On-demand sync on Proton Drive for macOS

Files and folders you sync with the Proton Drive app for macOS are synchronized on demand. This means that until you use a file locally (on that device), it remains stored in the cloud by default. This approach prevents your files from taking up unnecessary space on your computer when not in use. 

Files and folders that are only on the cloud show a cloud icon next to their names. 

You can make the file available offline in three ways:

• Open the file. This will download the file to your device. 
• Click on the cloud icon next to the file name.
• Secondary click (Control-click) on the file, which will open the menu, and select Download now.

You can make whole folders with multiple files available offline by clicking on the cloud icon or secondary clicking and then selecting Download now from the menu.

Once files are downloaded, they remain on your device until you remove them. Any updates to the file are automatically synced. 

To make a file cloud-only and save space on your local computer, secondary click on the file or folder and select Remove download from the menu. This will remove the downloaded version of the file or folder from your device, saving space on your computer. The file will still be stored securely on the cloud.

It is important to note that when you move, copy, or paste a file into Proton Drive, by default, they are stored locally on your device as well as the cloud until you make them cloud only.