Bridge & your devices

Storage Studio Bridge is a free companion app that links another device to your Mac over a direct, end-to-end encrypted connection, so that device's folders appear on your Mac and your clipboard can be shared both ways — with no server or cloud in between.

Bridge connects your Mac to a Windows PC running the free Storage Studio Bridge app, or to another Mac running Storage Studio. Check the download page for the platforms currently offered.

Yes — the Storage Studio Bridge companion app is free. The Mac side of Bridge is built into Storage Studio and covered by your trial or licence, so there's nothing extra to buy for the other device.

Get Storage Studio Bridge from the download page on storagestudio.us, install it on the device you want to connect, then open it to see the connecting code you type into Storage Studio on your Mac.

No. Every Bridge link has Storage Studio on a Mac at one end. The Bridge app connects to Storage Studio, not to another Bridge app, so two PCs can't link to each other with it.

A cloud account stores files on a provider's servers. Bridge stores nothing anywhere else: files stay on your device and travel straight to your Mac over a direct, end-to-end encrypted link — but only while that device is on and connected.

No. AirDrop sends files between nearby Apple devices. Bridge is a lasting, end-to-end encrypted link between your Mac and a Windows PC or another Storage Studio Mac — it shares folders and clipboard, and works across the internet too.

Yes. Bridge — and Collab Sync between two Macs — are part of Storage Studio and included in the free trial. The Bridge app for your other device is free regardless.

No. Bridge is built into Storage Studio on your Mac — you pair from the Devices tab. Only the other device needs something installed: the free Bridge app on a PC, or Storage Studio on another Mac.

Open SS Bridge on the PC to see its connecting code, then on your Mac go to More → Connect Accounts → Devices, type the code and click Pair. Check the six-digit Tunnel Code matches on both screens.

The connecting code is a short three-group code (like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) shown on one device and typed into the other to start pairing. You then confirm the six-digit Tunnel Code on both screens.

The Tunnel Code is a six-digit number shown on both devices after pairing. When the two match, you know the Bridge link goes to the right device with nobody in the middle. If they don't match, don't confirm.

Don't confirm. Reject the pairing, get a fresh connecting code on the device that shows it, and pair again — then compare the six-digit Tunnel Codes before you accept.

Use New code in the Bridge app, or Rotate next to “Your connection code” on a Mac. A fresh code replaces the old one for new pairings; devices you've already paired stay paired.

Yes. You can type your Mac's connecting code (shown on Storage Studio's Home screen) into the Bridge app and connect from there — the best way when the PC is on a mobile hotspot. Once linked, files flow both ways.

On one Mac, open Devices → Share with another Mac → Allow a new Mac to connect and note the code. Type it into Connect a device on the other Mac, click Pair, then Confirm when the codes match on both Macs.

“Bridge” marks a device running the Bridge companion app, such as a Windows PC. “Colab” marks another Mac running full Storage Studio, which can share folders both ways and use Collab Sync.

Up to five devices can be paired with one Mac by default, each with its own settings. If you hit the limit, forget a device you no longer use and pair the new one.

No — the Bridge app works with one device at a time. Your Mac can pair with up to five devices by default, but a PC's Bridge app links to one Mac at a time.

No. Pairing happens once; paired devices are remembered and reconnect on their own when both sides are running. You only need a code again after you Forget a device.

No. The Bridge app keeps its connecting code across restarts and only changes it when you choose New code. Once a device is paired, the code isn't needed again.

Open the More menu (•••) → Connect Accounts… → Devices tab, or choose Devices (Bridge)… from the More menu. The Devices card on Home also has an Open Devices screen button.

Both. Bridge links your devices on the same Wi-Fi or across the internet, always directly and end-to-end encrypted. Turn on “Use local network only” if you want it to stay on your home or office network.

It keeps Bridge entirely on your local network: no internet is used to find or reach the other device, so both must be on the same Wi-Fi or LAN. It's off by default.

It helps two devices on different networks find each other when the code alone won't connect, such as on a mobile hotspot. Only finding happens there — your files and clipboard still go directly between your devices, end-to-end encrypted.

A mobile hotspot lets a device reach out but not be reached. Start the connection from the device on the hotspot by entering the other device's code there; once linked, files flow both ways.

“Direct” means your devices reach each other straight across — the fastest link. A slower path means there's no direct route between the networks, often due to a mobile hotspot; Bridge stays end-to-end encrypted, just slower.

Usually there's no direct route between the two networks (often a mobile hotspot) or one connection is slow. Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi, or start the connection from the device on the hotspot, and check the Path line says Direct.

It's an auto-disconnect timer: pick from 15 minutes up to 1 week, or Always. When the time is up the device disconnects but stays paired, so you can Connect it again any time.

