Your Files, Your Rules: Taking Back Control from Big Tech
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Quick question: Right now, where are your photos? Your documents? Your tax returns? Your personal files?
Let me guess: Google Drive. Dropbox. OneDrive. iCloud.
Translation: On someone else's computer. Where they can look at them. Analyze them. Use them to train AI. Hand them over to authorities. Or lose them in a data breach.
Don't get me wrong—cloud storage is incredibly convenient. But convenience comes at a price: you don't control your data.
What if I told you there's a way to get all the benefits of cloud storage—sync across devices, access anywhere, automatic backups—without trusting Big Tech with your private files?
Enter Syncthing and Cryptomator.
The Old Way vs. The Smart Way
| Feature | Google Drive / Dropbox | Syncthing + Cryptomator |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls your data? | ✗ They do | ✓ You do |
| End-to-end encryption? | ✗ No (they have the keys) | ✓ Yes (only you have keys) |
| Can they read your files? | ✗ Yes | ✓ No |
| Syncs across devices? | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Monthly cost? | ✗ $10-20/month | ✓ $0 (free & open source) |
| Storage limits? | ✗ Pay for more | ✓ Only limited by your drive |
Meet Your New Tools
Syncthing
Your personal sync engine. Keeps files synchronized across all your devices (phone, laptop, desktop, server) without any cloud middleman. Direct peer-to-peer. No central server. No one watching.
Cryptomator
Your encryption vault. Creates an encrypted "safe" where files are automatically encrypted before they're saved. Even if someone gets your hard drive, all they see is gibberish. Zero-knowledge encryption.
The Magic Combo: Syncthing syncs your files between devices. Cryptomator encrypts them before they leave your computer. Result? Private, synchronized, encrypted file storage that you fully control.
How It Actually Works
📊 The Flow
Encrypts It
Syncs It
All encrypted. All private. All under your control.
Let's Get You Set Up
Ready to take back control? Here's your step-by-step guide. I'll make this painless.
Install Syncthing
Download and install on all devices you want to sync.
Install Cryptomator
Get it on the same devices where you want encrypted storage.
Create Your Vault
Open Cryptomator, create a new vault, set a strong password. This is your encryption key—lose it and your files are gone forever.
Connect Your Devices
Open Syncthing's web interface, add your other devices by scanning QR codes or entering device IDs.
Sync Your Vault
Tell Syncthing to sync the folder where Cryptomator stores your encrypted vault. Now it syncs everywhere, encrypted.
Installation Commands
🐧 Linux
# Ubuntu/Debian - Syncthing
sudo apt update
sudo apt install syncthing
# Arch Linux - Syncthing
sudo pacman -S syncthing
# Fedora - Syncthing
sudo dnf install syncthing
# Start Syncthing
syncthing
# Ubuntu/Debian - Cryptomator
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:sebastian-stenzel/cryptomator
sudo apt update
sudo apt install cryptomator
# Arch Linux - Cryptomator (AUR)
yay -S cryptomator
# Or download AppImage from cryptomator.org
🍎 macOS
# Using Homebrew - Syncthing
brew install syncthing
# Start Syncthing
brew services start syncthing
# Using Homebrew - Cryptomator
brew install --cask cryptomator
🪟 Windows
# Using Chocolatey - Syncthing
choco install syncthing
# Using Chocolatey - Cryptomator
choco install cryptomator
# Or download installers directly:
# Syncthing: https://syncthing.net/downloads/
# Cryptomator: https://cryptomator.org/downloads/
📱 Mobile
Android:
- 📦 Syncthing: Play Store or F-Droid
- 🔐 Cryptomator: Play Store
iOS:
Quick Start Guide
Setting Up Syncthing (5 minutes)
Launch Syncthing
After installation, Syncthing opens a web interface at http://localhost:8384. Bookmark this—it's your control panel.
Add a Device
Click "Add Remote Device" → Show your device ID (or scan QR code from another device) → Accept the connection on both sides.
Share a Folder
Click "Add Folder" → Choose which folder to sync → Select which devices should receive it → Done!
Setting Up Cryptomator (3 minutes)
Create Your Vault
Open Cryptomator → Click "Create New Vault" → Choose a location (ideally inside a Syncthing folder) → Set a strong password.
