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.
Use your synced profile and app preferences
on the new device when you join your own Space.
Set up your profile
for other members when you join a collaborative Space (Pro).
How to open the Join wizard
Open Settings → File Sync.
Click Join Shared Space.
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. Your profile
What this step asks depends on the kind of Space you're joining.
Your own Personal Space. The new device is you on another computer, not a new person, so there's no profile to set up for anyone else. If another of your devices syncs your profile or app preferences to this folder, turn on Use my synced profile and Use my synced app preferences to use them here. Leave them off to keep the profile and preferences this device already has.
A collaborative Space. Enter the display name and username other members will see on your edits. PrimeTask pre-fills what it can from your existing profile.
One person on every device
In your own Personal Space, every device is you. A task assigned to you on one device is yours on the others, and you appear once when assigning tasks, whether or not you sync your 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.
Tell your devices apart by name
Your profile is the same person on every device. To see which computer a change came from, give each one a clear device name in Settings → File Sync, such as "Work laptop" or "Home iMac".
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, choose whether to use your synced profile and app preferences, and the Space appears.
From there both devices sync automatically through the folder, and both are you: a task you assign to yourself on one device is yours on the other. The folder concept is the same, the wizard is the same, and the second-device flow is available on every PrimeTask license.
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:
Open the Join Shared Space wizard on your device.
Pick the folder the owner shared with you.
Select the collaborative Space in the discovery step.
Enter the password if the Space is protected.
Set up your profile. Other members will see your edits under this display name.
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.
Your profile on each device
In your own Personal Space, your name and picture follow you from device to device only when you sync them. Turn on User Profile on each device that should share them, when you create or edit the Space from the sidebar or Settings → Spaces, as you join with Use my synced profile, or in Settings → File Sync, and a change made on one device reaches the others. With it off, each device keeps its own name and picture, and you are still one person on every device. In a collaborative Space, each member has their own profile. See File Sync Settings.
When the synced options aren't available
Use my synced profile and Use my synced app preferences need something in the folder to use. If no device has synced a profile or preferences to the folder yet, or the folder has been shared with other people through Collaboration, the options are unavailable and the wizard says why. Your profile and preferences are never taken from a folder that has been shared.
They're ready when the Space starts with them on
A Personal File Sync Space created from the sidebar or Settings → Spaces starts with profile and preferences sync turned on, under Also sync on this computer. Once the folder has synced, joining from another device can use them straight away.
Each device chooses for itself
Syncing your profile or preferences on one device doesn't turn it on for the others. Each device decides: when you create or edit the Space, when you join, or later in Settings → File Sync.
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.
"Will my second device show up as a separate person?"
No. Joining your own Personal Space adds another device for you, not another person. You appear once when assigning tasks, and anything assigned to you on one device is yours on the other.
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 |
| Sync your profile and app preferences | File Sync Settings |
| Compare sync modes | Sync Modes Overview |
| Sync across Macs via iCloud | iCloud Sync |
| Change sync settings later | Creating and Managing Spaces |