Complete rsync keyboard shortcuts and commands reference — 13 shortcuts across 1 category. Quick reference cheat sheet for Windows & Mac.
rsync copies only what changed, over a network or between directories, and the same handful of flags appear in nearly every invocation — -avz plus one or two others. The table lists the combinations that cover backup, mirroring and deployment. The notes cover the trailing slash, which decides whether you get the folder or its contents, and the dry run that saves you from --delete.
| Shortcut | Action | Description |
|---|---|---|
| rsync -avz src/ dest/ | Local sync | Sync local directories. |
| rsync -avz src/ user@host:dest/ | Remote sync | Sync to remote server. |
| rsync -avz --delete src/ dest/ | Mirror | Mirror including deletions. |
| rsync -avz --exclude='*.log' | Exclude | Exclude specific patterns. |
| rsync -avzn src/ dest/ | Dry run | Preview without changes. |
| rsync -avz -e ssh src/ user@host:dest/ | Sync over SSH | Force rsync to use SSH as the transport. |
| rsync -avz --progress src/ dest/ | Show progress | Display per-file transfer progress. |
| rsync -avz --bwlimit=1000 src/ dest/ | Bandwidth limit | Limit transfer speed in KB/s. |
| rsync -avz --partial src/ dest/ | Keep partial | Keep partially transferred files for resuming. |
| rsync -avz --backup --backup-dir=old src/ dest/ | Backup replaced | Move replaced files into a backup directory. |
| rsync -avz --size-only src/ dest/ | Size-only compare | Skip files that match in size, ignoring timestamps. |
| rsync -avz --max-size=100m src/ dest/ | Max file size | Skip files larger than the given size. |
| rsync -a --list-only user@host:dest/ | List remote | List remote files without transferring. |
The most essential rsync shortcuts are: rsync -avz src/ dest/ (Local sync), rsync -avz src/ user@host:dest/ (Remote sync), rsync -avz --delete src/ dest/ (Mirror).
These are command-line commands — type them in your terminal or console. Combine them with shell history search (Ctrl + R) and aliases to work even faster.
The rsync shortcut for local sync is rsync -avz src/ dest/. Sync local directories.
Print the rsync cheat sheet and keep it next to your keyboard for the first week, then switch to active recall: open Shortcut Speedrun and practice rsync shortcuts against the clock until they're automatic.
Yes — use My Stack to combine rsync shortcuts with any other platform on this site into one printable reference, which is useful if your daily workflow spans several tools.
rsync -avz src/ dest/ syncs a tree: -a preserves permissions, times, symlinks and ownership, -v lists files, -z compresses in transit (drop it on a fast LAN or for already-compressed data). The trailing slash on src/ means "the contents of src"; without it rsync creates dest/src. rsync -avz src/ user@host:dest/ does the same to a remote host over SSH — rsync -avz -e ssh src/ user@host:dest/ is the explicit form, where -e can carry SSH options such as a port. rsync -avz --progress src/ dest/ shows per-file progress and rsync -avz --bwlimit=1000 src/ dest/ caps throughput in KB/s.
rsync -avz --delete src/ dest/ removes files in dest that no longer exist in src, turning a sync into a mirror — and a typo in src empties dest. Always precede it with rsync -avzn src/ dest/, the dry run that lists what would happen. rsync -avz --backup --backup-dir=old src/ dest/ moves replaced or deleted files into a backup directory instead of discarding them. rsync -avz --exclude='*.log' skips patterns (repeatable, or --exclude-from a file), and rsync -avz --max-size=100m src/ dest/ skips large files.
rsync -avz --partial src/ dest/ keeps partially transferred files so an interrupted copy resumes, and -P combines it with progress. rsync -avz --size-only src/ dest/ compares by size alone, faster when timestamps are unreliable (FAT filesystems, some cloud mounts) but blind to same-size edits. rsync -a --list-only user@host:dest/ lists a remote directory without copying, which is a quick way to confirm a path before syncing to it.
Open your assistant with this page preloaded as the source — great for follow-up questions like "which of these work in other apps?"