File Sync

File Sync is the settings card that controls how PrimeTask syncs your data outside of this device. There are two ways PrimeTask can sync:

• iCloud Sync - Apple's iCloud service, single-user across your own Macs (macOS only). See iCloud Sync for the dedicated feature guide.
• File Sync - any shared folder you choose: iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Synology, Nextcloud, NAS, or any folder a cloud provider keeps in sync between machines. See File Sync for the dedicated feature guide.

You can use either, both, or neither. Sync is per-Space - every Space picks its own method independently, so you can run an iCloud Space, a few private Spaces, and a couple of File Sync Spaces shared with teammates side by side. For the broader picture on how Spaces work, read Spaces Overview.

What you can do

How to open File Sync

• Settings card: Open Settings from the sidebar, then expand the File Sync card. This is the global view - device name, quick links, and overall status.
• Settings search: Open Settings and type sync, file sync, icloud, dropbox, or share.
• Command palette: Press ⌘+K (or Ctrl+K), type sync, and pick the entry.
• Space creation / edit modal: When you create a new Space or edit an existing one, the Space modal has its own sync section where you pick the sync method, folder, password, and password hint for that Space. See Spaces Settings.
• Per-Space Sync Settings panel: For a Space that's already set up, open its Sync Settings panel to change the folder, update the password, toggle collaboration, manage members, or trigger an immediate sync. This is the day-to-day control surface for each Space.

The Space modal and the Sync Settings panel cover the same settings from different angles: the modal is used during setup, the panel is used once the Space is live.

Things worth knowing

Sync method is picked per Space, not per app

There is no "global sync" toggle for PrimeTask. Each Space decides its own sync method. You can have:

• A personal Space stored only on this computer (no sync)
• A work Space syncing through iCloud to your other Macs
• A client Space syncing through Dropbox to a teammate

…all in the same install. Switching the active Space switches the sync context with it.

iCloud Sync is single-user only

iCloud Sync uses your private iCloud account to keep a Space's data in sync between your own Macs signed into the same Apple ID. It does not support multi-user collaboration - you cannot share an iCloud Space with another person. iCloud is also macOS only because it relies on Apple's frameworks.

If you want multi-user collaboration with someone else, use File Sync with the Collaboration option turned on.

File Sync works through any folder

File Sync writes your Space data to a folder you choose. PrimeTask doesn't care what backs that folder - Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Synology, Nextcloud, an SMB or NFS network share, even a USB drive. Whatever the cloud provider or network is doing to keep that folder in sync between machines is what gives you cross-device sync.

Sync folder paths are device-local

The folder path shown in File Sync settings belongs to this device only. That means the owner can use /Users/Ana/Dropbox/PrimeTask on one Mac while a teammate uses D:\Dropbox\PrimeTask on Windows for the same shared Space.

Changing the folder path in the Sync Settings panel relinks this device. It does not move the shared folder for everyone else, and it does not force other members to rejoin.

Personal sync vs collaborative sync

A File Sync Space starts as personal - the shared folder is just for your devices. Turn on Collaboration in the Space's settings (Pro feature) to make it multi-user. Other people can then join the Space and work alongside you.

The same data flows either way. Collaboration adds member management, role-based permissions, owner identity per Space, assignment notifications, and the Join Shared Space flow for new members.

Password protection for sync folders

Both personal and collaborative sync support password protection. The password is set when you configure sync for a Space. Anyone with access to the sync folder needs the password to read your data.

When you set the password, you can also add an optional password hint - a short reminder phrase that PrimeTask will show you if a device ever prompts for the password again. The hint is stored with the Space's sync settings, so it travels with you to any device that joins that Space. Pick a hint that jogs your memory without giving the password away to anyone else who might glance at the screen.

If the owner enables, changes, or removes password protection after a member has already joined, that member's device shows a notification so the change is never silent. When password protection is enabled or the password is changed, sync pauses on the member's device and the notification points to Settings → File Sync → Sync Settings, where they enter the password to resume. When password protection is removed, sync continues automatically and the notification simply confirms the change. PrimeTask does this so a Space's security posture never changes silently, and so unprotected data is never written into a protected shared folder.