It's a tiny keep-alive sent about every 20 seconds, even while paused, to confirm the other device is still there. “Last handshake … ago” shows when the latest one arrived — live proof the Bridge link is healthy.

They're live steps: Connecting…, Waiting for the other device…, Securing the link…, then Connected (over Local network or Internet). Paused means the link is kept but nothing is sent; Not connected means it isn't linked now.

They're skipped until the device is back. Bridge folders live on the device itself, so while it's asleep or offline they aren't available on your Mac; everything else keeps working and the folders return when it reconnects.

No. On the Mac, quitting Storage Studio closes the Bridge link; devices reconnect when you reopen it. On a PC, the Bridge app keeps sharing from the system tray until you choose Quit.

Very little — an idle link only sends a tiny keep-alive about every 20 seconds. Files move only when you share them, and large ones only when you click to receive. Disconnect or shorten “Keep connected for” on metered connections.

Pausing stops anything from being sent but keeps the Bridge link warm, so both sides still see each other and Resume is instant. Both show Paused and which side paused it. Use Disconnect to drop the link.

Disconnect drops the link but keeps the device paired, so Connect brings it back without a code. Forget removes it entirely — you'd need a new connecting code to pair it again.

In the Devices tab (More → Connect Accounts → Devices), click Forget on the device's row. The pairing is removed and the device can't connect back; you'd need a new connecting code to pair it again.

Click Forget on that PC in your Mac's Devices tab so it can't reconnect, forget the Mac in the Bridge app, then uninstall Bridge and remove any personal files from the PC.

Yes. Pause, Disconnect or Forget devices in the Devices tab, and turn off the Sharing switch in the Junk Yard header to stop all clipboard sharing. Storage Studio's core-only performance mode also stops Bridge.

Choosing Storage Studio's lightest, core-only performance mode stops Bridge on purpose; switch back to another mode and Bridge restarts with your paired devices. Short busy spells on your Mac don't drop the link.

The Devices card on Storage Studio's Home screen shows each paired device's status, heartbeat, Bridge version and Tunnel Code, with shortcuts to the Devices screen and Activity monitor. The More menu also has Devices (Bridge)… and Bridge Activity….

Bridge checks for updates when it opens and from Check for updates in its Help. When a newer version is out you'll see an Update available banner — nothing installs until you choose, and you can then install and restart.

They don't need to match exactly, but keep both up to date for the latest fixes. Each side shows the other's version, so update whichever one is behind if something doesn't work as expected.

No. Forget only removes the pairing: the device's shared files stay on that device and simply stop appearing on your Mac, and nothing on your Mac is deleted. Pair again to see them.

Yes. In Connect Accounts → Mounting, switch that device's row off. Its folder disappears from Finder's Storage Studio location, but the device stays paired and clipboard sharing keeps working.

In the Bridge app on your PC, open Shared Folders and click Add folder… (read-only) or Add folder (allow editing). The folder then appears on your Mac in Finder's Storage Studio location, inside a folder named after the PC.

In Finder's sidebar under Locations, open Storage Studio — each device has a folder named after it. If it's missing, check the Mounting tab in Connect Accounts has the drive switched on and that device ticked.

Only if that folder is set to Read-write. Shared folders are read-only unless you allow editing, which lets your Mac change, add and delete files. Flip each folder's switch any time in the Bridge app's Shared Folders screen.

In the Bridge app's Shared Folders screen, click the bin button beside the folder (or the red minus on a Mac sharing with another Mac). Nothing is deleted — the folder simply stops appearing on the other device.

After pairing the Macs, click Add folder… under “Folders you share with …” on the device's row in the Devices tab. Shares start read-only; turn on Write if the other Mac should edit them.

Not as shared folders — a Windows PC shares its folders to your Mac, not the other way round. To send files from the Mac to the PC, copy them with “Share my clipboard” on and they arrive in the PC's Junk Yard.

Share only the folders you need. Bridge works folder by folder, each read-only or read-write, so keeping shares small limits what the Mac can reach and change. You can add more folders any time.

Share the folder in the Bridge app and drag files out of it in Finder's Storage Studio location, or turn on Share my clipboard and copy files on the PC — they appear in your Mac's Junk Yard, ready to paste.

Yes, when that folder is shared as Read-write: drag files into it in Finder's Storage Studio location and they're written to the PC. Read-only folders can only be browsed and copied from.

Turn on “Share my clipboard with …” for a device, and what you copy on either side — text, images, files and folders — appears in the other's Junk Yard as a scrap. Click it to copy it. Passwords are never shared.

No. Items copied from a password manager or marked as secret are skipped on purpose: Bridge never shares them and the Junk Yard doesn't save them. This happens automatically.

