{"id":"bridge-devices.what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline","category":{"id":"bridge-devices","title":"Bridge & your devices"},"subcategory":{"id":"connection","title":"Staying connected"},"question":"What happens to a paired device's folders when it's offline?","alt_questions":["My PC is off — where did its folders go?","Bridge device offline in Finder","Can I open files from a sleeping PC?","Shared folders missing when device is off","Does Bridge work if the other computer is asleep?"],"short_answer":"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.","answer_markdown":"They're skipped until the device is reachable again. A Bridge device's files live on the device itself, so while it's off, asleep or offline, its folder isn't available on your Mac — everything else in the Storage Studio location in Finder still works.\n\nWhen the device comes back online with the Bridge app running, Bridge reconnects and its folders return. If you need files from it while you're away, copy them to your Mac while it's connected.\n\n- [Where shared folders appear](/faq/bridge-devices/where-do-shared-folders-from-a-device-appear-on-my-mac)\n- [Bridge vs a cloud account](/faq/bridge-devices/how-is-bridge-different-from-a-cloud-account)","answer_html":"

They're skipped until the device is reachable again. A Bridge device's files live on the device itself, so while it's off, asleep or offline, its folder isn't available on your Mac — everything else in the Storage Studio location in Finder still works.

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When the device comes back online with the Bridge app running, Bridge reconnects and its folders return. If you need files from it while you're away, copy them to your Mac while it's connected.

\n","answer_text":"They're skipped until the device is reachable again. A Bridge device's files live on the device itself, so while it's off, asleep or offline, its folder isn't available on your Mac — everything else in the Storage Studio location in Finder still works.\n\nWhen the device comes back online with the Bridge app running, Bridge reconnects and its folders return. If you need files from it while you're away, copy them to your Mac while it's connected.\n\n- Where shared folders appear\n- Bridge vs a cloud account","tags":["bridge","offline","folders"],"related":[{"id":"bridge-devices.where-do-shared-folders-from-a-device-appear-on-my-mac","question":"Where do folders shared from a Bridge device appear on my Mac?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/where-do-shared-folders-from-a-device-appear-on-my-mac"},{"id":"bridge-devices.how-is-bridge-different-from-a-cloud-account","question":"How is a Bridge device different from a cloud account?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/how-is-bridge-different-from-a-cloud-account"},{"id":"bridge-devices.why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself","question":"Why did my Bridge device disconnect by itself?","url":"/faq/bridge-devices/why-did-my-bridge-device-disconnect-by-itself"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"What happens to a paired device's folders when it's offline? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"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.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Bridge & your devices","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/"},{"name":"What happens to a paired device's folders when it's offline?","path":"/faq/bridge-devices/what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What happens to a paired device's folders when it's offline?","alternateName":["My PC is off — where did its folders go?","Bridge device offline in Finder","Can I open files from a sleeping PC?","Shared folders missing when device is off","Does Bridge work if the other computer is asleep?"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"They're skipped until the device is reachable again. A Bridge device's files live on the device itself, so while it's off, asleep or offline, its folder isn't available on your Mac — everything else in the Storage Studio location in Finder still works.\n\nWhen the device comes back online with the Bridge app running, Bridge reconnects and its folders return. If you need files from it while you're away, copy them to your Mac while it's connected.\n\n- Where shared folders appear\n- Bridge vs a cloud account","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/bridge-devices/what-happens-when-a-paired-device-is-offline"}}]},"fragment":"
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Bridge & your devices · Staying connected

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What happens to a paired device's folders when it's offline?

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Short answer: 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.

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They're skipped until the device is reachable again. A Bridge device's files live on the device itself, so while it's off, asleep or offline, its folder isn't available on your Mac — everything else in the Storage Studio location in Finder still works.

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When the device comes back online with the Bridge app running, Bridge reconnects and its folders return. If you need files from it while you're away, copy them to your Mac while it's connected.

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