{
  "schema": "https://storagestudio.us/schema/wiki-page.v1",
  "title": "Delta Drive",
  "slug": "delta-drive",
  "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive",
  "markdown_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive.md",
  "category": "Delta Drive, Delta Trust & My Drive",
  "category_url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive-delta-trust-and-my-drive/",
  "tags": [
    "delta drive",
    "sharing",
    "finder",
    "delta trust"
  ],
  "summary": "Delta Drive is the working half of a Delta Trust plan. Your everyday files appear in Finder like a disk, in the Delta Drive window and in any browser, and you can link folders from your Mac so a copy is kept up to date.",
  "published_at": "2026-10-01T06:15:05.000Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-27T11:13:36.000Z",
  "headings": [
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "A tour of the window",
      "id": "a-tour-of-the-window"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "The folders your drive starts with",
      "id": "the-folders-your-drive-starts-with"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Link a folder from your Mac",
      "id": "link-a-folder-from-your-mac"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Opening files on your Mac",
      "id": "opening-files-on-your-mac"
    },
    {
      "level": 2,
      "text": "Turning it off",
      "id": "turning-it-off"
    }
  ],
  "links_out": [
    {
      "slug": "delta-drive-badges",
      "label": "What the Delta Drive badges mean",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive-badges"
    },
    {
      "slug": "delta-trust",
      "label": "Delta Trust",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust"
    },
    {
      "slug": "my-drive",
      "label": "My Drive",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "sharing-from-delta-drive",
      "label": "Sharing files from Delta Drive and My Drive",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sharing-from-delta-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "delta-trust-delta-drive-and-my-drive",
      "label": "Delta Trust, Delta Drive and My Drive",
      "exists": true,
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust-delta-drive-and-my-drive"
    }
  ],
  "links_in": [
    {
      "slug": "delta-trust",
      "title": "Delta Trust",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust"
    },
    {
      "slug": "delta-trust-delta-drive-and-my-drive",
      "title": "Delta Trust, Delta Drive and My Drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust-delta-drive-and-my-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "ai-access",
      "title": "Letting another AI assistant read your storage",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/ai-access"
    },
    {
      "slug": "my-drive",
      "title": "My Drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "sharing-from-delta-drive",
      "title": "Sharing files from Delta Drive and My Drive",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sharing-from-delta-drive"
    },
    {
      "slug": "delta-drive-badges",
      "title": "What the Delta Drive badges mean",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive-badges"
    },
    {
      "slug": "backup-destinations",
      "title": "Where a backup can go",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/backup-destinations"
    },
    {
      "slug": "your-account",
      "title": "Your account on storagestudio.us",
      "url": "https://storagestudio.us/wiki/your-account"
    }
  ],
  "diagrams": [
    {
      "kind": "flowchart",
      "caption": "How a linked folder is kept",
      "outline": "- Folder on your Mac\n  - Online only: leads to Files live in Delta Drive\n  - Offline only: leads to Files stay on your Mac, the drive lists their names\n  - Both, in sync: leads to A full copy in both places\n",
      "source": "%% caption: How a linked folder is kept\nflowchart LR\n  A[Folder on your Mac] -->|Online only| B[Files live in Delta Drive]\n  A -->|Offline only| C[Files stay on your Mac, the drive lists their names]\n  A -->|Both, in sync| D[A full copy in both places]"
    }
  ],
  "images": [],
  "screenshots_pending": [
    {
      "alt": "The Delta Drive window with the sidebar showing My Drive, Recent, Shared, Search, Index & notes, Analytics, Trash, Activity, Versions, Copies and Storage, and the Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Shared and Team folders listed",
      "caption": "The Delta Drive window"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [],
