Bridge: connecting another device

Bridge links your Mac directly to another of your devices — a computer or phone running the Storage Studio Bridge app, or another Mac running Storage Studio. You pair them once with a connecting code. After that, the folders the device shares appear in Finder, and you can choose to share your clipboard with it. The link is end-to-end encrypted, so only the two paired devices can read what passes between them.

Pairing a device

1. Open Remotes & Accounts and click the Devices tab. You can also choose Devices (Bridge)… from the More menu.
2. On the other device, open Bridge and find its connecting code. It looks like XXXX-XXXX-XXXX.
3. Type the code into the Pair box and click Pair. Storage Studio formats it as you type, and leaves out letters that are easily confused, such as I, L, O and U.
4. When it works you'll see Paired with device name, and a card for the device appears under Paired devices.

Each card shows a Tunnel Code. Check that it matches the one shown on the other device — if it does, you're connected to the device you meant to connect to.

%% caption: Pairing, and what to do when one side can't be reached
flowchart TD
  A[Type the other device's code, then Pair] --> B{Can this Mac reach it?}
  B -->|Yes| C[Paired, check the Tunnel Code matches]
  B -->|Found, but it can't accept connections| D[Connect from the other device instead]
  D --> E[Enter this Mac's code on the other device]
  E --> C
  C --> F[Its shared folders appear in Finder]
  C --> G[Turn on clipboard sharing if you want it]

Pairing two Macs

To let another Mac running Storage Studio connect to this one, use Share with another Mac: click Show my connection code and type that code into the other Mac's Pair box. When the request arrives, both Macs show a short code — click Confirm only if it matches, or Reject. Rotate gives you a new code and Stop sharing turns the code off. Two linked Macs can each share folders with the other; see Shared Folders for keeping one folder the same on both.

Local network or the internet

Each connected card says whether the link is over your Local network or the Internet, and whether it's a direct route. When a direct route can't be made, the link still works but is marked as slower, and Storage Studio keeps trying for a direct one.

• Use local network only keeps the link on your own Wi-Fi or wired network. Both devices must be on the same network.
• Find each other automatically helps two devices on different networks — for example when one is on a phone's hotspot — find each other. It uses a discovery server only to exchange addresses; your files are never stored on a server and stay end-to-end encrypted.
• If a device is on a hotspot or a restricted network, Storage Studio may say Connect from the other device. Enter this Mac's code on that device instead; once linked, files flow both ways whichever side started.

What you can do once paired

• Browse its folders — folders the device shares appear in the Storage Studio location in Finder under the device's name. Turn the drive on in the Mounting tab. An offline device is skipped until it's back.
• Copy to and from it — paired devices that are online appear in Data Transfers when you choose a source or destination.
• Share your clipboard — switch on Share my clipboard with device on its card. It's set per device. Anything the device copies arrives in your Junk Yard; passwords and other concealed clipboard items are never shared.
• Watch the traffic — Bridge Activity… in the More menu shows what's been sent and received.

Staying in control

• Keep connected for sets how long a device stays connected before it disconnects by itself — from 15 minutes up to 1 week, or Always.
• Pause keeps the link alive but stops sending; Resume starts again. Disconnect ends the link; Connect brings it back.
• Forget removes the pairing altogether.

If two devices won't link up, see two devices won't connect with Bridge.

See also: Cloud accounts · Privacy: what stays on your Mac · Clipboard capture, pins and how long items last