Fast, versatile file synchronization and transfer utility - the backbone of countless backup scripts.
rsync is a fast, versatile open-source utility for synchronizing files and directories, locally or between machines over SSH. Its delta-transfer algorithm sends only the parts of files that changed, which made it the de facto standard for backups, mirrors and deployment scripts.
The utility preserves permissions, timestamps, symbolic links and hard links, and offers powerful include/exclude filters plus a dry-run mode that previews exactly what a run will do. It is freely available under the GNU General Public License and maintained by the rsync project. Most Linux distributions ship it by default, and it also runs on macOS (via package managers such as Homebrew) and Windows (via WSL or Cygwin).
The latest release, rsync 3.5.2 (November 2026), fixes a bug that could corrupt files when interrupted --append/--inplace transfers resumed, and patches a CPU exhaustion vulnerability: see our coverage of rsync 3.5.2.
Only the changed parts of files cross the wire, saving time and bandwidth on every sync.
Copy between directories or machines, with SSH as the secure transport for remote work.
Permissions, timestamps, symbolic links and hard links survive the transfer intact.
Fine-grained include/exclude rules plus a --dry-run mode that previews changes before anything is written.
Yes. rsync is free and open-source software, freely available under the GNU General Public License and maintained by the rsync project.
On macOS, rsync installs easily through package managers such as Homebrew; recent macOS versions ship a different tool called openrsync instead. On Windows, rsync runs through WSL or Cygwin rather than as a native application.
It fixes a bug that could corrupt files when interrupted --append/--inplace transfers resumed, patches the CVE-2026-119741 CPU exhaustion vulnerability, and adds --nice and --delay-symlinks options - see our news coverage.