Herein, we report, for the first time, a strategy to differentiate O4/O4' positions of 1,1'-α,α-trehalose via regioselective protection or site-selective functionalization and its application in the first chemical synthesis of succinoyl trehalose lipids. The biosurfactant glycolipids were obtained in 11-12 steps starting from trehalose in time span of 8-10 days and 11-12% overall yields.