With “Share my clipboard” on for the PC, copy the file or folder in Finder. It appears in the PC's Junk Yard; click the scrap to copy it and paste, or preview it and choose Open in Explorer.

Large files arrive as a “Click to receive” scrap and only transfer when you click it. Both sides show progress, an interrupted transfer can resume, and an unreceived scrap stays receivable after a restart.

Red means waiting to be received or failed, yellow means it's moving right now, and green means it arrived. Click a red scrap to receive it, or click again after a failure once both devices are connected.

Yes. Paired Macs running Storage Studio each have a “Share my clipboard with …” switch; turn it on and copies land in the other Mac's Junk Yard. Apple's Universal Clipboard is a separate feature.

Yes. On Windows, closing or minimising SS Bridge sends it to the system tray, where it keeps sharing. Click the tray icon to reopen it, or use the power button → Quit to stop it completely.

Use the power button at the far right of Bridge's tabs and pick Restart or Quit. Bridge saves its state first, so your code, folders and settings are still there when it starts again.

In Bridge's Settings, under Window & startup, turn on Start with Windows. Bridge then opens automatically when you sign in; switch it off to stop that.

Bridge's Settings cover clipboard capture and sharing, how long scraps are kept, the auto-disconnect timer, local-network-only, a show/hide hotkey, keep-on-top, start with Windows and Light/Dark appearance.

You choose in Settings → Keep scraps for: 1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days or 1 week, after which scraps expire automatically. Clear all empties the Junk Yard at once.

Yes. Allow SS Bridge on Private networks when Windows Firewall asks; otherwise your Mac may not find the PC on your Wi-Fi. If you missed the prompt, allow it in Windows Security's firewall settings.

Home shows your code and status; Shared Folders, Devices, Activity and Junk Yard cover folders, the paired Mac, transfer history and clipboard scraps; Settings and Help hold options, answers and Check for updates.

In Bridge's Settings, pick a Show / hide hotkey: Ctrl + Shift + S, Ctrl + Shift + B, Ctrl + Alt + S or Ctrl + Alt + B, or None. It brings the Bridge window forward from anywhere.

Open Bridge's Junk Yard tab: click a scrap to copy it, double-click to preview, right-click to delete, or Clear all. Filter by source, and use the Capturing and Sharing switches to control what's saved and sent.

Bridge Activity shows live send and receive speed, lifetime totals, charts of throughput, total transferred and items transferred, and a searchable log of every item sent and received — for all devices or one.

About a month. You can switch the time range, jump to a past date, hover to read exact values, zoom and pan the charts, and filter the activity log by name, file or time.

Collab Sync keeps a chosen folder mirrored on two paired Macs running Storage Studio, with a real copy on each. Changes go across within seconds over the direct, end-to-end encrypted Bridge link — no cloud in between.

With the Macs paired, open Collab Sync…, choose a folder on this Mac, choose the other Mac and a direction, then Review what will mirror. Syncing starts once the other Mac chooses a location and taps Grant.

Open the “‹their Mac› wants to sync a folder with you” request, choose where on your Mac to keep the folder, and tap Grant — or Decline. Nothing is created on your Mac until you grant it.

Not a whole disk, system folders, your Home folder, or top-level Documents, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Movies, Music or Public themselves — choose a specific folder inside one instead. Very large folders need one extra confirmation.

Hidden and cache files — such as .DS_Store, caches and temporary files — never sync, and shortcuts (symbolic links) aren't mirrored. The preview shows how many items will be skipped before you start.

The newer version wins and the other is kept beside it with “conflict” in its name, so nothing is lost. Review the “Files changed on both Macs” note and click Restore to keep the other version instead.

It means the other Mac has the file open right now. You can still edit it; if both of you change it, Collab Sync keeps both versions so nothing is lost.

Not by default — a deleted file reappears from the other Mac. For one-way syncs you can opt in to carrying deletes across, and even then they go to the other Mac's Trash and large batches wait for your review.

Pick Both ways if you edit on either Mac. Pick This Mac → other Mac (or the reverse) when one Mac holds the master copy and the other should follow it; only one-way syncs can carry deletes across.

Collab Sync just waits. When the other Mac is reachable again it does one catch-up pass, sending each changed file once with its final contents, and the folders are back in step.

In sync means both Macs match; Syncing… means changes are moving; Waiting for… means the other Mac is away or hasn't accepted; Paused is your pause; Needs attention means open Collab Sync to see what's wrong.

Open Collab Sync… and choose Pause, Resume or Remove on the folder. Removing only stops the mirroring — the files already on each Mac stay exactly where they are.

Sharing lets the other Mac browse files live while both are connected; Collab Sync keeps a real copy on each Mac and keeps them in step, so either can work offline. Share for occasional access, sync for a folder you use on both.

