File Sync Personal
Sync a Space across your own devices - your Mac and your Windows PC, or two Macs, or whatever combination you use - through a folder only you touch.
File Sync Personal is the everyday cross-platform mode. You pick a folder inside a cloud service you already use - iCloud Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, or a network share - and PrimeTask syncs the Space through it. Your devices sync their own copies. Nobody else is involved.
This article covers the Personal sub-mode of File Sync. For the concept and provider list, see File Sync. For sharing with other people, see File Sync Collaboration. For the whole sync-mode comparison, see Sync Modes Overview.
Personal means just you
File Sync Personal is single-user. The Space is tied to a folder only you have access to. When you want to bring another person in, switch to Collaboration.
What you can do
Sync a Space between a Mac and a Windows PC
through a shared cloud folder.
Sync a Space between two Macs
through any cloud folder - a nice alternative to iCloud when you want control of the location.
Work offline
your edits queue locally and sync when the folder is reachable again.
Protect the Space with an optional password
(AES-256 at rest in the folder).
Change your folder provider later
if your setup evolves.
Before you start
You need:
- PrimeTask installed on every device you want to sync.
- A folder that appears on every device - Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Synology Drive, or a network share.
- Enough free space in that folder for the Space's attachments.
How to set it up
Step 1
Open Settings → Spaces and open the Space you want to sync.
Step 2
Set the sync method to File Sync.
Step 3
Pick the folder from a location your other devices also see - for example, a subfolder inside your Dropbox or iCloud Drive.
Leave **Collaboration** turned off
this is the Personal mode.
Step 5
Optionally turn on password protection and set a password hint.
Step 6
Save. The first sync uploads the Space's data to the folder.
Step 7
On your other device, open PrimeTask and import the Space from the same folder. See Joining a Shared Space - it's the same wizard for your own devices and for collaboration.
Pick one folder provider per PrimeTask folder
Put the sync folder inside only one cloud service - don't nest one cloud provider's folder inside another's. Nested sync can race and corrupt files.
What syncs
The same scope as File Sync generally:
- Tasks, subtasks, checklists, time entries
- Projects, goals, milestones, notes, metrics history
- CRM contacts, companies, activities, CRM tasks (when CRM is enabled)
- PrimeFlow canvases
- Custom fields, tags, statuses, priorities, templates
- Attachments and avatars uploaded into the Space
What stays device-local
A few things are per-device on purpose:
- Your profile and avatar - each device keeps its own identity.
- App settings - preferences, language, appearance, and integration toggles are per device.
- View preferences - how you laid out the UI stays on the device.
- PrimeFlow Folder nodes - Folder nodes link to a specific folder on one computer, so they don't exist in synced Spaces.
Offline and reconnection
If the folder goes offline - your computer loses the internet, the Dropbox client pauses, the network share drops - PrimeTask keeps working. Your edits queue locally. When the folder is available again, queued changes sync automatically.
Changing your folder later
You can change the Space's folder in Settings. Plan for it: close PrimeTask on your other devices first, move (or re-point) the folder, then re-open and re-point every device. A bit of coordination prevents both devices syncing to the old path while you're mid-move.
Changing sync mode
File Sync Personal can become Collaborative (turn collaboration on in the Space modal - see File Sync Collaboration). It can also become Local (turn sync off) or switch to iCloud (macOS only). Your data stays on each device; only the sync connection changes.
Lose the password, lose the Space
If you turn on password protection and forget the password, the encrypted data can't be read. There is no recovery. Store the password somewhere you trust.
Things worth knowing
Not everything is in the folder
Not every file you see in PrimeTask lives inside the sync folder. Settings, your profile, and device-specific state stay in PrimeTask's own local storage. The sync folder holds the Space's shared data.
A single user, many devices
File Sync Personal scales to as many of your own devices as you need - a laptop, a desktop, a work machine, a personal machine. They all sync the same Space.
Two devices editing at once is fine
Edit on one device while the other is running - both keep working. When conflicts happen, the most recent change wins. Everyday edits don't produce noticeable conflicts.
Don't sync two different apps to the same folder
The folder is PrimeTask's. Don't point another app at the same folder to avoid odd races. Give PrimeTask its own subfolder.
Available on every PrimeTask license
File Sync Personal works on every license.
Common questions
"Can I use iCloud Drive for File Sync Personal on a Mac?"
Yes. iCloud Drive is a regular folder on the Mac - put your PrimeTask folder inside. On Windows, use the iCloud for Windows client, Dropbox, or OneDrive depending on what's already in your setup.
"What's the difference between iCloud Sync and File Sync with an iCloud Drive folder?"
iCloud Sync uses Apple's CloudKit directly - tighter integration, macOS only. File Sync with an iCloud Drive folder uses the folder like any other cloud folder, which is why it works on Windows too. For a Mac-only setup, iCloud Sync is simpler; for cross-platform, File Sync with iCloud Drive is the way.
"Can I share a Personal Space later?"
Yes. Turn Collaboration on in the Space modal. See File Sync Collaboration.
"Will the sync folder grow as I add attachments?"
Yes - attachments are real files in the folder. They count against your cloud provider's storage.
"What happens if two devices disagree?"
Most recent change wins. PrimeTask resolves automatically; you don't see merge dialogs for normal edits.
"Is my data visible to the folder provider (Dropbox, iCloud, etc.)?"
Without a password, the folder provider sees the raw Space files. With password protection turned on, the Space is encrypted at rest with AES-256 - the provider stores opaque encrypted bundles they can't read.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Share the Space with another person | File Sync Collaboration |
| Set up the second device | Joining a Shared Space |
| Sync only across your Macs | iCloud Sync |
| Compare every sync mode | Sync Modes Overview |
| Change a Space's sync settings | Creating and Managing Spaces |