Syncthing

ApplicationSyncthing

Also called syncthing windows, synctrayzor

SyncthingProductivity

Peer-to-peer folder sync with no vendor cloud. The process is syncthing.exe. It is not Dropbox.

What you need to know

Syncthing is peer-to-peer. Dropbox is a hosted folder.

syncthing.exe syncs devices you pair. Dropbox.exe needs a Dropbox account. Installing Syncthing does not create a cloud mailbox.

What is it?: Peer-to-peer sync
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If syncthing.exe is running, I would look at device IDs and folder shares, not a Dropbox password. There is no Syncthing corporate folder in the cloud.

What is Syncthing?

Syncthing is peer-to-peer folder sync. syncthing.exe is the engine. Dropbox is a vendor cloud. You do not get a Syncthing account. You get a device ID.

If you have never used it

If you want folders to copy between your own PCs with no Dropbox account, this is Syncthing, not Dropbox. Download it from syncthing.net/downloads. You pair device IDs. There is no syncthing.com mailbox. Dropbox.exe talks to Dropbox servers. syncthing.exe talks to your other devices, with optional community relays.

What is it used for?

Pair two PCs

Share a folder by device ID. Dropbox sharing is an email link to Dropbox servers.

No vendor mailbox

Files stay on the devices you approve. Relays can help NAT. That is still not a Dropbox datacenter as the home of the files.

Versioning Syncthing documents

Optional file versioning on disk. Dropbox version history is a cloud feature.

Who is it for?

People who refuse a vendor cloud
Homelab users pairing a desktop and a NAS-class PC
Anyone who should not create a Dropbox account to finish setup

Current status

Actively developed. This article is the Windows engine. Tray wrappers such as SyncTrayzor are optional.

How old is it?

Syncthing started in 2013 as open-source P2P sync. Dropbox is a 2008 hosted service. Resilio Sync is a BitTorrent-family cousin. They are not the same protocol.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

syncthing.exe

Tray wrappers

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
syncthing.exe	Sync engine. A tray UI may be a separate wrapper

Startup components

syncthing.exe often starts with Windows if you installed a service or tray wrapper. That is local, not Dropbox.

File locations

Common Syncthing locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Syncthing\ or the folder you unpacked

File formats

whatever folders you share

Common problems

Devices never see each other

Firewall, NAT, or a missing relay. That is P2P, not a Dropbox regional outage.

People expect a website file list

There is no Dropbox-style website unless you built one. The GUI is local.

Getting unstuck

Add the other device ID from Syncthing's local GUI

A Dropbox share link will not pair devices.

Install from syncthing.net/downloads

A "Syncthing Windows" search ad is the wrong file.

If you wanted a vendor cloud, use Dropbox or OneDrive instead

Syncthing will not grow a mailbox. That is the sibling-swap test.

Alternatives

Dropbox, Nextcloud, and Resilio Sync overlap. Dropbox is hosted. Resilio uses a BitTorrent family protocol.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	syncthing.net/downloads/ Official installer or vendor page
Help	docs.syncthing.net/ Vendor support
Official site	syncthing.net/downloads/ Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

Sync is disk and network bound. Two spinning disks on a large tree will grind.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Syncthing official site · Vendor product page
Syncthing help · Vendor support
Syncthing intro · Device IDs and folders
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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