Before PrimeTask enables password protection, changes the sync password, or removes password protection, it creates a local recovery snapshot. If the snapshot cannot be created, the change is blocked.

Offline-first with automatic catch-up

PrimeTask works fully offline. When you go offline, your edits queue up locally. As soon as you're back online, the queued changes flow to the sync folder automatically and any updates from other devices come down to yours. There's nothing to manually trigger - it just resumes.

Sync pauses while the app is locked

If you've set a PIN (see Security) and the app is locked, sync is paused. As soon as you unlock, sync catches up immediately. This prevents notification toasts from leaking to the lock screen and ensures the data on screen matches your authenticated state.

Sync conflicts are handled automatically

PrimeTask handles normal sync conflicts for you. Most of the time you will not notice anything - changes from your devices and teammates are brought together automatically. If two people edit the same item at nearly the same time, check the item afterwards and make sure the final version says what you expect.

SpacesCare auto-mapping

When you set up SpacesCare to share collections between two Spaces (see Spaces Settings), PrimeTask automatically maps statuses and priorities between the two Spaces' vocabularies - even if they have different status or priority sets. You don't need to manually map "In Progress" in one Space to "In Progress" in the other; PrimeTask figures it out.

Device name - make sure your machines are identifiable

PrimeTask gives each device a name so changes can be attributed correctly when you (or a teammate) look at sync history. If you have multiple machines, give each one a clear name ("Mac at home", "Work laptop") instead of leaving the default. You can edit the device name from this card.

Member roles and collaborative Space settings

When a Space has collaboration turned on, its Sync Settings give owners and admins the tools to manage who's in the Space and what each person can do. From there, you can:

• Check sync status for the Space
• Change the sync folder used by this device
• Manage collaboration and Space members
• Set, change, or remove password protection for the Space
• Sync now when you do not want to wait for the next automatic sync

Inside the Members section, you see everyone who has joined the Space, along with their role and recent activity. There are four roles:

Owners and admins can change a member's role or remove them from the Members panel. The local user (you) can never change your own role or remove yourself - to leave a Space you joined, use the equivalent leave action in the Space's edit screen instead.

Removing a member from PrimeTask removes them from the Space's member list. It does not revoke their access to the shared folder in Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Synology, your network share, or whichever provider you use. To fully remove access, revoke it in the folder provider too.

Joining a Space someone else has set up

If a teammate has already set up a collaborative File Sync Space and wants you to join it, you don't have to configure anything from scratch. From the File Sync card, click Join Shared Space and PrimeTask walks you through a guided wizard that covers everything you need:

• Point at the shared folder your teammate gave you
• Discover the Space that lives inside that folder
• Unlock it with the password (and the hint, if one was set)
• Set up your profile so teammates can see who you are
• Review what you're about to join
• Watch the initial download complete
• Land inside the Space, ready to work

You end the wizard already inside the Space, with everything synced and your role assigned by the owner. From that point on, the Space behaves like any other - it shows up in the Space switcher and its Sync Settings panel gives you the same controls the owner has (minus the things owners and admins keep to themselves).

Joining a Space is a Pro feature because it's part of multi-user collaboration.

If the Space already exists on this device, the Join Shared Space wizard offers to relink it to the selected folder instead of creating a duplicate or making you delete and rejoin.

Notifications when teammates assign you tasks

In a collaborative Space, when a teammate assigns you a task - including subtasks - PrimeTask shows a persistent notification toast with:

• The assigner's avatar
• "{Name} assigned you to: {task title}"
• The Space name (when you're browsing a different Space)
• A View Task button that switches to the right Space and opens the task
• A Dismiss button

The toast stays on screen until you dismiss it, so it doesn't disappear if you step away. Unassignments work the same way. Subtask assignments fire too. None of this fires for personal sync - it only triggers in Spaces with collaboration enabled. Notifications are part of the Pro tier.

Common questions

Where to go next