macformat.com @macformatSync with devices APPLE SKILLS
APRIL 2020 | MACFORMAT | 45HOW TO Sync almost anything
1
Know your IP
If you’re connecting to another Mac,
you’ll need to know your IP (internet
protocol) address. So it’s nice to see it
right there in the middle of the window.
Take a note of it and install SyncMate
on the Mac you want to sync data with.2
Allow connections
On your other Mac, look for
Incoming Connections and then click
on the little + at the bottom corner of
the Allowed IP Addresses box. Enter
the IP address of your other Mac in
the box that pops up.3
Get connected
Now, return to your original Mac and
select the Add New link from the sidebar
at the right. This asks you which kind of
device you’re connecting to, and as you
can see there are lots of options here.
Click on Another Mac.4
Choose your Mac
If you click on the menu in
the middle of the window you should
see a list of the Mac(s) that you’ve told
SyncMate to add this Mac to. (You can
also add a Mac manually, but we couldn’t
persuade that feature to work.)5
Pick and mix
After a few seconds you’ll see the
Device Added Successfully message and
a list of the kinds of data you can sync. If
you have the free version you’ll only be
able to select Calendar and Contacts.
Tick what to sync, then click Done.6
Get the details
You’ll now see tabs at the top of the
screen, one for each kind of data you’ve
chosen to sync. Here we’re looking at the
Calendar sync options, so we can choose
which calendars to include and how far
back or forward SyncMate should go.7
Choose your contacts
It’s a similar story with Contacts,
where you can sync your entire address
book or just the groups you’ve created in
your Mac’s Contacts app. You can choose
whether to change the name order or
just sync people’s phone numbers.8
Find your folders
If you’ve chosen to sync folders,
you’ll need to tell SyncMate which ones to
sync. You can also specify what to do if
there’s a conflict – so, for example, you
can tell SyncMate to use the newest
versions of any conflicting files.9
Start a sync
With Macs you can get SyncMate
to use AutoSync, which runs at specified
times, or just run updates manually from
the menu bar. Use Online Connections to
see which of your devices are currently
available and click on them to sync.