It keeps a folder the same on two Macs like a cloud sync does, but nothing goes to a server — files travel straight between the Macs over Bridge. Both Macs need Storage Studio, and they catch up whenever they can reach each other.

Yes. Add each folder with Add a synced folder; every one has its own direction, status and Pause, Resume and Remove controls, and each is reviewed and accepted separately.

No. Collab Sync works between two Macs running Storage Studio. A Windows PC with Bridge can share its folders and clipboard with your Mac, but not mirror a folder with Collab Sync.

A big folder means copying all of it to the other Mac, so Collab Sync shows its size and file count and asks you to tick “Sync it anyway” first. Choose a smaller subfolder if that's more than you meant.

Collab Sync compares times to pick the newer file, so it warns you when a Mac's clock looks wrong. Turn on automatic time in System Settings → General → Date & Time on that Mac, then review any conflict copies.

The other Mac hasn't granted the request yet. On that Mac, open Collab Sync…, choose where to keep the folder and tap Grant — both Macs must be running Storage Studio and connected. If it was declined, remove it and ask again.

Collab Sync needs a Mac already paired through Bridge, and there isn't one yet. Pair another Mac running Storage Studio in the Devices tab, then add your synced folder.

Not on its own. Collab Sync mirrors edits — mistakes included — to the other Mac, though deletes don't carry across by default and conflicting versions are kept. Keep a separate backup for older versions.

Yes. Bridge is a direct, end-to-end encrypted link between your two devices — like a personal VPN just for them. Nobody in between can read it, nothing is stored on a server, and the Tunnel Code confirms you're linked to the right device.

No. Bridge sends files and clipboard straight between your devices, end-to-end encrypted, and never stores them on a server. Only the brief step of finding each other may use public internet infrastructure.

We don't publish the internals, but Bridge is end-to-end encrypted between your two devices, each device has its own security key, and the six-digit Tunnel Code lets you confirm nobody is in the middle.

Only devices you pair. Pairing needs a code from your own screen and a matching Tunnel Code on both devices, another Mac must be confirmed by you, and a forgotten device can't reconnect.

Only what you choose: clipboard items if “Share my clipboard” is on for it, and — for another Storage Studio Mac — folders you add under “Folders you share with …”, read-only unless you allow Write.

No. Bridge sends your files and clipboard straight between your own devices, end-to-end encrypted, with no server in between, so we can't see them and keep nothing. The activity log stays on your devices.

Treat it like an invitation and share it only with the device you're pairing. You still confirm the Tunnel Code before trusting a link, and if the code was seen by someone else, get a new one with New code or Rotate.

In the Devices tab, open Share with another Mac and click Stop sharing — your connection code is turned off and your shared folders stop being offered. Forget any Mac you've already paired to cut it off.

The devices didn't finish linking — usually a mistyped or old code, or the two can't reach each other. Re-enter the code, keep the Bridge app open, and try the same Wi-Fi or connect from the device on a hotspot.

Your Mac has reached its paired-device limit (five by default). Click Forget on a device you no longer use in the Devices tab, then pair the new one.

Most often the “Keep connected for” timer ran out, the other device slept or went offline, or Storage Studio was quit. Set the timer to Always if you like, wake the device, and click Connect on its row.

Check the folder is listed in the Bridge app's Shared Folders, the device is connected, and the Mounting tab in Connect Accounts has the drive on with the device ticked. Then try Remount / Repair.

Check “Share my clipboard” is on for that device, the Sharing switch in the Junk Yard header is on, the device is connected and not paused, and you're looking in the Junk Yard rather than the clipboard. Passwords are never sent.

The devices usually can't reach each other. Keep both apps open, use the same Wi-Fi, allow SS Bridge through Windows Firewall on Private networks, re-type the code, and on a hotspot connect from that device.

The part of Storage Studio that runs Bridge didn't answer in time. Try again, then quit and reopen Storage Studio; if you're in core-only performance mode, switch modes. Contact support if it keeps happening.

Sharing was paused in the Bridge app, so your Mac can't connect to it until you resume. Click Resume sharing in Bridge; a pause is remembered across restarts until you do.

Turn on Include images in the Bridge app's Settings — it lets Bridge capture copied screenshots and pictures. Also check Capture what I copy and Share my clipboard are on; images land in your Mac's Junk Yard.

It means the devices reached each other over the internet, usually because they aren't really on the same network — a guest network, VPN or hotspot. Put both on the same network and reconnect, or turn on Use local network only.

Check the Help tab in the Bridge app and the Bridge section of the user manual first. If you're still stuck, contact support from Storage Studio and describe what both devices show.