Greetings!
I'm new here so, I thought I'd say "Hi!" and post this...

I have seen many posts across the internet from people asking how to save files to multiple places at once without using a cloud service. Most, if not all, of the answers I've read say either it can't be done or point to backup utilities which require either manual initiation or scheduled run times. I found neither of these answers acceptable for my needs, so I kept searching until I found a solution that actually works for me.

I have a small home network and when I take my laptop out of the house, I want to be sure I have all of my current documents with me.
My network (phones & tablets not shown):
Saving Files to Multiple Locations Simultaneously (Windows 10 v.1909)-network-diagram.png
I recently fount a program called Resilio Sync Home (File Sync Software - Sync Home | Resilio Sync) which is totally free and does not require a monthly subscription. Everything is done on your local system. I opted for the Pro version because it's only $60 (one time, not monthly) and I wanted to support this product.

Most of the effort I put into setting this up was planning how I wanted to share my data with my other computers and what data to share, so here's what I have done.

Rather than using the Windows 10 default "Documents" folder for my documents, pictures, music, etc, I created a folder on all three computers called "SharedDocuments". I then created sub-folders in that one for "Pictures," "Music," "Videos," etc. Next, I set the Windows default locations to the appropriate folders within "SharedDocuments." My reasoning for this is because Windows and other applications often store data automatically in the default "Documents" folder. If I was to sync those files across different computers, settings, etc would get all messed up.

Next, I installed Resilio Sync Home on my desktop and my laptop. It's a pretty straight forward program, but you should use the online documentation because some of the settings are a little confusing. Now when I save a file to my "SharedDocuments" folder on either my desktop or laptop that file is immediately available on the other computer. When I say "immediately" I mean it. I save a file on my desktop, turn to my left and there it is on my laptop.

I also have Sync Toy scheduled to run at 2am every morning and it backs up my "SharedDocuments" folder from my desktop to my file server. So, at any given time I have two live copies of all of my data files and a backup copy that's no older than 24 hours.

If you don't have a LAN you can always use a second hard drive. Resilio Sync Home will do that just as well if you're looking for a real-time backup solution without paying a monthly fee.

To make things even easier for me, in Word, Excel and every other program I use (that has the option) I've set the "Default Save Location" to "g:\SharedDocuments". If you don't do this, when you "Save As" the default Documents folder will be what appears in your "Save As" dialog box. You could also add a link that points to your "SharedDocuments" folder in the default Documents folder. I named mine "~ SharedDocuments" That way it's the first item on the list.

The only thing some people may see as a glitch (I don't) is that you can't edit one file on multiple computers simultaneously, which most people don't need. This does cause an error message to occur when your saving a new file and still have it open in your program, or when you're copying multiple files at once to your "SharedDocuments" folder because the files are locked to the system while they're in use. The error message is pretty benign, though. A small message pops out of the Windows notification area and goes away pretty quickly. I've just learned to ignore it.

I only have Resilio Sync Home on two of my computers, but you can set it up on more, if you need to. I'm not sure the limitations in the free or pro versions. There are also mobile apps available (I think only through third parties, but I don't need it, so I haven't done any research on that front).

I spent months tracking down this solution and I hope some people find this useful.

Cheers,
Brian