Unlock and Use
Click "Unlock" → Enter your password → The vault appears as a virtual drive → Drag files in → They're encrypted automatically.
Sync Your Vault
In Syncthing, add the vault folder to sync across devices. Now your encrypted vault syncs everywhere!
Real-World Use Cases
Work Documents
Sync confidential work files between your laptop and desktop. Encrypted end-to-end. No company cloud can peek at your salary negotiations or job applications.
Personal Photos
Auto-sync your phone photos to your home server. Encrypted. Private. No AI scanning your family pictures. No surprise Terms of Service changes.
Family Vault
Share encrypted folders with family members. Tax documents, medical records, legal files—synchronized and encrypted across trusted devices only.
Student Notes
Sync your study materials, assignments, and research between school computer, laptop, and phone. Access anywhere. Zero cost. Full privacy.
The "But What About..." Section
💭 "Isn't this complicated?"
Initial setup takes 15 minutes. After that? You literally forget it's there. Files just sync. Encryption just happens. It works.
💭 "What if I need to access files from a public computer?"
Don't unlock your encrypted vault on untrusted machines. That's the point. For public access, keep a separate unencrypted Syncthing folder for non-sensitive files, or use a read-only cloud backup.
💭 "What happens if one device goes offline?"
Syncthing is smart. It syncs whenever devices are online together. Miss a day? It catches up automatically. No drama. No lost files.
💭 "Can I still use cloud storage?"
Yes! You can even sync your encrypted Cryptomator vault to Google Drive for offsite backup. They'll store your files, but all they see is encrypted garbage. Best of both worlds.
💭 "What about version control and file recovery?"
Syncthing has built-in file versioning. Accidentally delete something? It keeps old versions. Configurable retention periods. You're covered.
Pro Tips
Tip #1: Run Syncthing on a home server or old laptop as a "central hub." It's online 24/7, so all your devices can sync even when they're never online at the same time.
Tip #2: Use .stignore files (Syncthing's version of .gitignore) to exclude temporary files, caches, or OS junk from syncing. Keeps things clean.
Tip #3: Enable "Ignore Delete" in Syncthing for important folders. If you accidentally delete files on one device, they won't disappear everywhere. Safety net.
Tip #4: Store your Cryptomator password in a password manager (like Bitwarden or KeePassXC). Then encrypt and sync your password manager database with Syncthing. Inception, but secure.
The Privacy Win
Let's talk about what you're really getting here:
No Surveillance
Your files never touch corporate servers. No scanning. No analysis. No AI training on your data. Just you and your devices.
No Vendor Lock-in
Open source. Works forever. No subscriptions. No "we're shutting down" emails. Your data, your tools, your timeline.
No Legal Risk
Encrypted files can't be subpoenaed if they can't be decrypted. No third-party with your keys. No "we handed over your data" scandal.
No Recurring Costs
Free forever. Both tools are FOSS. No "upgrade for more storage" upsells. Hardware you already own = unlimited storage.
The Bottom Line
You don't need Google, Apple, Microsoft, or Dropbox to sync your files. You don't need to pay monthly subscriptions for storage you already own. And you definitely don't need to hand over your private data to companies that profit from analyzing it.
Syncthing + Cryptomator gives you:
- Seamless sync across all devices
- Military-grade encryption
- Zero monthly costs
- Complete privacy
- Full control
Is it perfect? No. You need to manage your own devices. You're responsible for backups. There's no customer support hotline.
But here's what you get in return: Freedom. Privacy. Control. Your data stays YOUR data.
Your files.
Your devices.
Your rules.
Ready to Take Control?
Stop renting storage from Big Tech. Build your own private cloud.
Both are 100% free and open source. No credit card. No account. Just download and go.
📚 Useful Resources
Syncthing Docs
Official documentation
Cryptomator Docs
Setup guides & tutorials
Syncthing Forum
Community support
Syncthing on GitHub
Source code & issues
Cryptomator on GitHub
Source code & issues
r/Syncthing
Reddit community
Questions? Already using this setup? Share your experience in the comments. Help others break free from Big Tech cloud storage.
Own your data. Guard your privacy. 🔒