Mirror a folder with rsync (local backup)

Keep a second folder, USB disk, or mount exactly in step with the original — without re-copying everything.

LinuxbackuprsyncMedium risk

Run rsync -avh source/ /destination/ to copy only new and changed files; add --delete to also remove files you deleted from the source.

01Command

Command

$ rsync -avh --delete ~/projects/site/ /mnt/backup/site/

02What it does

rsync compares source and destination and transfers only the differences, making repeat syncs very fast. The trailing slashes matter: source/ copies the contents of source into the destination, while source (no slash) would create a source folder inside it. -a preserves permissions, timestamps, and symlinks.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk

!Warning: --delete makes the destination an exact mirror: files removed from the source are deleted from the backup too. If you delete the wrong things in the source, the backup deletes them on the next run — do a dry run with -n (--dry-run) first to preview.

04Undo

Undo

$ Manually restore deleted extras from the destination backup (no automatic undo)

05Sources

rsync(1) — a fast, versatile, remote (and local) file-copying tool
manpages.debian.org · community · 2026-09-17
Evidence: rsync -a archives recursively preserving attributes, -v is verbose, -h gives human-readable sizes; --delete removes destination files missing from the source.

Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Files & Folders

06Related solutions

Copy and Sync Files with rsync

Linuxbackupcopyrsync

rsync copies over SSH, skips unchanged files, resumes interrupted transfers, and preserves permissions and timestamps.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17