Sync Folder
The desktop app puts your entire Poly library on disk as a normal folder. Files show up in Finder, Explorer, or your Linux file manager immediately, but they don't take up space until you actually open them.
Where the folder lives
| Platform | Location | Built on |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | ~/Library/CloudStorage/Poly | Apple's File Provider framework |
| Windows | ~/Poly | The Windows Cloud Files API (the same mechanism OneDrive uses) |
| Linux | ~/Poly | A FUSE filesystem built by Poly |
On every platform the folder is a real cloud sync root, not a mirrored copy. On Linux, Poly implements the freedesktop.org Cloud Providers interface, so GNOME Files and friends show sync status too.
poly app root prints the sync folder's pathPlaceholders and on-demand download
Every file appears in the folder as soon as its metadata syncs, but its content stays in the cloud until something reads it. The first time you open a placeholder file, Poly downloads the content transparently and the file materializes. After that it opens instantly from local storage.
Keeping files offline
Right-click a file or folder in the sync folder to control where its content lives:
- Keep Downloaded (pinned) — the content is downloaded eagerly and never evicted. Pinning a folder cascades to everything inside it.
- Online Only — the content is released from local storage and downloads again on demand.
Files you haven't pinned are subject to eviction: when the local cache approaches its storage quota, Poly frees the least-recently-used unpinned files first. Two guarantees hold no matter what:
- Pinned files are never evicted, even if that means exceeding the quota.
- Files that failed to upload are kept offline and are not evicted, so you can retry the upload later and you're not going to lose your work.
Editing, renaming, and moving
Work in the sync folder like any other folder. Edits, renames, moves, creations, and deletions are picked up immediately and synced to Poly. Changes made without a connection are stored in the local cache right away and reconciled with the server when you're back online. Changes made elsewhere (the web client, another device, a collaborator) appear in your folder automatically.
Deleting a file in the sync folder archives it in Poly rather than deleting it outright. See Recovering Files for how to browse history and get things back.