diff --git a/ground/openpilotgcs/copydata.pro b/ground/openpilotgcs/copydata.pro
index 3ececc457..bf9d7b4d7 100644
--- a/ground/openpilotgcs/copydata.pro
+++ b/ground/openpilotgcs/copydata.pro
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 include(openpilotgcs.pri)
 
-TEMPLATE = subdirs
+TEMPLATE = aux
 
 # Copy Qt runtime libraries into the build directory (to run or package)
 equals(copyqt, 1) {
@@ -26,8 +26,9 @@ equals(copyqt, 1) {
         data_copy.commands += $(COPY_DIR) $$targetPath(\"$$[QT_INSTALL_QML]/$$dir\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_QT_QML_PATH/$$dir\") $$addNewline()
     }
 
-    data_copy.target = FORCE
+    data_copy.depends = FORCE
     QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += data_copy
+    PRE_TARGETDEPS += data_copy
 
     linux {
 
diff --git a/ground/openpilotgcs/share/copydata.pro b/ground/openpilotgcs/share/copydata.pro
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2b3a89b6e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ground/openpilotgcs/share/copydata.pro
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+include(../openpilotgcs.pri)
+
+TEMPLATE = aux
+
+DATACOLLECTIONS = cloudconfig default_configurations dials models pfd sounds diagrams mapicons stylesheets
+
+equals(copydata, 1) {
+    for(dir, DATACOLLECTIONS) {
+        exists($$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir) {
+            # Qt make macros (CHK_DIR_EXISTS, COPY_DIR, etc) have different syntax. They cannot be used
+            # reliably to copy subdirectories in two different Windows environments (bash and cmd/QtCreator).
+            # So undocumented QMAKE_SH variable is used to find out the real environment.
+            !isEmpty(QMAKE_SH) {
+                # sh environment (including Windows bash)
+                data_copy.commands += $(MKDIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/$$dir\") $$addNewline()
+                data_copy.commands += $(COPY_DIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/\") $$addNewline()
+            } else {
+                # native Windows cmd environment
+                data_copy.commands += $(COPY_DIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/$$dir\") $$addNewline()
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    data_copy.depends = FORCE
+    QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += data_copy
+    PRE_TARGETDEPS += data_copy
+}
diff --git a/ground/openpilotgcs/share/share.pro b/ground/openpilotgcs/share/share.pro
index 7a4fe575a..c4d845b95 100644
--- a/ground/openpilotgcs/share/share.pro
+++ b/ground/openpilotgcs/share/share.pro
@@ -1,26 +1,5 @@
-include(../openpilotgcs.pri)
-
 TEMPLATE = subdirs
-SUBDIRS = openpilotgcs/translations
 
-DATACOLLECTIONS = cloudconfig default_configurations dials models pfd sounds diagrams mapicons stylesheets
+SUBDIRS = openpilotgcs/translations copydata
 
-equals(copydata, 1) {
-    for(dir, DATACOLLECTIONS) {
-        exists($$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir) {
-            # Qt make macros (CHK_DIR_EXISTS, COPY_DIR, etc) have different syntax. They cannot be used
-            # reliably to copy subdirectories in two different Windows environments (bash and cmd/QtCreator).
-            # So undocumented QMAKE_SH variable is used to find out the real environment.
-            !isEmpty(QMAKE_SH) {
-                # sh environment (including Windows bash)
-                data_copy.commands += $(MKDIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/$$dir\") $$addNewline()
-                data_copy.commands += $(COPY_DIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/\") $$addNewline()
-            } else {
-                # native Windows cmd environment
-                data_copy.commands += $(COPY_DIR) $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_SOURCE_TREE/share/openpilotgcs/$$dir\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_DATA_PATH/$$dir\") $$addNewline()
-            }
-        }
-    }
-    data_copy.target = FORCE
-    QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += data_copy
-}
+copydata.file = copydata.pro
diff --git a/ground/openpilotgcs/src/libs/sdlgamepad/copydata.pro b/ground/openpilotgcs/src/libs/sdlgamepad/copydata.pro
index 4fa7cb219..91cc5292c 100644
--- a/ground/openpilotgcs/src/libs/sdlgamepad/copydata.pro
+++ b/ground/openpilotgcs/src/libs/sdlgamepad/copydata.pro
@@ -8,11 +8,9 @@ equals(copydata, 1) {
             data_copy.commands += $(COPY_FILE) $$targetPath(\"$${SDL_DIR}/bin/$$dll\") $$targetPath(\"$$GCS_APP_PATH/$$dll\") $$addNewline()
         }
 
-        # add make target
-        POST_TARGETDEPS += copydata
-
-        data_copy.target = copydata
+        data_copy.depends = FORCE
         QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += data_copy
+        PRE_TARGETDEPS += data_copy
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/ground/openpilotgcs/src/plugins/hitl/aerosimrc/src/plugin.pro b/ground/openpilotgcs/src/plugins/hitl/aerosimrc/src/plugin.pro
index dab7ba70a..dc809e67d 100644
--- a/ground/openpilotgcs/src/plugins/hitl/aerosimrc/src/plugin.pro
+++ b/ground/openpilotgcs/src/plugins/hitl/aerosimrc/src/plugin.pro
@@ -65,7 +65,8 @@ equals(copydata, 1) {
         #    data_copy.commands += $(COPY_FILE) $$targetPath(\"$$(QTMINGW)/$$dll\") $$targetPath(\"$$SIM_DIR/$$dll\") $$addNewline()
         #}
 
-        data_copy.target = FORCE
+        data_copy.depends = FORCE
         QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += data_copy
+        PRE_TARGETDEPS += data_copy
     }
 }
diff --git a/ground/uavobject-synthetics/uavobject-synthetics.pro b/ground/uavobject-synthetics/uavobject-synthetics.pro
index 1f974ae80..85e53d139 100644
--- a/ground/uavobject-synthetics/uavobject-synthetics.pro
+++ b/ground/uavobject-synthetics/uavobject-synthetics.pro
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Copyright (c) 2009-2013, The OpenPilot Team, http://www.openpilot.org
 #
 
-TEMPLATE  = subdirs
+TEMPLATE = aux
 
 # Some handy defines
 defineReplace(targetPath) {
@@ -64,5 +64,6 @@ win32 {
     uavobjects.commands +=   -spec $$SPEC CONFIG+=$${BUILD_CONFIG} -r $$addNewline()
 }
 
-uavobjects.target = FORCE
+uavobjects.depends = FORCE
 QMAKE_EXTRA_TARGETS += uavobjects
+PRE_TARGETDEPS += uavobjects