoodSync2Go saves the path as %GSDISK%\Backups. If the drive appears as F: on another computer, the path resolves to F:\Backups.
| Method | Use when | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Portable path (=Label:) | GoodSync is installed on the computer and syncs to a removable drive. | =BACKUP1:\Backups |
| %GSDISK% | GoodSync2Go runs from the same removable drive that holds the folders. | %GSDISK%\Backups |
Tips
- Give each drive a unique label. If two connected drives share a label, it may not be clear which one GoodSync will use.
- Keep the label the same. If the volume label is renamed, update the portable path in the job to match.
- Type the path manually. Enter the = sign and the volume label yourself in the folder path field.