--- title: "Bridge: connecting another device" url: https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices category: "Cloud accounts" tags: ["bridge", "devices", "clipboard", "finder"] summary: "Bridge pairs your Mac with another of your devices using a 12-character connecting code. Once paired, the device's shared folders appear in Finder and you can share your clipboard with it, over an end-to-end encrypted link." updated: 2026-10-01T05:32:10.000Z --- # Bridge: connecting another device Bridge pairs your Mac with another of your devices using a 12-character connecting code. Once paired, the device's shared folders appear in Finder and you can share your clipboard with it, over an end-to-end encrypted link. 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. ```mermaid %% 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] ``` *Flowchart — Pairing, and what to do when one side can't be reached. Outline:* - Type the other device's code, then Pair - leads to Can this Mac reach it? - Can this Mac reach it? - Yes: leads to Paired, check the Tunnel Code matches - Found, but it can't accept connections: leads to Connect from the other device instead - Paired, check the Tunnel Code matches - leads to Its shared folders appear in Finder - leads to Turn on clipboard sharing if you want it - Connect from the other device instead - leads to Enter this Mac's code on the other device - Enter this Mac's code on the other device - leads to Paired, check the Tunnel Code matches ## 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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/shared-folders-between-macs) 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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/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](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices-cant-connect). See also: [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) · [Privacy: what stays on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/privacy-overview) · [Clipboard capture, pins and how long items last](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/clipboard-capture) ## What links here - [Cloud accounts](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/cloud-accounts) - [Data Transfers](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/data-transfers) - [Letting another AI assistant read your storage](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access) - [Privacy: what stays on your Mac](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/privacy-overview) - [Searching and editing Junk Yard items](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/searching-the-junk-yard) - [Shared Folders: keeping a folder the same on two Macs](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/shared-folders-between-macs) - [The Junk Yard](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/junk-yard) - [The Storage Studio location in Finder](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-storage-studio-location-in-finder) - [The cloud folder browser](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/the-cloud-folder-browser) - [Two devices won't connect with Bridge](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/bridge-devices-cant-connect) - [What Storage Studio does](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-storage-studio-does) - [What leaves your Mac, and when](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/what-leaves-your-mac) - [Where to start: pick your goal](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/where-to-start)