{"id":"bridge-devices.what-does-colab-mean-on-a-device","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-colab-mean-on-a-device","category":{"id":"bridge-devices","title":"Bridge & your devices"},"subcategory":{"id":"pairing","title":"Pairing a device"},"question":"What does the “Colab” or “Bridge” label on a paired device mean?","alt_questions":["Why does my device say Colab?","Colab vs Bridge label in Devices","What kind of device is Colab?","Device tag says Bridge — what is that?","Difference between Colab and Bridge devices"],"short_answer":"“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.","answer_markdown":"The small label tells you what's on the other end. **Bridge** means a device running the Storage Studio Bridge app, such as a Windows PC. **Colab** means another Mac running the full Storage Studio app.\n\nThe difference matters for what you can do. A Bridge device shares its folders with your Mac. A Colab Mac can share folders in both directions — you can also offer your folders to it — and it can take part in Collab Sync.\n\n- [Share a folder with another Mac](/faq/bridge-devices/how-do-i-share-a-folder-with-another-mac)\n- [What is Collab Sync?](/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-collab-sync)","answer_html":"

The small label tells you what's on the other end. Bridge means a device running the Storage Studio Bridge app, such as a Windows PC. Colab means another Mac running the full Storage Studio app.

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The difference matters for what you can do. A Bridge device shares its folders with your Mac. A Colab Mac can share folders in both directions — you can also offer your folders to it — and it can take part in Collab Sync.

\n","answer_text":"The small label tells you what's on the other end. Bridge means a device running the Storage Studio Bridge app, such as a Windows PC. Colab means another Mac running the full Storage Studio app.\n\nThe difference matters for what you can do. A Bridge device shares its folders with your Mac. A Colab Mac can share folders in both directions — you can also offer your folders to it — and it can take part in Collab Sync.\n\n- Share a folder with another Mac\n- What is Collab Sync?","tags":["bridge","devices","collab"],"related":[{"id":"bridge-devices.how-do-i-pair-two-macs-running-storage-studio","question":"How do I pair two Macs that both run Storage Studio?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/how-do-i-pair-two-macs-running-storage-studio"},{"id":"bridge-devices.how-do-i-share-a-folder-with-another-mac","question":"How do I share a folder from my Mac with another Mac?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/how-do-i-share-a-folder-with-another-mac"},{"id":"bridge-devices.what-is-collab-sync","question":"What is Collab Sync?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-is-collab-sync"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What does the “Colab” or “Bridge” label on a paired device mean? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"“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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Bridge & your devices","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/"},{"name":"What does the “Colab” or “Bridge” label on a paired device mean?","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-colab-mean-on-a-device"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-colab-mean-on-a-device","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does the “Colab” or “Bridge” label on a paired device mean?","alternateName":["Why does my device say Colab?","Colab vs Bridge label in Devices","What kind of device is Colab?","Device tag says Bridge — what is that?","Difference between Colab and Bridge devices"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The small label tells you what's on the other end. Bridge means a device running the Storage Studio Bridge app, such as a Windows PC. Colab means another Mac running the full Storage Studio app.\n\nThe difference matters for what you can do. A Bridge device shares its folders with your Mac. A Colab Mac can share folders in both directions — you can also offer your folders to it — and it can take part in Collab Sync.\n\n- Share a folder with another Mac\n- What is Collab Sync?","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-does-colab-mean-on-a-device"}}]},"fragment":"
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Bridge & your devices · Pairing a device

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What does the “Colab” or “Bridge” label on a paired device mean?

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Short answer: “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.

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The small label tells you what's on the other end. Bridge means a device running the Storage Studio Bridge app, such as a Windows PC. Colab means another Mac running the full Storage Studio app.

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The difference matters for what you can do. A Bridge device shares its folders with your Mac. A Colab Mac can share folders in both directions — you can also offer your folders to it — and it can take part in Collab Sync.

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