Hi! I want to use Syncthing to sync my Krita user files between one EndeavourOS PC and one Windows PC. The former works fine, but the latter runs into an obvious “access denied” issue relating to the folder being synced to (C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\krita), since it is admin-protected.
How do I actually allow Syncthing to access such a folder, though? Search function and DDG were unhelpful and doc mentions a lot of things about Linux permissions but when it comes to Windows, it only seems to cover read-only folders. Unless I missed something?
(Alternatively, it’s not exactly a Syncthing question, but can I change the permissions on that folder somehow?)
While the methods and options available will vary with the Windows edition and how it’s been configured, generally speaking it’s less complicated to just run Syncthing under that particular user account versus tangling with the Windows permissions system.
Or in other words, if {username} in C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\krita is named “Trobador”, running Syncthing under that user account will grant Syncthing all the permissions it needs to read/write to the %APPDATA%\Roaming\krita folder.
If the goal is to auto-start Syncthing with Windows, it can be setup as a Windows service, but from the perspective of dealing with permissions and other potential issues, using Windows Task Scheduler is the least complicated option (there’s a checkbox to enable starting when Windows boots).
Although it’s possible and not difficult to change the permissions on the folder, it opens up a can of worms because it’s very easy to inadvertently end up with files and folders with a mix of potentially conflicting permissions which could then cause issues for whoever {username} is.
(Just to clarify, it’s not really admin-protected. In fact, by default. users in the Windows Administrator group are blocked from accessing other users files. A special step is required to open up a user’s account for access by an admin user.)
I’m a bit confused here. Does this imply Syncthing, in its mostly default config fresh from the installer, isn’t already running under my own user account? If so, what account is it running under? Would it be because I installed it for all users instead of just my user account?
How have you installed Syncthing specifically? Normally, it should be running under the same user account, unless you specifically set it up to run as a different user, or administrator.
I think I may see the problem now that you’ve said that?
I ran the installer linked in the site’s download page and followed the wizard, installing for all users. I neglected to read the README which mentions there are differences between the two, namely that Syncthing is installed as a service and not as a plain executable with a scheduled launch, implying you need to give it permission manually. So… age old case of me needing to Read The Filibusterin’ Docs.
That said, neither method to give permission to the folder seems to work in my case, so it seems more practical to simply reinstall in non-administrative mode. In case I don’t need to come back to this thread, thank you, and sorry :x