Sugarsync:Speeding Up Your Backup

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When you setup your account the first time, or when you add new sync folders, it takes some time to upload all the files to the cloud. The exact duration depends on how much data you have in the folders. The effective upload speed is mostly determined by the speed of your Internet connection. SugarSync File Manager reports the approximate transfer speed on the status bar. 

This chart shows time estimates for data transfer depending on your connection speed:

Type of Connection Bits per Second Hours, Minutes
56 kbps, dial-up 56,000 42 hrs, 36 mins
128K ISDN/DSL, rural US DSL 128,000 18 hrs, 38 mins
1.5 Mbps, average US DSL/cable 1,500,000 1 hr, 32 mins
10 Mbps, fast US DSL/cable 10,500,000 15 mins
44 Mbps, international/office network 46,000,000 3 mins
Change Your Syncing Speed

If your syncing and backup seems to progress more slowly than you'd like, adjusting your upload speed can make a difference. Click the SugarSync icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) on your computer and select Preferences. Under the General tab, you’ll see a slider for setting your Upload Speed.












The pre-set speed in SugarSync is Medium (80% of available bandwidth). If you want other programs to have greater access to bandwidth while SugarSync is uploading files, change the speed to Low (50% of available bandwidth). If you want your SugarSync backup to finish more quickly, change the speed to High (100% of available bandwidth). For downloads, SugarSync uses 100% of available bandwidth.

During the initial upload of your synced folders, you can set the upload speed to High, then leave your computer running overnight.