Files, sync and ownership
Save a document in a workspace and open it from another app, another device or search. Removing the app that created it does not remove the document. The work belongs to its owners, not to the software used to edit it.
Files remain useful boundaries
The desktop presents ordinary files because a file can be named, copied, backed up, opened elsewhere and taken off the system. Apps can also expose meaningful items inside files—a comment in a document or an annotation in a book—so search and history do not stop at “the bytes changed.”
Apps teach the filesystem how a format is structured. Where the format supports it, the desktop shows a useful diff and merges independent edits. Unknown formats remain ordinary opaque files rather than becoming unreadable.
Export uses documented formats. When a format cannot preserve a native feature, the export preview names what becomes flattened or is left out.
Local first
Edits save on the device where they happen. Work remains available without a network. Authorised devices and the workspace host exchange changes when they can reach each other.
The interface distinguishes:
- Saved on this device — the latest local change is safely written here.
- Available elsewhere — another authorised complete copy confirms it.
- Syncing — changes are moving between devices.
- Needs attention — the desktop cannot finish or safely combine something.
A generic cloud icon does not collapse those facts into one optimistic tick.
Keep what you need nearby
File names and metadata can appear before all content is stored locally. Opening a remote-only file fetches it from an authorised device or host. Choose Keep on this device for work needed offline.
Free local space removes a local copy only after the desktop verifies a complete copy elsewhere. The file remains in the workspace. If no other copy can be proved, the bytes stay put.
Hosting is not ownership
A workspace hosted on your server remains yours. A workspace hosted by an organisation follows that workspace’s ownership and membership rules. The host stores a complete copy and keeps it reachable; it does not silently acquire rights because it holds the disk.
The computer remains its owner’s. You can export workspace files and their portable metadata without asking an app vendor for access.
Sync is not backup
Sync carries good edits, mistaken deletions and unwanted changes alike. History helps reverse changes; backups provide an independent recovery boundary. The desktop keeps those controls and words separate.