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Last week Microsoft released a beta of the new Windows Live Sync for Mac users and it is now available at the Microsoft Download Center.

Windows live Sync is the replacement for Windows Live Mesh and so you might be wondering what Windows Live Sync is and what can it do for you.

According to the Windows Live Sync beta help center:

In Windows Live Sync beta, you can:

  • Keep your documents, photos, and other files up to date on all your computers, whether PC or Mac* – Select the folders you want to sync between computers. After they sync, your files are available on your computers even if you’re working offline at the moment. You can also sync folders on SkyDrive synced storage, so you can go to the Windows Live Devices website to access them on the web from any computer. To get started, see How do I sync a folder?

    * Windows Live Sync for Mac is available in English only.

  • Connect to your computers remotely – Leave your PC online and run its programs or get to all its files from another computer. This is handy for "emergencies" when you might be at work and need a file from home. For more information about remote connections, see What are remote connections?

  • Sync your program settings between computers – Keep your Windows Internet Explorer favorites and Microsoft Office settings up to date on all your PCs. For more information and to get started, see How do I sync program settings between computers?

I have been using the new Sync beta since April and I am finding it very efficient and quick to sync a picture folder I use to save screenshots for this site.  I sync between my main desktop and my netbook so that if I am working on either one the other will get copies of any graphics I add while working.  I have noticed absolutely zero impact on either systems performance with this running.

Here is what the Live Sync window looks like (on a PC – no Mac here to try it out own):

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As you can see there are also two additional options for syncing and that is your IE and Office settings.  Quite handy for keeping these programs in sync no matter what computer your working on – as long as they are both running Windows Live Sync of course.

Download Windows Live Sync Beta for Mac