Applicable to Client versions -

Windows - v7.1.0 & above | macOS - v6.5.1, 7.1.0 & above | Linux - v5.9.x & above

Overview

By default, some system files are hidden in your computer. Similarly, system users or you may have hidden files and folders in the system. You may want to view such hidden files and folders while you are configuring the files and folders for backup.

System-defined files/folders hidden by default

Operating System	Files/Folders hidden by default
Mac	All paths prefixed with “.” HFS+ invisible attribute Finder Info hidden flag Matches a special blacklist built into Core Foundation (which is different on each OS version—e.g., ~/Library is hidden in 10.7+, but not in 10.6)
Linux	All paths prefixed with “.”
Windows	User marked hidden files System only required files

inSync specified files/folders hidden by default

Following table lists the files and folders that are, by default, hidden by inSync Client.

Common to all operating systems	*.\.., (?i).\.tmp$, (?i)./temp/, (?i)./tmp/**
Mac	/bin/, /etc/, /sbin/, /usr/, /sw/, /System/, /private/, /Desktop DB$, /Desktop DF$
Linux	/bin/, /boot/, /etc/, /initrd/, /lib/, /opt/, /sbin/, /usr/, /var/, /srv/
Windows	(?i).:/Config.Msi/, .:/ProgramData/, .Thumbs\.db, ./Local Settings/History/, ./NetHood/, ./PrintHood/, ./Cookies/, ./Recent/, ./SendTo/, ./LocalService/, ./NetworkService/, ./Start Menu/, (?i)./NTUSER., (?i).:/WINDOWS/, (?i).:/autoexec.bat$

📝 Note

You cannot change the selections of the hidden files and folders for any Administrator-configured folder.
Inclusion or Exclusion of files/folders can be done, and inSync honors the selection while backing up data.

Procedure

To view the hidden files and folders

Start the inSync Client.
On the navigation pane, click the Backup & Restore tab.
In the right pane, click Add folder. The Add Folder window appears.
Select the folder whose files you want to view and then select the Show Hidden Items check box. Click Next. The checkbox can be selected on the Add Folder page or on the selected folder's page.
On the selected folder's window, all the files and folders including the hidden files are displayed.

If the parent folder is checked, all the files and folders inside that directory are selected for backup.
If you want to exclude the hidden files and folders within a folder from backup then, clear the check box adjacent to these hidden files and folders.

Click Add to include the selected files and folders in the backup cycle.
If an added folder is edited, you can still see the hidden files and folders and reconfigure them if needed.

Add folders

Edit folders

Configure folders for backup

Configure custom folders for backup

System requirements for files and folders