# WinSCP - Synchronize host and remote > Use a script with WinSCP to easily synchronize files between your local host and a remote FTP/SFTP server. Learn the commands for local, remote, or bi-directional synchronization. ---  **TL;DR** This article shares a WinSCP script that synchronizes a local folder with a remote FTP/SFTP server (or vice versa) via the `synchronize` command, run with `winscp.com /script=...`. It explains the `local`/`remote`/`both` direction options, useful for automated backups like syncing a folder to a Synology NAS. By the use of a script, it's possible to ask [WinSCP](https://winscp.net/) to synchronize your host and remote machine i.e. if a file is newer on the host, copy it to your remote server and the opposite. If a file has been added to your host, copy it to your remote server and vice versa. I'm using such script for making a full backup of some of my folders to my Synology. *I've also used it for years to deploy this very blog, before switching to [GitHub Actions](/blog/github-action).* *Two more WinSCP scripts on this blog: [downloading files with a specific extension recursively](/blog/winscp-download-recursively-files) and [opening a WinSCP session straight from KeePass](/blog/keepass-overriding-url).* ## The script **c:\temp\synchronize.txt** ```txt open ftp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@HOST_OR_IP:PORT/ option transfer ascii lcd "C:\Christophe" cd /Christophe synchronize remote -preservetime -transfer=automatic -filemask="|.git/" close exit ``` ## How to use 1. Save the previous script as, f.i., `c:\temp\synchronize.txt` 2. Edit the script and specify: 1. in case of need, replace `ftp` by `sftp` 2. `USERNAME`: the FTP username 3. `PASSWORD`: the password associated to this account 4. `HOST_OR_IP`: the FTP host name or its IP 5. `PORT`: the port to use (21 for an FTP connection f.i.) 6. The local folder where your files are stored (line `lcd "C:\Christophe"`) 7. The remote folder from where the files should be copied (line `cd /Christophe`), can be the ftp root or any subfolder 3. Start a DOS session 4. Run `cd \temp` 5. Run `winscp.com` from there: type `"c:\program files (x86)\WinSCP\WinSCP.com" /script="c:\temp\synchronize.txt"` If everything is correctly set up, WinSCP will start a session terminal and will start the synchronization. ## More info More info about the Synchronize verb of WinSCP: . * If files/folders are already there, don't do anything. * If there are new files/folders, copy them. * If files/folders are no more on the local drive, remove them from the remote server. So local is the master. ### Local / Remote / Both See the line `synchronize remote`. Choose `remote`, `local` or `both`: * When the first parameter is `local`, changes from remote directories are applied to local directories. * When the first parameter is `remote`, changes from the local directories are applied to the remote directories. * When the first parameter is `both`, both local and remote directories can be modified ([source](https://winscp.net/eng/docs/scriptcommand_synchronize#remarks)).