  "text": "Delta Drive is the working half of a Delta Trust plan: a drive for the files you use day to day. You can reach the same files three ways — the Delta Drive window on your Mac, Finder (where it appears like a disk), and any browser at storagestudio.us/drive. Whatever you do in one place is what the other two see. A tour of the window Open it from the Delta Drive tab in the main window, or from More (•••) → Delta-X . The sidebar lists: Screen What it shows My Drive Your folders and files Recent What was added, updated or opened lately Shared Everything you have shared, and who opened it Search Your files with the search box ready Index & notes Everything on the drive in one list Analytics What you are storing and what is using the space Trash What you removed, and how to put it back Activity What has been done in the drive Versions Whether old copies are kept, and for how long Copies Which folders from this Mac are kept here Storage Which drive is in use, and the others you have The Add button adds Files… or Folders… once, or links a folder so it stays up to date. New folder , Save a copy , Share and Delete sit beside it. In a browser, signing in uses the email address your licence was issued to and a one-time code — there is no password. The folders your drive starts with Every drive begins with Documents , Desktop , Pictures , Shared and Team . These five can't be removed, but everything inside them is yours to delete. Open Documents, Desktop or Pictures while it is empty and the screen offers Keep a copy of my Documents here (and the same for the other two). Nothing is copied until you press it; after that the copy is kept up to date as the folder changes. Link a folder from your Mac Choose Add → Link a folder… , pick any folder on your Mac, give it a name in your drive, and choose how it is kept: Available online only — the files live in Delta Drive and take no space on this Mac. Available offline only — the files stay on this Mac and are never uploaded. The drive shows their names, sizes and dates, but the contents are only reachable while this Mac is on. Both, in sync — a full copy in both places. It uses the space twice, and survives either one going away. How a linked folder is kept Flowchart outline: How a linked folder is kept Folder on your Mac Online only: leads to Files live in Delta Drive Offline only: leads to Files stay on your Mac, the drive lists their names Both, in sync: leads to A full copy in both places A link only ever goes one way, from your Mac to the drive. Deleting something on your Mac does not delete it from the drive, and nothing in the drive changes your Mac's folder. You can change the mode later from the folder's right-click menu ( Keep it ), or with How it's kept on the Copies screen. Unlink from this Mac forgets the connection and deletes nothing on either side. Storage Studio refuses a link that would go wrong: a name already used in your drive, a folder that is already inside the drive, or a folder you have already linked under another name. Opening files on your Mac The window shows the folder you last saw straight away, then checks it with the drive and updates anything that changed. Coming back to the window refreshes the folder on screen when it's more than a minute old, so changes made on the web or another Mac appear without clicking around. Opening a file brings it down from the drive. A menu in the window's bottom bar, under When you open a file , sets what happens next: Keep a copy while I'm using it (for a period you choose) or Online only . A kept file shows Ready to read and opens straight away next time if it hasn't changed; a file that's open in its app is never removed, and Delete downloaded copies from this Mac in the gear menu clears the rest at once. To keep something on this Mac for good, right-click it and choose Always keep on this Mac . The small marks beside each item tell you where it is — see What the Delta Drive badges mean . Turning it off Storage → Disconnect switches the drive off without deleting anything. Your files, folders and settings stay as they are, and turning it back on needs nothing set up again. Your Delta Trust backups are separate and unaffected. See also: Delta Trust , My Drive , Sharing files from Delta Drive and My Drive , Delta Trust, Delta Drive and My Drive .",
