SyncCrate
Left 4 Dead 2 guide · Updated
Same L4D2 campaigns for all four survivors.
Custom campaigns, skins and your group's configs on every PC before the first safe room. SyncCrate copies the host's Left 4 Dead 2 addons and cfg folders to friends, and after the first time only what changed.
FreeOpen sourceNo cloudWin · macOS · Linux
// 01 Why
Why custom campaign nights stall in the lobby
Left 4 Dead 2 custom campaigns are big .vpk files, and every player in the lobby needs the same one. A friend who doesn't have it, or has an older version, can't load the map, and the group waits while someone finds the download link.
The Workshop covers a lot, but not everything: campaigns from modding sites, maps you're still building yourself, and a LAN party where four PCs would all download the same gigabytes at once. The configs a group uses for versus or practice aren't on the Workshop at all.
With SyncCrate one PC hosts and the others match it. Files are compared by content, only the differences are copied, and everyone sees the list before anything changes.
// 02 What syncs
What SyncCrate syncs for Left 4 Dead 2
| Folder | Path in the game folder | Files |
|---|---|---|
| Addons & Maps | addons/Addon and campaign .vpk files in left4dead2/addons that you added yourself. | .vpk |
| Configs | cfg/Your .cfg files in left4dead2/cfg, like autoexec.cfg. The game's config.cfg is skipped. | .cfg |
// Where it looks
- Steam
steamapps/common/Left 4 Dead 2/left4dead2in every Steam library, on every drive- Anywhere else
- Point SyncCrate at the folder yourself, once
Built in for Left 4 Dead 2
- Turn mods on and off. Disabled mods move to a
_Disabledfolder the game doesn't load. - Game-running warning. SyncCrate warns you before syncing while Left 4 Dead 2 is still open.
- Undo and history. Undo the last sync in one click, and put back any single file a sync replaced or deleted.
// 03 How it works
Sync Left 4 Dead 2 in three steps
Install and add the game
Install SyncCrate on every PC and add Left 4 Dead 2 in the Game Browser. Its folder is found automatically.
One PC hosts
The PC with the setup everyone should have clicks Start Hosting. The others pick it under Scan for Hosts on the same network, or paste its join code from anywhere.
Compare and sync
Check the list of new, changed and conflicting files, then Sync Now. Only the files that differ are copied, PC to PC.
TipClose Left 4 Dead 2 before syncing, so it picks up the new addons on start. SyncCrate warns you if the game is still running.
// 04 Common problems
When Left 4 Dead 2 mods don't match
A player is missing the campaign
Custom campaigns only load for players who have the map files, and a lobby waits for the last one.
Everyone syncs the host's addons before the game, so the campaign is already there.
Different versions of the same map
Campaigns get updated, and two players with different versions of the same
.vpkcan run into problems loading it together.Addons are compared by hash, so every PC gets exactly the host's files.
Gigabytes at a LAN party
Four players downloading the same campaigns over the venue's internet is slow for everyone.
One PC hosts on the local network and the room syncs at LAN speed, without internet.
Configs for versus and practice
Binds and practice configs are text files each player sets up alone, and they drift apart.
The
cfgfolder syncs too. The host decides whether friends may sync it, so personal configs can stay personal.
// 05 Left 4 Dead 2
Good to know
- Workshop subscriptions are Steam's job. Steam downloads and updates subscribed items on each PC, so friends subscribe to the same ones. SyncCrate is for the
.vpkfiles you added yourself and your configs. - Servers may block custom content. Many servers and competitive configs only allow some addons, so check what the server allows before syncing skins and model swaps.
- Dedicated server? It needs the same campaign files. If it runs on a PC with SyncCrate, point SyncCrate at the server's
left4dead2folder and sync it too.
// FAQ
Left 4 Dead 2 questions
Where do Left 4 Dead 2 addons go?
In left4dead2/addons inside the game folder, for example Steam/steamapps/common/Left 4 Dead 2/left4dead2/addons. SyncCrate finds it in every Steam library.
How do I share a custom campaign with my friends?
Put the campaign's .vpk in your addons folder, host, and your friends join with the join code (or Scan for Hosts on the same network) and click Compare & Sync. After the first time, only new or changed files are copied.
Does it sync Workshop addons?
No. Workshop subscriptions are managed by Steam on each PC. Friends subscribe to the same items; SyncCrate syncs the addons you added yourself.
Can I get banned for syncing addons?
Addons are an official part of Left 4 Dead 2, and SyncCrate only copies the files. What a server accepts is up to the server; stick to its rules, especially on competitive servers.
// Related game guides
All games · SyncCrate supports 100 games.
// Free · Open source · Windows, macOS, Linux
Same Left 4 Dead 2 setup on every PC.
Install SyncCrate on each PC, one of you hosts, everyone else joins. No accounts, no cloud, nothing uploaded anywhere.