Clo ud sync an ap’s setti ngs
1
Start Dropbox
Ensure Dropbox is running (you can get a free account from dropbox.com), and create a new folder inside the Dropbox folder. Within that, create a named folder for each app you want to sync (this isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s smart to be organised with important files).
2
Access the Library
Next, locate the files you’d like to sync. We’re going to sync saves from a Mac App Store game, Year Walk. Mac App Store app files are housed deep inside the hidden Library folder, which can be accessed by holding Alt, clicking ‘Go’ and selecting Library from the menu.
3
Find the app folder
Inside Containers is a list of folders, most named using the convention suffix. company. title. In the case of Year Walk, it’s com. simogo. yearwalkmac. To keep a copy of this safe, rightclick and select Compress, then drag the original folder to the Dropbox one made in step 1.
4
Create a symlink
Open Terminal, type ln -s then a space, and drag the folder you moved to Dropbox into the Terminal window. You’ll see its path added, with a space after it. Drag the Containers folder in too (that’s where we want the symlink to be), hit Return, and the symlink should be created.
5
Test everything
Launch your app, use it, close it then open it again. If it resets to defaults, something may have gone wrong, and you should try recreating the symlink. With Mac App Store apps, ensure you’ve copied the entire folder from Containers, and not just a single file.
6
Work with other Macs
You can now use much the same process to have the synced data work with other Macs. Just archive and delete relevant files/folders on the other Macs, and set up symlinks as per step 4. Ensure you only run any app using this data on a single Mac at once, though.
7
Revert to single-Mac
If you decide you no longer want to sync your data, reversion is simple. Delete the symlink file on your Mac, then copy the folder from Dropbox back to the location where it was originally housed. The app the data belongs to should pick up the latest saved settings.
8
Restore a save
Another advantage of using Dropbox is it retains older versions of your files. On the Dropbox website, right-click any document and select ‘Previous versions’. Select an older version and click Restore. (It’s also an idea to copy/ archive your latest version, just to be extra safe.)