Joining a Shared Space
Bring a Space onto a new device - your own Personal Space on device two, or someone else's collaborative Space - through PrimeTask's guided Join wizard.
The Join Shared Space wizard is how a second (or third, or fourth) device picks up a File Sync Space that's being synced through a cloud folder. It covers two scenarios with the same flow:
- Your own Personal Space on another one of your computers - Standard and Pro.
- A collaborative Space someone else is sharing with you - Pro (the wizard will show a Pro requirement when you try to join a collaborative Space).
For iCloud Spaces, you usually don't need the wizard - they appear automatically on Macs signed in with the same Apple ID. See iCloud Sync.
For the Space concept, see Spaces Overview. For which sync mode to pick, see Sync Modes Overview.
One wizard, two scenarios
The same Join Shared Space wizard handles both "bring my own Personal Space onto this computer" and "join someone else's collaborative Space." The wizard tells you if you're about to join a collaborative Space so you know what's happening.
What you can do
Add your own Personal File Sync Space
to another of your devices.
Pick up an iCloud Space
on a new Mac signed in with the same Apple ID.
Join a collaborative Space
that someone is sharing with you (Pro).
See every Space available
in the sync folder before joining.
Enter a password
when joining a password-protected Space.
Set your identity
on the new device before the Space is added.
How to open the Join wizard
Step 1
Open Settings → Spaces → Sync Settings.
Step 2
Use the Join Shared Space action.
The wizard opens and walks you through the steps below.
When to use the wizard
The Join Shared Space wizard is the main way to bring a File Sync Space onto a new device.
For iCloud Spaces, you usually don't need the wizard. Open PrimeTask on a Mac signed in with the same Apple ID and your iCloud Spaces appear automatically. Run the wizard's iCloud path only if you want to explicitly discover and pick up an iCloud Space that hasn't appeared yet - for example, on a brand-new Mac where the iCloud sync hasn't caught up.
The wizard, step by step (File Sync)
1. Choose the method
The wizard asks how the Space is synced - pick File Sync.
2. Select the folder
Browse to the folder where the Space's data lives - the Dropbox, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, or network-share folder you (or the Space owner) set up on this device.
3. See which Spaces are available
The wizard shows every Space it found in that location. Each Space is marked as Personal or Team so you know what kind you're about to join.
4. Enter the password (if protected)
Password-protected Spaces ask for the password before you can go further. The password hint the owner set shows up to help you remember.
5. Set your profile
Enter your display name and username for this device. This is the identity other members of a collaborative Space will see for your edits - or just your own name, if it's a Personal Space on your second device. PrimeTask pre-fills what it can from your existing profile.
6. Review
A summary of what you're about to add - the Space name, who owns it, whether it's Personal or Team, how large it is. Confirm to continue.
7. Progress and success
PrimeTask downloads the Space's data from the folder (or iCloud) and adds it locally. A progress view shows what's being brought in. When finished, the Space appears in your sidebar and you can start working.
Bring your identity with you
On a new device, set a display name that tells other members (or future you) which machine the edits came from - for example, "Leo (work laptop)" vs "Leo (home iMac)." Assignment and completion notifications show who did what, and a clear device name makes activity easier to read.
License requirements
Joining your own Personal File Sync Space on another device is available on every PrimeTask license.
Joining a collaborative Space owned by someone else requires Pro. If you need collaboration, upgrade from License Settings.
Joining a collaborative Space requires Pro
File Sync Collaboration is the Pro part. Importing your own Personal Space onto a second device is available on every license.
Second device for your own Personal Space
This is the common personal-sync scenario. You've turned on File Sync Personal on device 1 and picked a cloud folder. On device 2, run the Join Shared Space wizard, point it at the same folder, set your profile (often the same name across devices), and the Space appears.
From there both devices sync automatically through the folder. The Folder concept is the same; the wizard is the same; nothing about the second-device flow is Pro-gated.
Joining a collaborative Space Pro
Ask the Space owner to share the sync folder with you through their cloud provider (Dropbox share link, OneDrive invite, shared iCloud Drive folder, or access to a network share). Then:
Step 1
Open the Join Shared Space wizard on your device.
Step 2
Pick the folder the owner shared with you.
Step 3
Select the collaborative Space in the discovery step.
Step 4
Enter the password if the Space is protected.
Set your display name
other members will see your edits attributed to this name.
Step 6
Review and join.
Your device is added to the Space as a member by default; the Space owner can promote you to admin later if needed. See File Sync Collaboration.
Things worth knowing
The folder needs to be reachable from this device
Before you run the wizard, make sure your cloud client has the folder set up on this computer. If the folder isn't visible in your filesystem yet, the wizard won't find the Space.
Personal vs Team labels
The discovery step shows whether each Space is Personal or Team so you know what kind of Space you are about to join. Team Spaces require Pro.
Profile is device-specific
Each device keeps its own profile - the display name you set during the wizard shows up on edits from this device, but other devices keep their own profile names.
Your other devices keep syncing
Joining the Space from a new device doesn't affect devices that were already syncing it. Everyone keeps working; the new device joins in.
Password recovery isn't possible
If the Space is protected and the password is lost, the Space can't be opened. The owner should share the password with their own team (or their future self) through a trusted channel before needing it.
Available on every license for Personal Spaces
The wizard itself is available on every license. Joining a Personal Space - including your own on another device - works on every license. Joining a collaborative Space requires Pro.
Common questions
"Can I import my own Personal Space on a second device without Pro?"
Yes. Run the Join Shared Space wizard on device 2, point it at the same cloud folder, and join. No Pro needed.
"What happens if I try to join a Team Space on Standard?"
Joining a collaborative Space requires Pro. Upgrade from License Settings before joining.
"How do I know if a Space is Personal or Team?"
The discovery step shows a Personal or Team marker next to each Space.
"Can I join more than one Space at a time?"
Run the wizard separately for each Space. Each Space is a deliberate join.
"What if I join the same Space twice from the same device?"
PrimeTask won't create duplicates. The wizard detects that the Space already exists locally and lets you relink that existing Space to the selected folder. This is useful if a shared folder moved, your cloud provider changed its local path, or you need to reconnect after moving to a new drive.
"Does joining affect the owner or other members?"
No. The owner and existing members don't need to do anything when you join. The Space simply syncs to your device through the folder.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| Set up a Personal Space on device one first | File Sync Personal |
| Create a collaborative Space to share | File Sync Collaboration |
| Compare sync modes | Sync Modes Overview |
| Sync across Macs via iCloud | iCloud Sync |
| Change sync settings later | Creating and Managing Spaces |