  "markdown": "**Delta Drive** is the working half of a Delta Trust plan: a drive for the files you use day to day. You can reach the same files three ways — the Delta Drive window on your Mac, Finder (where it appears like a disk), and any browser at storagestudio.us/drive. Whatever you do in one place is what the other two see.\n\n## A tour of the window\n\nOpen it from the **Delta Drive** tab in the main window, or from **More (•••) → Delta-X**. The sidebar lists:\n\n| Screen | What it shows |\n|---|---|\n| **My Drive** | Your folders and files |\n| **Recent** | What was added, updated or opened lately |\n| **Shared** | Everything you have shared, and who opened it |\n| **Search** | Your files with the search box ready |\n| **Index & notes** | Everything on the drive in one list |\n| **Analytics** | What you are storing and what is using the space |\n| **Trash** | What you removed, and how to put it back |\n| **Activity** | What has been done in the drive |\n| **Versions** | Whether old copies are kept, and for how long |\n| **Copies** | Which folders from this Mac are kept here |\n| **Storage** | Which drive is in use, and the others you have |\n\nThe **Add** button adds **Files…** or **Folders…** once, or links a folder so it stays up to date. **New folder**, **Save a copy**, **Share** and **Delete** sit beside it. In a browser, signing in uses the email address your licence was issued to and a one-time code — there is no password.\n\n## The folders your drive starts with\n\nEvery drive begins with **Documents**, **Desktop**, **Pictures**, **Shared** and **Team**. These five can't be removed, but everything inside them is yours to delete. Open Documents, Desktop or Pictures while it is empty and the screen offers **Keep a copy of my Documents here** (and the same for the other two). Nothing is copied until you press it; after that the copy is kept up to date as the folder changes.\n\n## Link a folder from your Mac\n\nChoose **Add → Link a folder…**, pick any folder on your Mac, give it a name in your drive, and choose how it is kept:\n\n- **Available online only** — the files live in Delta Drive and take no space on this Mac.\n- **Available offline only** — the files stay on this Mac and are never uploaded. The drive shows their names, sizes and dates, but the contents are only reachable while this Mac is on.\n- **Both, in sync** — a full copy in both places. It uses the space twice, and survives either one going away.\n\n```mermaid\n%% caption: How a linked folder is kept\nflowchart LR\n  A[Folder on your Mac] -->|Online only| B[Files live in Delta Drive]\n  A -->|Offline only| C[Files stay on your Mac, the drive lists their names]\n  A -->|Both, in sync| D[A full copy in both places]\n```\n\n*Flowchart — How a linked folder is kept. Outline:*\n\n- Folder on your Mac\n  - Online only: leads to Files live in Delta Drive\n  - Offline only: leads to Files stay on your Mac, the drive lists their names\n  - Both, in sync: leads to A full copy in both places\n\nA link only ever goes one way, from your Mac to the drive. Deleting something on your Mac does not delete it from the drive, and nothing in the drive changes your Mac's folder. You can change the mode later from the folder's right-click menu (**Keep it**), or with **How it's kept** on the **Copies** screen. **Unlink from this Mac** forgets the connection and deletes nothing on either side.\n\nStorage Studio refuses a link that would go wrong: a name already used in your drive, a folder that is already inside the drive, or a folder you have already linked under another name.\n\n## Opening files on your Mac\n\nThe window shows the folder you last saw straight away, then checks it with the drive and updates anything that changed. Coming back to the window refreshes the folder on screen when it's more than a minute old, so changes made on the web or another Mac appear without clicking around.\n\nOpening a file brings it down from the drive. A menu in the window's bottom bar, under **When you open a file**, sets what happens next: **Keep a copy while I'm using it** (for a period you choose) or **Online only**. A kept file shows **Ready to read** and opens straight away next time if it hasn't changed; a file that's open in its app is never removed, and **Delete downloaded copies from this Mac** in the gear menu clears the rest at once. To keep something on this Mac for good, right-click it and choose **Always keep on this Mac**. The small marks beside each item tell you where it is — see [What the Delta Drive badges mean](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-drive-badges).\n\n## Turning it off\n\n**Storage → Disconnect** switches the drive off without deleting anything. Your files, folders and settings stay as they are, and turning it back on needs nothing set up again. Your Delta Trust backups are separate and unaffected.\n\nSee also: [Delta Trust](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust), [My Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/my-drive), [Sharing files from Delta Drive and My Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/sharing-from-delta-drive), [Delta Trust, Delta Drive and My Drive](https://storagestudio.us/wiki/delta-trust-delta-drive-and-my-drive).\n"
}