ActiveSync
Microsoft data synchronization app
title: "ActiveSync" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["discontinued-microsoft-software", "data-synchronization", "windows-mobile", "discontinued-windows-components"] description: "Microsoft data synchronization app" topic_path: "technology/operating-systems" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveSync" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Microsoft data synchronization app ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | ActiveSync |
| logo | Activesyncicon.svg |
| screenshot | Activesyncnew.png |
| caption | ActiveSync 4.5 on Windows XP |
| developer | Microsoft |
| released | |
| latest release version | 4.5.5096 |
| latest release date | |
| operating system | Windows 9x, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP |
| replaced_by | Windows Mobile Device Center and Zune Software |
| :: |
| name = ActiveSync | logo = Activesyncicon.svg | screenshot = Activesyncnew.png | caption = ActiveSync 4.5 on Windows XP | developer = Microsoft | released = | latest release version = 4.5.5096 | latest release date = | operating system = Windows 9x, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP | replaced_by = Windows Mobile Device Center and Zune Software ActiveSync is a mobile data synchronization app developed by Microsoft, originally released in 1996. It synchronizes data with handheld devices and desktop computers.
Overview
ActiveSync allows a mobile device to be synchronized with either a desktop PC or a server running a compatible software product.
On desktops, ActiveSync synchronizes emails, calendar, contacts and tasks with Microsoft Outlook, along with Internet bookmarks and files. ActiveSync does not support all features of Outlook. For instance, contacts grouped into subfolders are not transferred. Only the contacts which are not in a subfolder are synchronized. In case of Exchange Server, only emails, calendar, contacts and tasks may be synchronized.
In the Windows Task Manager, the associated process is called wcescomm.exe.
ActiveSync also provides for the manual transfer of files to a mobile device, along with limited backup functionality, and the ability to install and uninstall mobile device applications.
Supported mobile devices include PDAs or smartphones running Windows Mobile, Windows CE,{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/owa_mobile.mspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501143334/http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/evaluation/features/owa_mobile.mspx |archive-date=1 May 2008 |title=Exchange Server 2007 Support for Mobile Devices |work=Microsoft Exchange portal |publisher=Microsoft |date=27 March 2007 |access-date=20 November 2012 |url=http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/how-to-sync-windows-phone-7-with-outlook |title=How to Sync Windows Phone 7 with Outlook |work=Pocketnow |date=17 September 2010 |access-date=20 November 2012 |first=Adam Z. |last=Lein |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627011711/http://pocketnow.com/windows-phone/how-to-sync-windows-phone-7-with-outlook |archive-date=27 June 2013 |url-status=dead
Starting with Windows Vista, ActiveSync has been replaced with the Windows Mobile Device Center, which is included as part of the operating system.{{cite web |url=http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/0/9/70964f31-bac7-4379-b8bf-17ef35301ace/MEDC/Windows+Mobile+Enterprise+Features+-+Derek+Snyder.pdf |title=Windows Mobile Enterprise Features |work=Mobile & Embedded DevCon 2006 |publisher=Microsoft |year=2006 |first=Derek |last=Snyder |access-date=20 November 2012
Release history
::data[format=table]
| Version | Operating systems | Release date | Major changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Windows 95 | 1996-09-10 | |
| 1.1.7077 | 1997-03-19 | ||
| 2.0 | Fall 1997 | ||
| 2.1 | 1998-02 | ||
| 2.2 | 1998-09 | ||
| 3.0.0.9204 | 1999-08-16 | ||
| 3.1.9386 | 1999-11-24 | ||
| 3.1.9439 | ? | ||
| 3.1.9587 | 2001-07-31 | ||
| 3.5.1176 | 2001-08-06 | ||
| 3.5.12007 | 2002-03-01 | ||
| 3.6.2148 | 2002-11 | ||
| 3.7.3083 | 2003-05-06 | ||
| 3.7.1.3244 | 2003-10-10 | ||
| 3.7.1.4034 | 2004-03-26 | ||
| 3.8.0.5004 | 2005-01-06 | ||
| 4.0.4343 | 2005 | ||
| 4.0.4358 | 2005 | ||
| 4.1.0.4841 | 2005-11-18 | ||
| 4.2.0.4876 | 2006-06-06 | ||
| 4.5.5096 | 2007-02-13 | ||
| :: |
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::